A few years ago, WPS teachers were fighting for a new contract. It was a long process – months of bargaining, deliberations, picket lines. Rumblings of a teacher strike began to pick up. The Colonel Chronicle reported on contract negotiations so students could understand the situation.
The students of South High decided to contribute to the situation by staging a walk out in support of their teachers. Images were shared on social media; at least one local news station made reference to the walkout in reporting on the contract negotiations. It wasn’t too long after that the superintendent was moved to end the long negotiations and a contract was settled, preventing a teacher strike, and schools from being disrupted. While many factors contributed to this resolution, the attention brought to the impact that teachers have on students’ lives was significant, perhaps even influential!
It is this spirit that Colonel Chronicle hopes to capture as we continue our second full year at shcsnews.org. When the paper began reforming recently, the staff identified one of the goals of the paper as community building – being a source of connection for students to events and opportunities around the school. The paper has done well with this, providing a place to celebrate, showcase, and invite. But additionally the paper has given the students the chance to inform – whether it is the chance to inform readers of their opinions on issues like the tardy policy, or the bathroom situation.
So as the Chronicle begins its second full year at our professional website https://shcsnews.org/, we invite our students to embrace the opportunity to voice their opinions and experiences through our pages. We are living in a time period where there are multiple ways to share your voice through social media, and it can be empowering get your opinion out in an Instagram or Snap story. But newspapers are different – they require more work than your typical photo and caption, but this work gives more space for writing, thinking, and being informed.
The great thing about the Chronicle is that we have many ways you can be involved in student journalism!
One thing to do is simply read the Chronicle each week. Our weekly stories are on topics you can develop your own response to – you could agree or disagree in a letter to the editor, or perhaps do your own research on the topic to write a piece of your own. If you are not confident about your writing, that is where our staff comes in! We have editors who can help you develop and edit your writing for publication.
Since most of us have phones at our disposal and thus cameras readily available, we know how important photos are as well. We also have opportunities for photojournalism and the stories that can be told through photos – check out this example!
At the end of the day, student journalism is important. It is important to our school and to helping student voices be heard. Really, it is even more important to society. Student newspapers provide practice in the real world in being informed and expressing opinions. As a community – as a country – we function best when people are being heard. Eventually you will be asked to exercise your democratic right and vote. Being informed is essential, and expressing your opinion is valuable – you can help someone else be informed and make choices.
Please consider joining us this year! Reach out to advisor Ms. Ledoux (LedouxL) or Journalism teacher Ms. Toy (ToyF), or to our current editors, Sarah Jeffers (student.142045) and Lila Tallagnon (student.153377) with any questions on developing pieces for the paper. We accept submissions at any time here as well as welcome your letters to the editor.
We hope that in the coming year the Chronicle continues to serve to bring the South community together, but also grows in its ability to be the voice of South High students!
