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Special delivery
By LOGAN NEILL BROOKSVILLE -- It always bothered Hallie Hudson that in her years attending Hernando High, she has never had a student newspaper. For a senior with a deep interest in issues at her school, the lack of such a forum ultimately meant a lack of viewpoint among her peers. "Kids always have opinions about things that go on in school," Hallie said. "It's always been kind of sad that there was no real way for them to express what was on their minds." Until now. In a few days, the inaugural issue of Hernando High's the Purple and Gold Press will hit the campus. And for the students who have endeavored to produce the school's first student newspaper in more than eight years, the arrival is filled with great anticipation. The last newspaper lapsed for lack of a school sponsor. "We can't wait to see what people think of it," said sophomore Ashley Kuhn, one of 18 student staffers who signed on last fall to work on the new publication. "We all put a lot into it and I think people will see that." Loren Kavanagh, who teaches literature and journalism at Hernando High, serves as editor and adviser for the paper, agrees. For the past three months, she has watched her students learn the ropes of putting together a fledgling newspaper. To her, the finished product stands as a testament to her students' diligence and enthusiasm. "When they started, no one really had an idea of how much work and effort went into putting a newspaper together," said Kavanagh. "The fact that finished product looks professional and is interesting to read speaks highly of their effort to create something that they're proud of." The staff, mostly students in Kavanagh's journalism class, began work on the publication as part of regular class writing exercises. In class, they learned the fundamental elements of reporting, from research and investigation to interviewing techniques. But as industrious as the students were in creating copy, it would be a while before they could attempt to put their work into printed form. "I didn't know much about computer layout and design, so we had to hold up until we could get some help," said Kavanagh. She turned to graphic arts teacher Terry Edgell for help. Edgell, who also serves as the school's yearbook adviser, gave the students a three-month crash course in computer page design, and taught techniques in using digital cameras so they could take photographs for their stories. Perhaps the greatest source of pride for the students is the paper's content. With every staffer assigned to contribute at least one article, there was no shortage of story ideas, say the students. In fact, the inaugural issue features more than two dozen articles, ranging from news and feature stories on campus life, sports and student activities, to opinion and commentary on several teen-related issues. "I think the students are interested in our point of view because we walk the same hallways every day and see and hear the same things they do," said senior Kim Olmstead. Her own contributions to the paper include commentary on wasteful lunch habits of fellow students and a report on the DECA Club's annual car show. Kavanagh initially thought that some of the articles' mild criticisms of school policy might not curry favor with administrators. However, after looking over a mockup of the first issue, Hernando High principal Elaine Sullivan gave Kavanagh an enthusiastic thumbs up. "It was a good sign because I want them to be encouraged to be responsible but not afraid to make their own newspaper," said Kavanagh. With the first issue behind them, the staff is working on the next edition, which Kavanagh hopes to complete by mid-April. With printing and production expenses paid by a grant from the Hernando Education Foundation, future issues most likely will be funded by ad revenue. "Selling ads is one of those dreaded chores that no one likes to do," said Kavanagh. "But it's probably something we'll have to do from now on to keep publishing."
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From today's Hernando Times |
