The group of young journalists who run the Tarmac, Chaminade High School’s newspaper, have really taken off.
The New York Press Association named the Tarmac the best high school paper in the state for the second straight year at its annual convention last week, with judges particularly praising their use of social media.
Led by seniors Colin Maloney and Peter Charalambous, the paper’s editorial staff broke new ground this year by launching a website that’s found success among readers — largely Chaminade students and parents.
The staff’s adaptability and willingness to keep the Tarmac moving forward is central to the paper’s continued success in its 82nd year, faculty adviser Patrick Reichert said.
“They didn’t just rest on their laurels,” Reichert said. “They tried new things and they succeeded with those new things, and I think that that’s important.”
Tarmac editors are in their Chaminade office almost every day to produce five print issues a year and publish almost daily to the website, chstarmac.com, Maloney said.
Along with longer features and columns for the 16-page print editions — such as a story on a group of 50 Chaminade students going to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia in the fall — the paper’s total staff of more than 30 students covers sports games, club meetings, lectures and other events for quicker publication online.
The website garnered more than 50,000 page views in the six months after its launch in late September, Reichert said. Maloney expects its audience to grow as Chaminade distributes more iPads to students, he said.
Running the award-winning paper between classes and other extracurricular commitments is “a of things lot to juggle,” said News Editor Rob Paradiso, a senior.
But everyone on the staff pitches in and works well together, he said.
“No one’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not my assignment so I’m not doing it,’” Maloney said. “They all realize it’s best for the paper. We all help each other out. We all realize there’s times when you need a break or a helping hand.”
Technology has helped that collaboration, the editors said — using Google Drive to store all the Tarmac’s documents online lets multiple editors work on a story at once and allows them to work outside of the office.
For instance, when Chaminade named a new varsity football coach on a Friday afternoon, Paradiso confirmed the story with the athletic director, did a phone interview with the coach after getting home from school and later posted the story online.
“The collaboration that we’ve seen because of technology has been outstanding,” assistant adviser Sal Garofalo said.
A report about Chaminade’s plans for a new science and technology center was one of the most popular stories on the web this year, editors said.
Other major stories included interviews with notable Chaminade alumni Alfonse D’Amato, a former U.S. senator, and Davidson College basketball coach Bob McKillop, Maloney said.
The school has supported the Tarmac well by renovating its office two years ago and purchasing new computers and other equipment, Maloney said.
Administrators are open with reporters and “realize the paper reflects well on the school,” he said.
“They do treat it like — almost like it’s another sports team,” Maloney said. “They understand that it’s serious, understand that it can bring good recognition to the school. It’s nice to see that level of support.”
Maloney will attend Georgetown University in the fall. Art Editor Eli Jaghab, another senior, is heading to Villanova University. Paradiso is still deciding between four schools.
Paradiso and Maloney don’t plan to study journalism in college, but they said they’d like to write for their school papers.
A young staff comprised mostly of current sophomores will succeed them, Garofalo said.
Layout Editor Thomas Callahan, a junior, said he has already plans to further revamp the Tarmac’s design next year.
Paradiso said he sees ways the paper’s workflow could become more efficient.
“I think there’s incredible potential that I can’t really see yet, but I know it’s going to happen,” Garofalo said.
