Freshman Grace Lovejoy came to McIntosh this year with a love of talking about topics she has strong feelings about. So when she had the opportunity to join the McIntosh Trail, she took it.

“I always loved writing and doing research,” Lovejoy said. “I had so many great recommendations about the Trail and I’m glad I joined.”

Lovejoy’s piece “Collision Course: Teens and Golf Cart Accidents in Peachtree City” earned a “Best of SNO” distinction from School Newspapers Online, the host of the McIntosh Trail.

According to their website, “Best of SNO showcases the best student journalism from members of the SNO Network.” Lovejoy’s work was one of more than 13,000 submitted stories from this school year for consideration and only one of 1,628 stories accepted for the distinction.

Lovejoy put in time and legwork on “Collison Course,” getting information from Peachtree City Police Department, from a local insurance agent and multiple interviews with a variety of students who were injured in golf cart accidents.

Trail Editor-in-Chief Rebekah Bushmire considers Lovejoy “irreplaceable” when it comes to her contributions to the staff.

“She has a nose for journalism, and she’s willing to go after those heavy topics that require hard work and a longer work period. It’s really impressive to see because she’s younger than me, but there’s points where I look up to her; she’s my inspiration,” Bushmire said.

Lovejoy was inspired to cover the story based on her own driving experience in a golf cart.

“Interviewing my friends about their golf cart accidents and just getting an idea of how teenagers react. And I gathered that they’re really scared [when driving],” Lovejoy said.

“I hope that people really learn a better way of driving and understanding that driving safe matters; you get yourself and other people hurt and you can cost your parents a lot of money,” she said.