Spring 2012 Blend Magazine

Spring 2012 // Volume 6 // Issue 2 // Ball State Produced

typePAGE 19

just my

blend

002 73684.indd 2 3/15/2012 9:25:17 AM

table l of contents

blendblend welcome l brian hayesBy no means would I consider my-self a sports fanatic. I enjoy sports and have watched my fair share of high school, college and professional games over the years, but that has even dwindled to near nothing since I have three young girls at home. My magenta-saturated life is more about playing with baby dolls, stuffed animals and watching Barney these days than anything else.

I have friends who are able to recite all the stats of prominent college and professional athletes and teams, and sometimes I’m envious of their never-ending sports knowledge. But at the same time, I don’t have any interest to retain all those statistics. Besides, for all I know my friends are probably making up half of the infor-mation they claim to know anyhow — and I’d never be the wiser.

The only constant sports-related thread in my life, however, is that I have been a Colts fan since the franchise moved to Indianapolis in 1984. I’ve watched the team strug-gle to win games for years before they made the best draft decision in franchise history when they se-lected Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 (yes, I had to double-checked those stats on Wikipedia). For the most part, the team has enjoyed several years of NFL success since then — even win-ning the Super Bowl in 2006.

But all of that changed in one lowly season. The team went from being at the top of the league to the bottom in the blink of an eye, and Colts own-er Jim Irsay started making sweeping changes to the team in the offsea-son. And all of that got me thinking

about how important mobile media is in our society.

With every decision (a.k.a. firings) the Colts made, I didn’t hear about them through the traditional media that I once (and still do) rely on for infor-mation. I didn’t hear about them by reading the newspaper, watching a television newscast or listening to the radio. I didn’t even hear about them reading an online news source. I first heard about them (ALL of them … including the unfathomable re-lease of Peyton Manning) through notification alerts on my iPhone coming from various local and na-tional media outlets.

Those alerts allowed me to quickly select the story and read the latest updates. The wonderful thing is, that information reached me instanta-neously as I sat in meetings, walked across campus, ate lunch in the food court and even while I wrote this story. The work journalists are doing is more critical than ever because we can, and do, put out informa-tion people want and need to know as quickly as it happens — and they read it.

My interest in what was happen-ing with the Colts (basically the last manly interest I have in life) is just an example of how important mobile media technology is in our society.

Student media publications that uti-lize these kinds of tools for alerting people about important news and events can have the same impact on their high school audience as the professional media had on me — even if the news can’t bring Peyton back to the Colts.

Brian Hayes is the director of Secondary Education at Ball State University. He is a former adviser of student publications at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Hayes has worked professionally for several newspapers.

4ask kim

5nspa

6q&a: administration

8camera gear

12publications branding

19typography

25check out this newsroom

28summer planning

30nspa awards

Spring 2012Volume 6 Issue 2

Blend Magazinec/o Department of Journalism

Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

SES DIRECTORBrian Hayes

EDITORMegan McNames

EDITOR AT LARGETom Gayda

BUSINESS MANAGERMegan McNames

CONTRIBUTORSLogan AimoneCarolyn Brown

Kim GreenTom Gayda

OFFICE STAFFAnna Kaiser

DESIGNERSChelsea KardokusJennifer Prandato

Blend Magazine is published by the Secondary Education Services office at Ball State University. Call

765-285-8900 for advertising information. You can always

e-mail the staff at [email protected].

FOR NSPALogan Aimone

executive director

Emily Griesser member services director

Kathy Hutingcontest/critique coordinator

Marc Woodcommunications director

Suzanne Taberadministrative assistant

Tahera Mamdaniaccountant

FIRST AMENDMENTCongress shall make no law

respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging

the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a

redress of grievances. Check us out online at blendmagazine.org

ask l kim

A senior marking off the days until graduation … a freshman deciding to which staff you will devote your high school career … a junior or sophomore trying to move into a leadership position … this edition of “Ask Kim” is for YOU!

Hey, Kim! I’m having a hard time convincing my parents, my guid-ance counselor and even my friends that I want to stay in journalism in high school even though I don’t plan a career in it. They all think it’s a goof-off class that won’t help me in college or beyond. How do I explain the benefits of involvement? Help! – Terrence W.

Great question, Terrence!

