‘Nook News’ chosen as new newspaper name
After approximately 60 submissions and three rounds of voting, Nook News has been selected as the new name for the Minooka student newspaper.
Once the decision was made to proceed with changing the name (read that story here), Minooka students and MCHS staff were invited to submit suggestions.
The newspaper staff members came up with several criteria for the new name:
- The name should reflect the values of our school and community.
- The name should reflect the work of a top news organization.
- The name should be positive and inclusive, something that all readers can embrace.
- The name should be short and meaningful.
- The name can relate to our school and the history of the community.
- The name can be fun and catchy, but should also reflect the serious nature of journalism.
On Oct. 6, the criteria were shared and submissions began to roll in though a Google form provided in emails to student and staff. On Oct. 15, submissions were closed.
The following week, members of the newspaper staff broke into groups and began considering all of the names. They chose four finalists: The Minooka Loop, The Summit, The Minooka Express, and Nook News. Each name had significance to it, as provided by those who submitted the names.
The Minooka Loop: Central and South campuses are on a 7-mile loop — 3.5 miles down Ridge Road and 3.5 miles back up Bell Road. Keeping people “in the loop” means keeping them informed. It is a loop that ties the MCHS community together. It also can refer to the communication loop between sender and receiver.
The Summit: The town of Minooka was called Summit when it originated because it was the highest point on the railroad line. Summit makes you think of something at the top, something excellent. It’s also what you call an important meeting where ideas are exchanged.
The Minooka Express: The town of Minooka was originally founded because of the Rock Island Railroad that runs through northern Illinois. The Express is a nod to the town’s railroad history.
Nook News: Nook is short for Minooka and is a common term of affection for the area.
Those four names were randomly put into a Final Four bracket for student voting purposes.
First, Nook News beat The Minooka Express, 328-138. Then, The Minooka Loop beat The Summit, 178-128.
In the final round, Nook News beat The Minooka Loop, 308-170.
The student newspaper staff is currently in the process of changing its social media accounts, the website, and the logo for the newspaper to incorporate Nook News.
