1st Place, News Brief
2024-25, Division 3, News Writing
By Lilah Purucker
The Roar
Northview HS
They’ve come to suck your blood! This month’s blood drive is fast approaching, so starve a vampire, make a difference in your community, and donate!
The blood drive, put on by Student Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), will be taking place Monday, October 28 in the small gym. This is the first of three blood drives that will take place throughout the school year.
Water and snacks will be provided by Versiti Blood. All donors will also receive a Nirvana themed t-shirt as a fun reward for donating.
Students older than 16 years are eligible to donate on their own, and those who are 16 must have a signed permission slip from a guardian at the time of donation. Permission slips can be found in the front office.
Donating blood is a great way to give back to the community and save lives.
Northview educator and SADD advisor Brian Bollone understands the importance of blood donations and urges students to participate.
“Every two seconds, someone in the US needs a blood donation, and each donation can assist up to three individuals. Donating allows patients in West Michigan who need red blood cells, platelets, and/or plasma for medical procedures to remain healthy and ensure patient recovery,” Bollone said.
Many students and staff partake in the blood drive each month. Senior SADD member and blood donor Nora Brackley enjoys the fulfilling feeling of helping those in need from within the walls of her own school.
“Knowing that my donation could save lives is so nice, and to be able to do it at school is great,” Brackley said.
Having the blood drive at the high school makes donating convenient and accessible for students who meet the donation requirements.
Senior SADD member Hannah Hoover appreciates the convenience of Northview hosting the blood drives.
“With the blood drive being at the school, as long as students are healthy and strong enough, it is a great way to volunteer and help those in need,” Hoover said.
Appointments to donate are filling up quickly, so sign up before it’s too late. Students can sign up using the QR codes posted around the school.
“[Donating] is a simple and selfless act that can truly make an impact in other’s lives,” Hoover said.
NW-04. News Brief
News briefs should be 150-200 word stories that report on events and issues that have news value and timeliness to the publication’s readers. Coverage should include quotes or other attributed information from at least one human source. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the news brief was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Meets word count limit
- Does not sacrifice accuracy for the sake of timeliness
- Sharp, attention-getting lead that underscores news story importance
- Uses inverted pyramid
- Sentences are carefully constructed to be as concise as possible
- Emphasizes news elements, i.e. timeliness, nearness, impact, and prominence
- Uses direct quotes or attributed information from at least one source