And my answer doesn’t even have to include the overwhelming sup-port via research conducted by Jack Dvorak, Larry Lain and Tom Dickson in “Journalism Kids Do Bet-ter: What Research Tells Us About High School Journalism” (1994). Their work conclusively supports the premise that kids like you in-volved in media programs in high school do better in college than students who aren’t involved. Look it up! But if you need more than that, here are some points from this long-term adviser’s experience gleaned from a little end-of-high school activity. It’s called “Senior Sages,” and it’s a questionnaire ask-ing our soon-to-be graduates to share what being involved in jour-nalism has taught them. We use their responses to help recruit our next crop of journalists. Here are the top five responses:

n Everyone has a story, and ev-eryone’s story matters. Through involvement in journalism, you have the unique opportunity to become a voice for the voiceless. You truly make a difference in the lives of so many students. Seniors always note that they got to meet so many kids they would never have met in their typical academic classes, and in more instances than not, the student journalists recog-

nize that they have become better people because of this. I tell my beginning journalism classes and my staffs every year, that no matter what careers they choose, under-standing the principle that every-one has a story and those stories matter will make them much bet-ter at what they do.

n Time management skills are honed through involvement in journalism. Unlike other classes in which you can give an excuse and get an extension, journalism requires adherence to deadlines. We don’t miss them — EVER. Staff members are expected to call in and touch base with editors when they are home sick, and if they are on deadline, they email their work. No other class in high school de-mands that level of responsibility. Plus, being able to balance a full course load, after-school activities and journalism class or media staff makes for some of the best prepa-ration for a college course load you can have.

n “I leave here knowing I can talk to anyone about anything!” wrote a 2007 grad who happened to be the shyest, quietest journalism stu-dent I have ever taught. Interview-ing authority figures, experts, col-lege professors, law enforcement, military, parents and peers gives student journalists valuable “face time.” You learn to speak profes-sionally on the phone, you learn to shake hands and make eye contact, you learn how to word questions to get solid responses. You learn to sell, making cold calls and follow-up calls, impressing business folks with your business demeanor. And that ’07 grad ended up with an in-ternational banking degree, which landed her a job in Egypt.

n Teamwork! Teamwork! Team-work! Every “Senior Sage” ques-tionnaire I’ve read acknowledged a positive shift in attitude about working with others through jour-nalism. And nearly every response references the “True Colors” per-

sonality quiz beginning journalism classes and media staffs take at the start of every year. Awareness of your own personality and how it presents itself to others — leaders and fellow staff members — makes for a better collaborative work en-vironment. How you lead and how you follow and your understand-ing of how other personality types lead and follow equips you to work as a unit. Communication is en-hanced, and drama is eliminated. There is no better life or work skill than working well with others in a collaborative environment. (For a PDF of the True Colors per-sonality quiz we use, email me at [email protected])

n Problem-solving — “thinking on your feet” — is put to the test in high school journalism every day. With it come perseverance and persistence. My former stu-dents mentioned these as being intertwined. Seniors wrote they became more open to taking cal-culated risks and stepping outside their comfort zones because what they thought would happen didn’t or the person they thought would give a great interview declined to participate.

Add to these, the responsibility of practicing ethical journalism, the close relationships with fellow staff members, the improvement in writing, the understanding of the printing process, the joy of finding something you love, the firsthand lesson in civics in a democracy — to name a few — and involvement in high school journalism is pretty impressive.

I would add one more important aspect: the courage it takes to put your work out there for the world to see. Student journalists are the bravest people I know. And you are some of the most important people I’ve ever met in my life. You are the storytellers and the memory keep-ers — the very first drafters of his-tory. Keep fighting the good fight! Stay involved in high school media.

Media students gain edge

Kim Green directs the student publications at Columbus (Ind.) North High School. A 2006 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Distinguished Adviser of the Year and 2011 JEA Yearbook Adviser of the Year, the publications Green’s students create are consistent award winners.

4 | Blend Magazine | Spring 2012

75th

1937-2012Join us for The Long Weekend summer camp June 15-17!

The Long Weekend at The University of Alabama is for middle and high school students interested in newspapers, photography, newsmagazines, yearbooks, literary magazines, broadcast programs and digital media.

Explore your interest in scholastic media, enjoy a taste of college life and and have fun!

Register at aspa.ua.eduSponsored by the University of Alabama Department of Journalism

nspa l logan aimone

Logan Aimone is the executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association.

Find passion, blaze a new trailIn January, I came across a remembrance in The New York Times of a pioneering photographer who had died recently. I read with interest about Louise Serpa and how she came to love both photography and ro-deo. She was a pioneer in both. I grew up in a rodeo town, and one of my mentors in college was a rodeo photographer, so I have always had an interest in this area. Growing up, I knew a lot of people who were tough and classy like Serpa.

