All together

This site may help start and/or continue a high school publication.

Beginning a semester in high school publications requires continued thinking smart outside the box, planning and a pledge to work toward a fair and impartial communication to readers in a modern, well-designed format.

Opening of Semester — Click here We’ll start with September. Look at changes in district boundaries, etc., that may have happened since your last issue. One question at this time from staffers may be “How can we keep the momentum going?“

Let’s think about that.

News — Your primary readership may be interested in topics which have an impact in their lives — riding buses, cafeteria prices, scholarship deadlines. Your school contains many experts. Look for those people. Your publication is the primary medium to cover these things for your readers. Work on those leads. Readers need to be caught in the first paragraph or two – or they’re gone on to something else.
Features — Hope you’ve moved away from writing about “popular” students just because they are “popular.” Look for the unusual, the quirky, the little-known, the heroes, the colorful, the talented — stories that evoke “Gee, I didn’t know that.” Ask in classes about people, places and things that interest readers.
Sports — Look for behind-the-scenes stories. How did the teams prepare to improve the season record, what about stadium concession changes or interesting folks working there. Individuals in sports — skaters, dancers, marathon runners, weight lifters, boxers and the like — will take the pressure off having to cover all team sports equally.
Opinion — Offer readers helpful information — the importance of applying for scholarships early, praise (when merited) for changes that benefit students, support for bond elections and constructive criticism (where it is merited), such as parking problems, traffic or safety problems or other campus topics. Click Here for reviewing tips. See Rotten Tomatoes.
Columns — Please, only the “best” writers should step up to the plate. This may prove difficult because few want to be rejected. Maybe conduct a contest to select the “best.” Let the staff vote, perhaps, to remove any hint of favoritism.
Design — Look at the best-designed newspapers to tweak the design.
Editing — Behind every great reporter or designer is a great copy editor, someone once said. This is true. These people find the creepy little errors, make a story read more coherently, move the lead from the bottom to the top and help reporters improve their work and write headlines to attract readers. Five ways to stay gender neutral.
Photos — See Photo Tips for how to capture the pictorial essence of your school. See National Press Photographers Association