For the last four years, The Lancer Media team has earned the distinction of being a SNO Distinguished site. SNO is a student newspaper site that publishes stories written by high school and college journalists all over the country.

Badges required to earn include Excellence in Writing, Multimedia, Engagement, Story Page Excellence, Continuous Coverage, and Site Excellence.  To achieve each one of these badges,  the Lancer Media team submits stories, slideshows and videos to SNO. Once all six badges have been achieved, the newspaper earns the top honor.

The Lance has been a SNO participant since 2013. The newspapers have had 3,906 stories published since 2013.

SNO hosts 2,814 student newspapers and The Lance is ranked 18th in the nation. The Lance is one of only three student newspapers to become a Distinguished Site on the East Coast, and was the first high school in Maryland to become a Distinguished Site this year. Five stories have been accepted to Best of SNO in the 2018-2019 year.

Editors-in-chief Jacob Bolger, Beau Cameron, and Emily Reed lead the staff to achieve the requirements. The entire journalism team is always hard at work writing stories and creating multi-media content to submit.

Mrs. Natalie Rebetsky has been Linganore’s journalism teacher for over 30 years. She plays a huge rule in the success that The Lance has accomplished. “The best part about this program is that it is student driven. If they want to win the distinction, they make the plan,” said Rebetsky.

Current Editor-in-chief Jacob Bolger said, “Winning this award has made me a more confident writer. I feel like when we achieve the Distinguished Site award, it gives us something to show for all of our hard work throughout the year.” Bolger plans to attend Mount Saint Mary’s to further his education, and plans on majoring in computer sciences.

The key ingredient in The Lance’s four time success story is teamwork. Every student is a puzzle piece in the Lancer Media team, and everyone plays a role in winning these badges, whether their story wins a badge or not.

Co-Editor-in-Chief Emily Reed has been present for all four consecutive winning years. “My experience with journalism has been extremely positive. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many new people inside and outside of the class. I love writing and working with others, and The Lance has an excellent team work environment.”

Reed has been most involved in the Continuous Coverage Badge, the Site Excellence Badge and the Story Page Layout Badge. Her freshman semester, Reed had one story accepted to Best of SNO working towards the Continuous Coverage Badge.

The staff will celebrate by making Distinguished Site T-shirts and having a pizza party.