Though I have never been an arena photographer, it is easy to see how it can be both exhilarating and ex-ceptionally dangerous. Other sports photographers may contend with thrown bats or a stumbling run-ning back, but in Serpa’s profession, she had to keep shooting while avoiding bulls, broncs or bucked-off cowboys.

While reading the article, it occurred to me that Ser-pa was a true trailblazer — the lone woman in a field where men dominated, and she didn’t let that stop her. Serpa become famous — at least in the rodeo world — because she had a passion for arena photog-raphy and because she was good at it.

So I wondered whether there are any trails left to be blazed today. For students working in media today, the answer is apparent. There has never been a more exciting time to be working in media. There have never been more tools for creating, more methods to

research and gather information, or more platforms on which to tell a story. In short, there’s a wide-open frontier ready to be explored.

The take-aways from the article about Serpa are sim-ple: Motivation, ingenuity, passion and willingness to work hard will get you what you want in life. Be open to exploration. Be curious. Seek solutions. And find a passion.

These aren’t new concepts. They’ve been shared by teachers, graduation speakers and parents for genera-tions. What is new is that there are ways to start doing this in your student media right now. Pursue an ambi-tious story that needs telling, and show it to your read-ers. Experiment with new online tools like Tumblr or Storify. Dip your toes in the pond of a new area of digi-tal media, and you’ll discover the water’s not so bad.

Just like Louise Serpa, you might have to dodge some obstacles. You might be the only person like you in a world of people who are different.

But, don’t let that stop you. Breathe in the exhilaration. Blend your interests with your assignments. Blaze a new trail.

Find the article at: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/ sweetheart-of-the-rodeo/


q & a l evans bryant branigan III

Evans Bryant Branigan III is the principal of North Central High School in Indianapolis.

Q&A by Jonathan McBride. McBride is a co-editor-in-chief for the North Central High School publications staff.

A principal’s perspective

How should high school journalists approach ad-ministration for an interview, advice, or help?

The answer is going to sound sarcastic, but ask. I mean that’s it, all you have to do is ask.

How can high school publications staff build a rela-tionship of mutual trust with administration?

That’s a tougher question, in the sense that there is no universal answer. That’s going to be dependent upon the community — what’s the past history of student journalists and school administrators. If there’s an ex-pectation of prior review from the community, then that’s what should be done. In a Washington Town-ship-type place, there is an expectation for accuracy, for balance and accessibility. A lot of it is dependent upon the community and what they expect.

How can a student journalist or publication’s direc-tor damage that relationship?

It’s almost like being a politician for the publications director. If they upset the community, don’t inform or enlighten, but turn the community against them, expectations will change. It’s a delicate balance. Stu-dent journalists can claim First Amendment rights and say they’re doing their job. But publications directors, they’re employees.

We’re not close to this, but I have seen some schools get rid of publications. It’s an administrator’s job to control course offerings. If the community turns against it, I’ll defend it, but if I get a directive from the

superintendent that publications goes away, then that’s what happens.

We’re very fortunate to be in a progressive city that en-dorses, supports and encourages student journalism.

What responsibilities does a student journalist have to fulfill to balance and keep that support?

I think they need to go for the truth, whatever that truth may be. Not opinion — this shouldn’t be a slam paper. That’s when you’ll see the administration kick in, because it can violate our district values. If you’re not out there showing respect or honesty, that’s not journalism.

Ours is supposed to be journalistic credibility. It’s the role of the reporter to carry that responsibility. If they neglect that responsibility, then it is the role of the stu-dent editor to ensure that unfair opinions don’t get in. The role and goal should be to get out actual, factual information in a timely manner — information relative to 14 to 18 year olds. Not to be TMZ.

If you’re in the process of trying to get to the bottom of something and you find out, for example, that the administration is arbitrarily allocating money to certain groups that we like or don’t like, then that needs to be exposed. The administration may be embarrassed. They may be mad. If you’re in the wrong, it needs to be right.

How can a publications staff handle reporting about something that is true but the community may not like?

It’s the truth, if there’s an audience for it and that’s what your readers want to read, then great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the administration’s job to protect kids. I have to be conscious of that fact — my protection goes beyond the physical. And sometimes a student journalist is just that, a student. They don’t think about the repercussions of what they are writing, and it’s the administration’s job to protect a student there. It’s a delicate balance.

Here at North Central, the publications have al-most absolute freedom. How do you feel about not having any sort of prior review?

