About

Mission: We strive to produce a newspaper that reflects the entire student body and staff at MCHS. We want to communicate essential information through responsible journalism, connect people through common interests, and promote thinking by sharing opinions and ideas.

History:

While original copies of the Minooka student newspaper are not available, the paper of Minooka Community High School started in 1941.  It was called the Peace Pipe Chatter. In 2016, a member of the first PPC staff in 1941 met with the current staff.  She explained that in 1941, the cover was drawn by hand.  Pages were 8.5 by 11 inches in size.  They were copied using a mimeograph machine.  Issues were few because with such a small enrollment, there wasn’t as much to cover.

In the April 7, 1961 issue, the staff reprinted this article from the first issue ever of the PPC (the date of that issue is not given):

Our congratulations to Miss Nettie Greenbeck for her clever selection of a name for our paper. The name, “Peace Pipe Chatter,” coincides with the name of the town. “Minooka” is an Indian word, which means “contentment.”

The second choice, “Minooka Tom Tom,” was contributed by Charles George. We wish to thank all who took part in naming the paper.

In the fall of 2020, the newspaper staff and school began a process that resulted in changing the name.  Peace Pipe Chatter was inappropriate to use because Native American tribes use a peace pipe as part of a sacred ritual.

In the fall of 2021, thanks to submission by students and faculty, four finalists were chosen for a new name: The Minooka Express, The Summit, The Minooka Loop, and Nook News.

After rounds of student voting, Nook News became the name of the student newspaper on Oct. 28, 2021.