The Newspaper The Mash has recently been added to Neuqua’s handed out publications. The Mash is a student publication run through the Chicago Tribune that is distributed in every Chicago public high school and in many schools in the suburbs including Neuqua. All 55 writers for The Mash are high school students from the Chicago area, including three Neuqua students. The staff is growing even more with a goal of having over 80 students.
The Mash offers unique opportunities for the students who are a part of it, with many different opportunities and topics for them to write about. Other opportunities are also being provided such as broadcast journalism and blogging. More opportunities are being opened up to people with interests in different areas.
Started in 2008, The Mash originally was only distributed to Chicago public high schools, but this year has extended to the suburbs. Still expanding, the paper is read by thousands of high school students across the area and distributed to 150 schools. The paper is meant to be written for students about topics that interest high schoolers.
The students on the staff are sometimes given opportunities to interview celebrities, such as Lebron James. The paper offers a unique view on issues that matters to teenagers and is written by teen writers, giving the feeling and input of other high school students.
Aside from stories, The Mash provides unique features. Among these features is a college visit section, where The Mash gives students information on a college in the Chicago area or from around the country. Included in every issue is a section called Soundoff, where students from across Chicago-land are asked the same question in a format similar to Photo Booth. Also, in every issue a student interviews a celebrity ranging from movie stars to athletes, many different celebrities have been interviewed.
Any student can become a writer for the mash. To apply to The Mash all students need to do is visit the website www.themash.com. Distributed to the school every Thursday, students can pick up a copy of The Mash outside each class house in the rotunda or in the cafeteria.
Thomas Rowland, Staff Writer