I don’t really want prior review. I’ve not had cause to use prior review. The freedoms that publications has are the freedoms that we allow them. Even though the culture is that they can do what they want, if the administration says to the contrary, which they won’t, then that’s what happens.

Spring 2012 | Blend Magazine | 7

But why would we want that responsibility? Then we become the editors, then we become responsible par-ties and say what can and can’t come out. Does that stifle the ability of the writer to develop? Does that stifle the creativity of a student journalist? Does it stifle the truth? In most cases, yes. Most of the time when I’ve seen prior review, it’s because they were trying to stifle information from coming out. It’s all about what the community wants. Our community wants stu-dents to have these opportunities. Currently, there is no reason for us to need prior review.

What about expansion to new media?

The only thing we look at is that our publications staff has expanded to our morning announcements, which the administration controls. The precedence has been set where all videos are pre-approved before they go onto the air. There was one incident where there was inequity in coverage. The media covered the boys’ bas-ketball team for a normal game, but didn’t mention the girls’ team winning sectionals. In that instance, I think the administration was right to get involved and not allow that video to air.

Have you ever had any problems with student jour-nalists regarding mistakes? How have you dealt with those?

We used to have a very large social organization here and there was an article published on them and their lavish life style in regards to their parties, alcohol and sex that was taking place. And this was the who’s-who of North Central in regards to families and social standing. And it was very damning. There were no names, but the reporter had been to the parties, seen the alcohol, seen the parents that were there when the alcohol was distributed. But this was, at that time, a major organization. I was in Washington, D.C. at a conference and my phone started blowing up. Parents see student journalists simply as students, but we give them freedom as reporters and they need to answer these questions. I send the parents to the adviser, who sends them to the reporters.

You better have your facts right. It’s their problem to deal with, I didn’t write it. You can’t hide behind the First Amendment on one hand, and then administra-tion on the other. Administration will say we give them journalistic integrity to do these things, but it is the re-sponsibility of the author, the editor and the director of that program. It’s their responsibility.

Controversy happens, but when it’s gross negligence, that can’t happen.

Are there any topics a student journalist should ig-nore and not cover?

No, but when I say student journalists I’m not talk-ing yearbook, because that’s different. A yearbook is someone’s long-lasting memory of the school. It’s sup-posed to be a celebration. I don’t need a picture of a dead body in there unless it’s for Halloween. But in re-gards to print journalists, and media like that I really can’t think of anything. Crime happens, especially in a large school like ours. If someone commits a crime, then it needs to be reported, because there will be all sorts of rumors. I only ask that there is accurate infor-mation. Go with what you know to be real.

We’ve had adults in this building make poor choices, that’s news. If there’s a teacher that’s arrested, some-thing like they’re shoplifting at JC Penney, that’s news. If a teacher gets pulled over for a DUI, that’s news. It’s going to be painful, it’s going to hurt, but it’s real.

Student journalists shouldn’t be expected to be all ‘happy-happy-joy-joy.’ They need to cover everything that happens in a school. There are ugly sides to a school. We’ve had reports about how many suspen-sions and expulsions there have been and what’s the ethnicity of those suspended. There were allegations that African Americans were being suspended more than another ethnic group. They were 100 percent right. Did the administration at that point need to take a look at what was going on? Oh yeah. There were some mad administrators, but that is okay.

When you started teaching, did you see yourself as a principal?

I saw myself moving into administration. As you move up the administrative ladder, you see yourself doing different things and asking yourself different questions about what you want to do, and the answers change. For awhile, I lost focus on becoming an administrator because I really loved coaching. I coached track and football. For awhile there, I was just enjoying teaching, enjoying coaching, but then I got back on track.

What has changed since you became principal?

The higher in administration you get, the less contact you have with students. I knew kids a lot better when I was a teacher-coach. I don’t want to lose that contact with students.

What are you most proud of?

The things I am most proud of are the two college degrees I earned. In my family, neither of my parents went to college. We were originally from a small place in Mississippi, where college was optional. By optional I mean your options were ‘no’ and ‘heck no.’ But that didn’t stop them from putting in hard work and raising three college graduates.

Student journal-ists shouldn’t be expected to be all ‘happy-happy joy-joy.’ They need to cover everything that happens in a school. There are ugly sides to a school. “

“

Interested in reading more? Visit blendmagazine.org to read the full interview!


the right gearWhen it comes to choosing photography

gear for your staff, the options can seem overwhelming. Digital SLR (short for Single-Lens Reflex) cameras offer a unique kind of versatility, but taking advantage of their capabilities requires a lot of specialized knowledge.

