News presents top five pieces from past school year:

1. Breaking a ‘Culture of Silence’ 

Former Editor-in-Chief Aaliyah Yan, former Online Editor Sharada Viswanath, former Managing Editor Laura Anderson and A&E Editor Claire Bai wrote a piece on community conversations regarding racism in our community. They interviewed many students and provided statistics from a survey regarding racism. They also reported on actions Algonquin has taken to reduce racism, as well as actions they can take in the future. This article won “Best of SNO.”

2. Hundreds gather in Hopkinton after death of 16-year-old Mikayla Miller

News Editor Ben Schanzer and Assistant News Editor Riya Mahanta attended a vigil held for Mikalya Miller in Hopkinton, where around 500 people gathered. They reported on important quotes from different speakers, interviewed many attendees, and provided all sides of the story from the DA’s office to Mikayla’s mother. This article won “Best of SNO.”

3. The cost of keeping ARHS healthy 

Schanzer reports on how the pandemic impacted the costs and expenses of Algonquin. He goes into great detail about grants the school has gotten as well as district expenses, interviewing many sources as well. His article also included a graph to help visualize the costs. It won “Best of SNO.”

4. School committee votes to retire Tomahawk mascot

Editor-in-Chief Melissa Dai reports on the important decision to retire the Tomahawk mascot after many years of discussion. She interviewed many different people, and wrote the article in a very timely manner, posted only a day after the decision.   

5. Algonquin returns to full in-person learning

Former Managing Editor Laura Anderson writes about how Algonquin returned to full in-person learning, interviewing many sources from Principal Sean Bevan to Dr. Andrea Ciaranello, an infectious disease doctor. Anderson reports on some of the reasons why this decision took place as well as ways we can stay safe.