School newspapers are produced by students with the help of a teacher sponsor. They encourage interest in journalism careers and can include various sections. Paid ads can offset expenses and student journalists write on a variety of topics, using the five W’s. Writing for the school newspaper can be an English lesson or extra-curricular activity and provides valuable experience.
A school newspaper is a publication produced exclusively by the students of a school. The student newspaper staff is usually led by a teacher who sponsors the group. The teacher acts as an advisor and helps organize the students so that they can produce the publication in a timely and efficient manner.
School newspapers exist to encourage students’ interest in journalism careers. If a school decides to start a newspaper for its students, it must first designate a staff sponsor of the newspaper. After choosing a sponsor, students can apply or volunteer to become a staff member of the newspaper. To produce a school publication, newspaper staff must have access to a word processing program, some sort of camera, and a copier or print shop. Hiring the services of a commercial printer can often be expensive unless the newspaper can solicit paid advertising.
Elementary, middle and high schools have the ability to manage their own newspaper publications. Depending on the level of the students, journals can include a variety of sections. For example, typical high school newspapers include sections with news, human interest stories, sports, book and movie reviews, comic books, puzzles, poetry, and advice columns. Some newspapers have letters to the editor, which allow for questions or comments from readers of the publication.
As stated earlier, to offset the expense of creating a newspaper, some schools accept paid ads from local businesses. The money the newspaper receives from local businesses helps pay for the services of a printing house. If the school doesn’t have the funds to hire a printer, use a copier to churn out copies of the school newspaper.
Student journalists write on a variety of topics for the newspaper. She writes about school assemblies, classroom activities, student body members with interesting hobbies, or anything else that might interest readers. Whatever they decide to write, the paper’s staff learns to use the five W’s in their writing process: who, what, where, when and why.
Writing for the school newspaper can be part of an English lesson or an extra-curricular activity. Many students who write for the newspaper decide that they eventually want to become professional journalists. Other writers have no desire to seek a career in journalism; they enjoy writing just for the sake of writing. No matter what career a student journalist ultimately decides on, he or she gains invaluable experience working for the school newspaper.
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