Point and shoots, on the other hand, can be quite easy to use, but can sometimes feel limiting. The delay between pressing the shutter button and taking an image can be downright frustrating.

So what’s the best for you? It really depends on what kind of photography you and your students are engaging in. Do you need to be able to shoot in low-light situations? Can you get close to your subjects? Are you trying to capture action?

The answers to these questions can help you de-cide whether you want to spend a lot on a DSLR or enjoy the lower prices of a point and shoot.

You may find that in the end, a combination of DSLR and point and shoot cameras will satisfy your staff’s needs.

By Megan McNames

pick

LENSES

the right gear

When selecting a camera, you’re also selecting a lens. With DSLRs you can change lenses, but with point and shoots you get just one. In determining what kind of lens you need for either type of camera, you’ll need to determine how close you can get to your subject, and choose a lens with an appropri-ate focal length. A lens with a focal length of 21mm or less is considered wide angle and is great for landscapes. Lenses with focal lengths between 35 and 70mm are great for pho-tographing people when you can get pretty close. To shoot

sporting events you’ll need at least a 135mm lens in order to zoom in on the action. Most new digital SLRS can be purchased with a 35-70mm lens included. Point and shoot lenses vary quite a bit.You’ll also need to consider the lighting conditions you’ll be shooting in. Lenses with lower apertures let more light into the camera, allowing you to shoot more easily in low-light situations. If you need to shoot a theater production, for ex-ample, look for a lens that lets in more light.

DSLR/POINT & SHOOT


LESS LIGHT

f/8

MORE LIGHT

f/4 f/1.4


IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

DIGITALSLRS

IMAGE SPEED LOW LIGHTWhat kind of image quality do you need? When DSLRs first hit the consumer mar-ket, they shot at about 6.1 megapixels, meaning you could print a photo from the camera about the size of a broad-sheet newspaper page without losing quality. Many DSLRs now shoot at 12-16 megapixels. If you are shooting for the web, you may not need such a high qual-ity image, although you can change the camera’s settings to shoot lower quality.

If your staff is shooting a lot of sport-ing events, a DSLR will help students capture the action. Many DSLRs avail-able on the market currently can shoot between 3 and 10 frames per second. Students shooting multiple frames per second will walk away from a sporting event having had more opportunities to catch the action.

If you are shooting in low-light situa-tions, such as a poorly-lit football game or during a school play, a DSLR with a high-quality, low aperture lens will make your job easier. Digital SLRs also allow you to change the ISO, or sensitivity of the digital sensor to light. When looking at a DSLR, make sure you can change the ISO easily – you might also want a DSLR where the ISO is displayed clearly so that students don’t forget to reset it after an-other student has used it.

PROS CONS

Having a DSLR with changeable lenses available is a great way for students to learn about apertures, shutter speeds and lens focal lengths. The ability to change lenses also makes a DSLR versatile and appropriate for a variety of shooting situations.

DSLR shutters can last about 50,000 clicks, or about 250 clicks per week during the school year for five years. Some last longer and some less.

Many DSLRs now come with high-quality, HD video, so DSLRs can be used by both the publication and broadcast staffs.

The price tag of a new DSLR can run between $450 and $1,000, so your school may only be able to afford one or two (if any!). Students will have to take turns sharing and you’ll need a check-out policy.

Additionally, each brand of DSLR has its own compatible lenses. So once you buy a DSLR body, you commit to only buying that brand of lens (or a third-party manufacturer’s lenses, like Sigma or Tamron).

Damage from water or dropping the camera isn’t usually covered by the camera’s warranty.

YOUR CHOICES, EXPLAINED

IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

POINT & SHOOTS

ZOOM LENS LOW LIGHT

The vast majority of point and shoots have a zoom lens, but you’ll want to be careful that the lens actually has an op-tical zoom. Lenses with a digital zoom don’t actually zoom in on a subject. In-stead, they zoom in on or ‘blow up’ and image, which can lead to reduced image quality. This kind of reduction in quality may be most apparent in low-light situa-tions, such as a theater production.

Some point and shoots have zoom lens-es that start at 24 mm, which is great for photographing in tight spaces like a lock-er room or on a bus. These same lenses often can zoom in to 100mm, which may be OK for a football game depending on where the photographer stands. You also will want a lens with a low aperture. f/2 is great for low-light but usually found on more expensive point and shoots.

