Reviving the School Newspaper At MLEC
After a long period of absence, MLEC’s newspaper is attempting to make its return as our school’s journalism students rise to the challenge of restoring it. Through the newspaper, the students are aiming to create a physical version of the Harbinger website, including a wide range of articles branching through different topics and perspectives.
For a few years now, the Harbinger website has been the main platform for student journalism at our school, allowing students to digitally publish their articles and submit their art to Artists of MLEC. Although the website is still in use, the lack of a physical newspaper leaves a gap in how students engage and interact with journalism in school.
This is something they’re aiming to change as they reintroduce the paper. The revival is also about expanding the reach of students’ work.
The newspaper itself will include a variety of content. Articles will cover topics like politics, medical news, pop culture, and school news. Additionally, it’ll feature student artwork and reviews of local stores and events, which provides opportunities for students with varying interests to contribute.
The project has been supported by the student body, with students commenting on how much they enjoy the reintroduction. “I think the school newspaper would be a good addition because it grabs students’ attention in an artistic and old-fashioned way, making them more likely to stay informed. It would make school news more accessible, so students don’t need to be chronically online to see everything going on. Also, it can be saved and looked at over again, and altogether makes students feel more connected to school because it’s physical,” explained sophomore Treasure Williams.
However, the project has created a few challenges. It requires a lot of coordination and cooperation between students in order to make the newspaper as nice as possible, as well as learning time management in order to balance their personal responsibilities. Although it is difficult, the journalism students continue to strive forward and put in effort into making this plan a reality.
One of the factors driving this effort is the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) competition that revolves around it. Students competing for the position are taking on a leadership role by organizing a team to complete and produce a newspaper issue.
The role of Editor-in-Chief carries a lot of responsibility, as they determine the overall quality of the Harbinger, including the newspaper. The student will be in charge of making most final decisions on content, guiding the other staff, and ensuring that all articles and newspaper issues are completed and meet the standard.
“The newspaper competition is a good way to judge the contestants’ abilities to be Editor-in-Chief, since a physical newspaper is one of the main goals of the EIC and helps show how well you can manage and lead a team. However, it’s not perfect, as there is more to being Editor-in-Chief than just the newspaper, so it’s a bit shortsighted on that end,” said junior Sebastian Sanchez, who is participating in the competition.
The outcome of this competition will determine who takes on the role of EIC next year, but this project is more than just a competition. The effort that is being put into the newspaper is helping create a foundation for future students to work off of and continue to expand.
While it is still in development, the effort being put in is clear. The journalism students continue to contribute their time and ideas to ensure that the newspaper is high-quality and shows different perspectives on varying topics. As it continues to develop, the goal is to broaden our students’ audience and create something that they can be proud to be a part of.
