Awards and Achievements
2022-2023
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- 1st Place Best of Show
2021-2022
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- Award of Commendation Hybrid News
- 1st Place Staff Editorial (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Less Talking, More Action” by Rockmedia staff
- 1st Place Personality Profile (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “His Vision for Valor” by Kira Zizzo
- 1st Place Environmental Portrait (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “His Vision for Valor” by Kira Zizzo
- 1st Place Lifestyle Coverage (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Elephant in the Room Podcast” by Kira Zizzo
- 1st Place Sports Action Photo and Caption (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800)) – “Eyes on the Prize” by Kira Zizzo
- 1st Place Single Page Design (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “The Comeback Kicks” by Ben England, Olivia Barrett
- 2nd Place Editorial Cartoon (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Overwhelmed” by Sam Jacot
- 2nd Place Photo Essay (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “School Board Division Leads to Community Action” by Kira Zizzo
- 2nd Place Podcast (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “RC Update” by Matthew Fink and Jack Gianetto
- 2nd Place Sports Reaction Photo and Caption (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Floored by Frustration” by Kira Zizzo
- 3rd Place Online Breaking News Coverage (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “BREAKING: Mask Mandate Will Be Enforced In Schools” by Claire Bauer
- 3rd Place In-Depth News Coverage (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “DCSD School Board Division Coverage” by Kira Zizzo, Claire Bauer, Grace Uhrain
- 3rd Place News Feature (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Walkout Unmasks Tensions Among Students” by Kira Zizzo
- Honorable Mention Column (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Inside the Stats” by Kishan Vahalia
- Honorable Mention Critical Review (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “A Coffee Review, Espresso-ly for You” by Kendall Foxworth and Lola Boushelle
- Honorable Mention In-Depth Sports Coverage (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Springing Into Spring Sports” by Ben England, Olivia Barrett, Peter Leensvaart
- Honorable Mention Sports Feature (Print News/Online Class III – over 1,800) – “Playoffs? We Talking About Playoffs?” by Ben England, Peter Leensvaart
- Dorothy Greer Scholarship Winner – Kira Zizzo
- Photographer of the Year – Kira Zizzo
- Reporter of the Year – Kira Zizzo
- Journalist of the Year – Kira Zizzo
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
- Silver Crown for Student Work on Digital News
Continental League Journalism Conference
- 1st Place Layout: Website Layout – the Rock staff
- 1st Place Newspaper Writing: Feature Writing – Matthew Fink
- 1st Place Newspaper Writing: Sports Writing – Peter Leensvaart
- 1st Place Newspaper Writing: Sports Writing – Ben England
National Student Press Association (NSPA)
- Honor Roll: Claire Bauer, Benjamin England, Matthew Fink, Kendall Foxworth, Jack Gianetto, Madison Loucks, Grace Uhrain, Abigail Wood, Kira Zizzo
Student News Online (SNO)
- Best of SNO – “Walkout Unmasks Tensions Among Students” by Kira Zizzo
- Best of SNO – “School Board Division Leads to Community Action” by Kira Zizzo
Other
- Balfour Great Shot 2nd place – Kira Zizzo
2020-2021
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- Best In-Depth Coverage – “What You Need to Know: Coronavirus” by Amanda Brauchler and Kira Zizzo
- Designer of the Year – Amanda Brauchler
National Student Press Association (NSPA)
- Finalist – “RC Update: Andy Abner” by Matthew Fink and Jack Gianetto
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
- Silver Crown recipient for High School Digital News
- Silver Crown for High School Hybrid General Magazine
Student News Online (SNO)
- Best of SNO – “The True Value of Gamestop” by Matthew Fink
- Best of SNO – “The Band Tee Epidemic” by Luka Owen and Ben England
- Best of SNO – “Flipping Chips: How Poker has Become a Class of ‘21 Pastime” by Luka Owen
- Best of SNO – “Graduation Demonstration: Students Show Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement” by Kira Zizzo
- Best of SNO – “UPDATE: What you need to know about Colorado’s wildfires” by Maddy Merritt
- Best of SNO – “Students Make a Statement: Taking the Anti-Trump Narrative to the Streets” by Kira Zizzo
2019-2020
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- 2nd Place Best of Show Award for 5A Print News
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
- Gold Medalist Certificate
Student News Online (SNO)
- Best of SNO – “How Do You Choose to Remember Kobe Bryant” by Amanda Brauchler
- Best of SNO – “A Slam Dunk for SSN Programs: The First Annual Unified Basketball Game Recap” by Emily Wilson
- Best of SNO – “An Outbreak of Racism Follows the Spread of Coronavirus” by Kira Zizzo
- Best of SNO – “Students and Staff Shed Hair in Support of Those In Need” by Kira Zizzo
2018-2019
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- 1st Place 5A Print News
Student News Online (SNO)
- Best of SNO – “We Will…We Will…Block You: Homecoming Game Recap” by Kira Zizzo
- Best of SNO – “One of the Guys” by Ben England
2017-2018
Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA)
- Award of Commendation Print News
Please note that at this time this list only includes awards dating back to the 2017-2018 school year and may not be fully complete. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please email [email protected]