Many point and shoots feature Image Stabilization, which can aid in photo-graphing in low-light situations. Choos-ing a point and shoot with a low aperture and a good flash also can help. Some camera manufactures are now selling mirrorless cameras that are like a com-bination of DSLR and point and shoot. The Sony NEX system, for example, has changeable lenses for handling low light.

PROS CONSBecause they are about half the price of a DSLR body, your staff may be able to purchase more point and shoots than DSLRs, which gives more students the ability to take photographs.

For shooting in well or moderately-lit locations such as outdoors or in a room with a lot of windows, point and shoots can have surprisingly good image qualities.

A lot of point and shoots also have video or audio capabilities, so point and shoots can be used as digital recorders during inter-views as well as for photography.

Since they don’t have true shutters, many point and shoots have a delay between pressing the shutter button and the photo actually being recorded. Because of the delay, catching action shots can be a lot harder. Point and shoots generally aren’t as fast as DSLRs, meaning students can’t take multiple photos per sec-ond like they can with DSLRs. Students using point and shoots might miss out on some action during sporting events.

The lens on your point and shoot is there to stay. If it’s not a great lens for low-lighting situations or doesn’t zoom well, you can’t do anything about it.

PROTECT YOUR GEARHave students sign an equipment checkout contract acknowledging their responsibility for staff gear. Download a sample contract at:

www.studentpress.org/nspa/pdf/wheel_equipcheckout.pdf



BRANDINGYO

UR PUBLICATIONS

t must have been back in about 2004 when we started working through what was being called convergence journalism. The newspaper and magazine I advised would collaborate with the radio/TV program at our adjacent career center to share re-sources and talent. At that time we debuted a website and gave students the opportunity to do things they hadn’t before.

By Tom Gayda/AdviserNorth Central Publications/Indianapolis, Ind.

ITurn your publication staffs into a cohesive brand

online, in print and through social media

BRANDING

I


PUBLICATIONS

The convergence term has come and gone, however some of the concepts remain. Now it is im-portant to teach every student journalist a vast skill set, as one never knows what tomorrow holds in this profession. Eight years after we shared photos with our neighbor program, students are now converged — they do it all.

What does this have to do with branding? Well, everything. Around the time we initially converged, the newspaper staff debuted a new nameplate that featured an old-school paperboy. On each page’s folio, the paperboy was designed to reflect the content of that page. His versatility led him to become the face of North Central Publi-cations.

I leave most if not all major decisions to the various staffs to make. But I took ownership of making a new all-encompassing logo several summers ago. Before we get to that, time to go back to telling stories.

Even before we converged with the career center, the staffs I

advised converged by force. The first couple of years I advised there would be minor spats here and there over passes for special events. Would the newspaper or yearbook get to go? Students wouldn’t share, and when two particularly loud kids started to go at it I decided that enough was enough. From that day forward, we adopted a system where newspaper, yearbook and magazine students would share their resources as one big, happy family.

Since then, most references to something I advised was done as “North Central Publications,” not by the individual publication name. And while others have adopted the term “media” nowa-days to better reflect their web and broadcast arms, we think it is important to honor our history and keep our name the same.

Now back to the logo creation. Being summer, the NBA and MLB logo was prominent. I began to notice how several different

continued next page

THe logo

NOTEBOOK

THANK YOU CARD

“

12 Blend14 | Blend Magazine | Spring 2012

“One of the biggest mistakes I see staffs making in branding their publications is using a different name for each of their social me-dia brands. It’s hard to BE a publication on a user’s favorite social media site if the publication’s Website is OurSchool.org, the Twitter account is @OurGreatSchool, the Facebook page is OurReallyGreat-School, and the YouTube channel is OurSchoolNYC.

Of course, when there are other schools that share the same name — and hundreds more that share a mascot — it’s hard to scoop up identical names, but it’s not impossible. Mashable has a list of seven great sites that will check name availability on multiple social media sites at the same time.

That’s my 2 cents.Tracy Anne Sena

Computer Science Chair“The Broadview” Adviser

Convent of the Sacred Heart HS

organizations used that same basic logo, and that’s when inspiration hit me hard. I took that paperboy, put him over a rounded-cornered box and split the box into two colors: red and black (school colors) after the paperboy was made white. I was pleased with my work and sent it off to the upcoming editors to give their stamp of approval. They did, and since, that logo has been used on everything from thank you cards to reporter’s notebooks to shirts and banners.

