{"id":2185,"date":"2022-05-30T11:41:43","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T11:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/?p=2185"},"modified":"2022-05-30T11:41:43","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T11:41:43","slug":"join-or-contribute-to-your-school-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/2022\/05\/30\/join-or-contribute-to-your-school-newspaper\/","title":{"rendered":"Join (or Contribute to) Your School Newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Theogony<\/em>, with its balance between oversight and freedom, is an opportunity for growth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Peerawut Ruangsawasdi<\/p>Staff Writer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I wrote an op-ed<\/span><\/a> on why some students are reluctant to share their ideas candidly. I suggested potential solutions to the problem, namely outlets for expressions such as Socratic Seminars and class discussions. This time, I\u2019d like to talk about another form of expression that students should take advantage of if they can \u2014 joining, or contributing to, Theogony. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socratic Seminars and class discussions, like community circles, provide ways for students to practice articulating their thoughts and ideas. They also, perhaps most importantly, train students to express themselves civilly and frankly. These spoken forms of discussion rely on teachers\u2019 facilitation of activities in the classroom. It is necessary \u2014 for without the assistance of teachers, dialogue often goes awry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there is another form of expression at ACHS \u2014  and that is Theogony. <\/em>The student newspaper of ACHS has been a forum for discussion for many years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many benefits to the written form. English teacher Soukanya Lai-Sobchak said students express themselves the most through writing. Writing and editing take time. The process forces the writer to back up their beliefs with facts, evidence, logic and reasoning. The writer must hold herself accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might sound like self-promotion, but we are really lucky to have a robust and diverse journalism program at ACHS. While the composition of the writers is still predominantly White, the paper has made numerous diversification efforts. The diversity of the paper is crucial to ensure the reflection of the various perspectives that are present in ACHS. But the paper is not only diverse when it comes to the backgrounds of the writers \u2014 some of whom grew up in different countries or don\u2019t take the Journalism 2 class dedicated to running the paper (Theogony<\/em> welcomes individual submissions) \u2014 but also in its various broad categories: school news, reviews, satirical content, and of course, opinion pieces like this one. Students write opinion pieces about topics that they are passionate about or find interesting, ranging from HBCUs<\/span><\/a> to the state bird<\/span><\/a> to economic and monetary policy<\/span><\/a>. Everybody gets a bit of everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another good quality of the program is the high degree of independence from the ACHS administration that it has long enjoyed. Theogony <\/em>describes itself as a \u201cstudent forum,\u201d implying that it has the freedom to publish almost all kinds of content. And that has generally been the case over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, ACPS policy states<\/span><\/a> that school publications aren\u2019t intended to provide a forum for students or the public; and that the principal, as editor, is supposed to approve every article before publication. Similar policies exist in many other Virginia school districts.<\/a><\/span> But this policy is neither practical nor in practice. Instead, principals rely on faculty advisors to make those decisions on their behalf. ACHS Principal Peter Balas said he puts professional staff in charge of school media and publications who he knows will make the right decisions. He said that unless the faculty advisors alert him if there is anything that he needs to be aware of, he finds out about the stories when they are published. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A.C. Principal Peter Balas. Photo by Peerawut Ruangsawasdi.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t censor. I never have had to censor,\u201d Balas said confidently. \u201cThere\u2019ve been some controversial topics in there before. \u2026 I have never pulled a plug on a story or anything like that.\u201d He said that unless an article was breaching the privacy of a student, \u201cI can\u2019t imagine I would pull something [out].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Balas has always seemed supportive of our mission as a school newspaper and has avoided interfering in our work,\u201d said Theogony<\/em> consulting advisor Mick Heller, who also pointed out that Balas could have technically exercised prior restraint on past controversial articles if he wanted to. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve greatly appreciated that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would hope most administrators would defer to the student journalists to the maximum extent possible. \u2026 I think ACPS and the administrators here at this school have tended to do a great job finding that balance,\u201d said government teacher Andrew Orzel of the intricate balance between oversight and editorial independence in the journalism program of ACHS. \u201cFor example, some of [Theogony\u2019s <\/em>pieces] over the past few years would clearly have been blocked by most school districts. I think it is a testament to ACPS that they have placed so much trust in students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While ACPS has done a great job of delegating to advisors and students, other districts have not been as fortunate.