Advisers and Editors Center
A Student Versus a School Newspaper
Is there a difference between a student newspaper and a school newspaper? There can be. A school newspaper is about the school, general functions, activities, results of the school sports program, messages from the principle and administration, student spotlights, and other meaningful information. A school newspaper can be a great asset to a school and those involved in its creation can learn much about design, writing, editing, journalism, and print production.
However, a student newspaper is something a bit different. A student newspaper is created and built completely by the students of a school for the students of the school. Instead of reporting from the top down, it reports laterally, from student to student. In other words, a student newspaper gives the students a voice to share their opinions, the opinions of other students, to share their experiences, their needs, their hopes, and their vision.
Depending upon the age group of your school, this vision will vary in maturity, but a student newspaper is a perfect way to help mature your student’s vision, get them involved, and teach them about many of the realities of the work force, media, and journalism.
For example, here are some ideas on how to get your students involved:
Have Students Write Stories for Students
Have them do the proper research (watch how facts will change their opinions), have them look at both sides of an issue, and let them write their conclusions and share those conclusions with their fellow students.
Interview Students or Administration
Let your students conduct interviews with fellow students and the administration. Let them form the questions, ask the questions, and then write an article based on their interview. Help them learn not to take things out of context, to be unbiased in their writing (unless it is an opinion piece), and what it really means just to report the facts.
Sell Ads for Your Student Newspaper
The young entrepreneur can gain business experience by reaching out to local businesses and selling ads that go into your printed newspapers. They can learn about design, cost analysis, profit, workflow, money principles, and so forth. Since few small businesses actually have an ad designed, your students will gain some experience in designing them.
Make Interactive Content
A newspaper is a great way to conduct polls, add comics and puzzles, run contests, and give clues to a journalistic mystery that you have created. It will take work, but once done, a student newspaper can become the highlight of your school.
Learn Graphic Design
A newspaper has the room for your students to become creative. They can gain experience using common tools to create logos, ads, layout, and manipulate graphics. Overall, a student newspaper can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your student’s school life.
Free Cloud Designer Templates
Our templates are 100% customizable, super user-friendly, and designed specifically to help you create outstanding school newspapers with our free Cloud Designer. Below are a few of the 100s of templates available to you.