Of course, there was a bigger reason to put everything under one banner at my school. One strong, unified look makes us familiar to people. Nameplates and themes change every year, but the identity of North Central Publications is a constant. The staff has a sense of family, as every new member of Publica-tions gets a complimentary shirt with the logo. The sum of the parts is greater than the individual and the unity and tradition the branding provides demon-strates that.


GETTING STARTEDCreating a consistent

brand helps your audi-ence readily identify

with your publication. While newspaper

nameplates, yearbook themes and broad-

cast TV logos change every year, a brand is

that consistent design element, logo or icon that everyone at your

school can identify with your student pub-

lications. It can be a brand that encompass-

es all student media platforms or just one.

Items to consider branding include:

Staff manual Publication letterheadBusiness cardsAdvertising contractsFax cover sheetsSchool And Publication websitesSocial mediaEmail signaturesSurveysPublication marketing materialsPublication hoodies and t-shirtsReporters notebooks

FreedomPress

Dear Mr. Hayes,

Ximuscius cus eum late voluptassi apidebitas

ex eicto officip saecustor aut lab illenis

intum sandercidi dernam quos des excerup

tatument mosam et essin pratet ut et officim

remporrum cum fugia doluptatias quidebit

mod ernatem la volorepta porro millupta

de sequatium andio volupta tectatis ab ium

et, cuptam, odigentur moluptior reptaquod

FreedomPress

FreedomPress

Follow us: @freedompressLike us on Facebook: Freedom PressWatch us oN YouTube: Freedom Press

FreedomPress

With deadlines approaching and so many students counting on her, you might think high school teacher and yearbook adviser Nancy Kuei would look a bit more tense.

Fortunately, with her Herff Jones representative by her side, Nancy has it all under control. By working hard to identify and solve her challenges, we help Nancy rise above the day-to-day stress so she can focus on her students.

Our experienced representatives understand the small things that make each yearbook special. We get to know the school’s unique culture and share a genuine concern for the students. Then we manage the details, deliver advice and do whatever it takes to make the yearbook unforgettable for the students, the faculty…and for Nancy, too.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WHITEPAPER ON THE VALUE OF STUDENT JOURNALISMAT HERFFJONES.COM/JOURNALISMWP

SHE DOESN’T LOOK LIKEA LADY WITH 129 KIDS.

herffjones.com/journalismwp

© 2012 Her� Jones, Inc.

NANCY KUEIYEARBOOK ADVISER

28064_Blend_NancyKuei_85x11_journalismwp.indd 1-2 3/9/12 11:42 AM

With deadlines approaching and so many students counting on her, you might think high school teacher and yearbook adviser Nancy Kuei would look a bit more tense.

Fortunately, with her Herff Jones representative by her side, Nancy has it all under control. By working hard to identify and solve her challenges, we help Nancy rise above the day-to-day stress so she can focus on her students.

Our experienced representatives understand the small things that make each yearbook special. We get to know the school’s unique culture and share a genuine concern for the students. Then we manage the details, deliver advice and do whatever it takes to make the yearbook unforgettable for the students, the faculty…and for Nancy, too.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WHITEPAPER ON THE VALUE OF STUDENT JOURNALISMAT HERFFJONES.COM/JOURNALISMWP

SHE DOESN’T LOOK LIKEA LADY WITH 129 KIDS.

herffjones.com/journalismwp

© 2012 Her� Jones, Inc.

NANCY KUEIYEARBOOK ADVISER

28064_Blend_NancyKuei_85x11_journalismwp.indd 1-2 3/9/12 11:42 AM

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

www.bsu.edu/nytimes

EDUCATION REDEFINED

Emerging Media Journalism Classes

Learn to produce multimedia journalism using real-world techniques and software.

n Courses in multimedia include: video, audio, still photography, design

n Credit or non-credit options

n Self-paced, online classes

n Award-winning faculty

n Guest presenters from The New York Times

n See website for details on admission

Open to teachers and students

* Courses in multimedia include: video, audio, still photography, design

* Credit or non-credit options

* Self-paced, online classes

* Award-winning faculty

* Guest presenters from The New York Times

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

www.bsu.edu/nytimes

EDUCATION REDEFINED

Emerging Media Journalism Classes

Learn to produce multimedia journalism using real-world techniques and software.