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To counter policies and practices like this, which are the consequences of the Supreme Court ruling in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier <\/em>(1988) <\/em>that gave administrators broader powers over content in published school newspapers, several states passed \u201cNew Voices\u201d acts. These are part of a series of legislation that provides additional protections for student journalists in secondary and higher education, as well as their faculty advisors. In Virginia, protections for middle and high school student journalists were taken off from the final version of the bill.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was amended because some members of the General Assembly thought Del. Hurst [gave] too much leeway to reporters who aren\u2019t adults,\u201d said Del. Danica Roem (D-13), who in 2020 was an original chief co-patron of the New Voices in Virginia Act along with former Del. Chris Hurst (D-12), \u201cthough I would suggest that a student newspaper in high school still doesn\u2019t have to be the sounding board for school administration and staff when students are learning how to report the news under [a] faculty supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on the policy, School Board member Abdel-Rahman S. Elnoubi said it \u201cestablishes the appropriate guidelines and strikes that appropriate balance.\u201d He also said that the community could hold the school board accountable if it decides that the district engages or tolerates censorship. School Board member Ashley Simpson Baird said the policy \u201cis there and can [be] used as needed but doesn\u2019t have a hand in every article that is published.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After thanking me for my \u201cmedia inquiry,\u201d ACPS Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings did not provide any other comment on the matter and redirected the question to the ACPS School and Community Relations Chief, Julia Burgos, who said, \u201cAs superintendent, Dr. Hutchings is charged with upholding School Board policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another common concern is that student journalists don\u2019t pursue hard-hitting stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy own experiences have convinced me that today, the vast majority of students are unable to practice true journalism at their high school papers,\u201d wrote journalist Richard Just in 2009<\/a><\/span>. \u201cMany have been taught to write fluffy profiles of teachers and to celebrate the achievements of their sports teams; fewer have been encouraged to challenge, to criticize or to investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you take a few minutes to scroll through Theogony\u2019s <\/em>articles on the website, you would see that Theogony <\/em>is not afraid to talk about problems. It has tackled the WiFi issue<\/span><\/a> (multiple times<\/span><\/a>), the gender gap in college enrollment<\/a><\/span>, effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures<\/a><\/span>, separation in the school<\/a><\/span>, the bus driver shortage<\/a><\/span> and many more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, not only does Theogony <\/em>enjoy a lot of freedom when it comes to content, but it also possesses a culture of, well, true journalism. It presents itself as an avenue for students to express their opinions, a prime opportunity for students to practice writing and analytical skills and develop critical thinking. I agree with Roem when she highlighted the important role that print newspapers play for journalism students in teaching them how to report, edit and disseminate the news. I know Theogony <\/em>and its team of writers and advisors have been great mentors for me in that regard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I depart ACHS and Theogony, <\/em>my advice for students is that they should consider joining the paper, if they can. If not, contribute to it by submitting pieces. If they don\u2019t have anything to contribute, then read. Read and discuss the issues that affect our community. Or just read for pleasure, take a break from schoolwork and find what you enjoy reading. In our present climate, where students are reluctant to speak up and struggle to communicate civilly, writing articles for their school newspaper, or discussing them, are magnificent ways to practice those crucial skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured photo by <\/em>Theogony<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, I wrote an op-ed on why some students are reluctant to share their ideas candidly. I suggested potential solutions to the problem, namely outlets for expressions such as Socratic Seminars and class discussions. This time, I\u2019d like to talk about another form of expression that students should take advantage of if they can \u2014 joining, or contributing to, Theogony.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,9],"tags":[31,32,326,704,665,700,699,480,255,703,683,664,463,29,706,702,705,701,619],"class_list":["post-2185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slider","category-opinion","tag-achs","tag-alexandria-city-high-school","tag-balas","tag-delegate","tag-discussions","tag-free-speech","tag-hazelwood-v-kuhlmeier","tag-hutchings","tag-media","tag-new-voices","tag-op-ed","tag-peerawut","tag-principal","tag-school-board","tag-school-newspaper","tag-socratic-seminar","tag-student-voice","tag-superintedent","tag-theogony"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2185"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2193,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2185\/revisions\/2193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/theogony\/2021-2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}