Crystal 99

The "Crystal 99" is the student-run school newspaper of Malden Catholic High School. The name derives from the address of the school at 99 Crystal St., Malden, Massachusetts. The paper has been running for decades, with five or six issues printed each school year.

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The News Paper room used by people to publish newspapers is often used by friends to hang out and do homework in.The "Crystal 99" is run by a regularly rotating staff of editors, generally consisting of juniors and seniors. Articles and artwork are contributed from the entire school community.

The paper will be celebrating 25 years of having the name "Crystal 99" in 2006-2007. ("See history")

*Editors-in-Chief Emeriti: Timothy Paquette '07, Matthew C. Tomkewicz '06 & Gavin Corey '06 (2005-2006) David Irwin (2006 Graduate Edition Co-EIC), Matthew Shapanka '05 (2002-2005), Matthew Moore '03 (2002-2003), Evan Cassidy '03 (2001), James Paquette '02 (2000-2002), William Phung '01 (1999-2001), William Deluise '00 (1998-2000), John Cronin '99 (1997-1999), Jeffrey Morgan '98 (1996-1998), Brian O'Meara '97 (1995-1997)

The paper is currently moderated by History teacher and Guidance Counselor Peter Rockwell Wright.

History

As Malden Catholic moved from Highland Avenue to 99 Crystal Street during the 1968–1969 school year, the school newspaper entered a new stage. Calling itself The End in September 1968, its final month on Highland Avenue, the staff welcomed ideas for a new name. The winning entry was Crystal XCIX (the “XCIX” would change to “99” in 1982 with the help of Fred Eid, then known as Bro. Fred Eid, CFX), which was chosen over such names as Avatar, The Intellectual Receptacle, and The 1875 Buttermilk Edition.

“Crystal XCIX was the name selected because it was the only one not rejected!” read a news brief in the October 1968 edition. The staff in that year was headed by editor in chief Stephen Flanagan. Brother Guy, CFX, was in charge of photography. Articles in that eight-page edition included coverage of drama presentations ranging from Chekhov to Yeats, as well as a piece on the Gandolf Society, the school's literary discussion club.

In the “new” MC, the staff met in room 205 “quite frequently,” according to the February 1971 edition. Terming itself a “secret cabal,” that year it consisted of 17 members, and was headed by editor in chief John Impemba, faculty adviser Bro. Joseph Britt, CFX, and faculty consultant Mr. Joseph Doucette.

In 1987, Crystal 99 stepped into the future with the introduction of computers to the publication. From that date, several computers have been added to aid production. In September 1994, Crystal 99 moved into an interdisciplinary learning center, a much larger office than the previous room.

In 2001, Crystal 99 made another move, this time into an office across from 203. The newspaper also switched to IBM-compatible computers, allowing access to the school-wide network, as well as Internet access. Crystal 99 also began sending its pages to the printer electronically.

Beginning in the 2002–2003 school year, under veteran faculty adviser and former Xaverian Bro. Fred Eid, along with editors in chief Matthew Moore ‘03 and Matthew Shapanka ‘05, Crystal 99 began production using process color. Today, the publication features four pages of full color.

At the start of the 2004–2005 school year, history teacher Mr. Peter R. Wright, succeeded Fred Eid as faculty adviser to Crystal 99.

Publication

The "Crystal 99" is published by Seacoast Newspapers, located in Stratham, New Hampshire. The paper is submitted to the publisher in PDF format by FTP.

The paper is split into five sections: news, feature, editorials, arts, and sports. The first page, last page, and centerfold are in full color. Typically, the first page is news, the next 4 are editorials, the next 6 are news (including the centerfold), the next 4 are Arts, and 4 are sports.

The paper usually publishes 6 times a year, with a special edition, "The Graduate", published for and by seniors.

For national advertising, it is a member of the High School National Ad Network.

Awards

The "Crystal 99" has won many awards from many recognized institutions, including the New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA), the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Suffolk University, and others. Also, individual staff members are frequently recognized for journalistic excellence in writing, photography, and artwork.

Former "Crystal 99" sports editor Chris Snow '99, who also wrote professionally during high school for the Malden City Press covering Boston University Hockey, graduated from the prestigious Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University in 2003. After stints interning with the sports departments of the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times, Snow went to work full time for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as the beat writer covering the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League, shortly after graduation. In 2005, Snow returned to the Boston area, having landed a permanent spot with the Globe, this time as the beat writer covering the Boston Red Sox. In addition to his writing duties, Snow made regular television appearances on the New England Sports Network as part of their Red Sox pregame show. During the 2006 baseball season, Snow left the Globe to take over as Director of Hockey Operations for the Minnesota Wild, having caught the eye of management during his stint with the team as a beat writer.

External links

* [http://maldencatholic.org/malden.aspx?pgID=954 Official Crystal 99 Website]
* [http://maldencatholic.org/malden.aspx?pgID=1194 Official Masthead]