n Courses in multimedia include: video, audio, still photography, design

n Credit or non-credit options

n Self-paced, online classes

n Award-winning faculty

n Guest presenters from The New York Times

n See website for details on admission

Open to teachers and students

* Courses in multimedia include: video, audio, still photography, design

* Credit or non-credit options

* Self-paced, online classes

* Award-winning faculty

* Guest presenters from The New York Times

1. cross stroke: a horizontal stroke that intersects the stem of a lowercase ‘t’ or ‘f’. // 2. descender: the part of the letter

that extends under the baseline. // 3. bowl: the closed, rounded part of a letter. // 4. axis: an imaginary line drawn from

the top to the bottom of a glyph. // 5. arc of stem: a curved stroke that is continuous with a straight stem. 6. teardrop terminal: the teardropped ends of strokes in letters of some typefaces. // 7. spur: a small projection off a main stroke. //

8. counter: the open space in a fully or partially closed area within a letter. // 9. ascender: the part of a letter that extends

about the x-height. // 10. arm: a horizontal sloping stroke that does not connect to a stroke or stem on one or both ends.

Design by Chelsea Kardokus // Words by Megan McNames

1

2

3 4

5

6

7 8

9

10

We see it everyday, we use it ev-eryday. But how much do you really know about it?

The typefaces you choose for your publica-tion not only facilitate reading comprehen-sion, but also set a tone or mood for your publication. Using a lot of bold, capital type can feel like shouting, just as using a lot of small, serif typefaces smushed close to-gether can make a design look frumpy, con-gested an unappealing.

To make matters worse, thousands of free, novelty typefaces – the majority of which are difficult to read – are available everywhere!

As journalists, our job doesn’t end once a story is written. We need to present that story visually in a format that is easy to read and conveys an appropriate tone.

Use this handy guide on type to understand what kinds of typefaces are appropriate for your publication and audience, as well as how to use different typefaces for different kinds of text. You’ll also learn how to use hierarchy to guide readers through a story from the headline to the end of the article.

Your publication staff should already have a style guide — a written set of design rules — stating what kind of typefaces design-ers should use and when. Style guides with rules for type help make your publication look consistent and cohesive across pages.

If your publication doesn’t have a style guide, consider using this guide to make one for next year.

If your staff already has a style guide for type choices, consider updating it!

THe BreAKDOWN

type.


THe rACes

Typefaces are separated into six cat-egories, called races. Each race has its own, unique look and feel.

Typefaces in the serif race feature little flourishes on the end of letters called serifs. Serifs aid in typeface readabil-ity and for a long time, serif typefaces were considered the only race appro-priate for body copy. Serif typefaces have a traditional look and feel.

Sans serif typefaces are typefaces that lack serifs. These typefaces tend to look less humanistic than serif type-faces and to look more modern. Sans serifs can be used for body copy.

Square serif typefaces are typefaces that have serifs, but the serifs are large and slab-like. These typefaces were of-ten used at the turn of the century in advertisements. Because of their big,

bold serifs, they are easily read from far away. They are not generally used for body copy.

Script typefaces mimic handwriting. Each letter connects to the next letter as in cursive handwriting. Script type-faces are considered more decorative and therefore are not appropriate for body copy.

Blackletter typefaces mimic calligra-phy. They present an old, traditional look and feel and are often used on newspaper flags.

Novelty typefaces are any typefaces that are decorative and do not fit into one of the other five races. Studies have shown that novelty typefaces are not only hard to read, but diminish reading comprehension. Novelty type-faces should therefore be avoided.



THe HIerArCHY

Body copy Iminvelis quatasi rem lam asperferunt repero vendit eos et, te od etus et alitaquae quam imi, sunt expellab ipsuntiasped experibus aut estiberia volore volorum hariti-sime nempor acerfernat ullut ilis atquae eturi nonsequ

When desiging a news-paper or yearbook page, you want to help the reader understand what the page is about prior to their reading every single word on it. To facilitate understanding, you should create hierarchy. That means creating a big, bold headline that tells readers what the story is about.

That big, bold headline is called display type. You should choose one or two display typefaces and use them throughout your publication. You can draw attention to display type by making it bold, all capitals or both.

You probably can’t fit all of the neces-sary information about a story into a

headline. Therefore, you should choose a typeface for sub heads. Sub heads

are smaller than display type and usu-ally are placed right under the display

type. You may choose to make your sub head type the same typeface as your

display type, but less bold. You can use a thinner weight of the same typeface.

Body copy Beribear uptate molut volorro dolut volupta epratem porrundam quo volendigenda con et derspidunt que endande et velit quaest, quam, ut vendusae lautate prorerae nissinveles nonet re, non nonet, to qui blaceaquae. Harum aspellabo. Nem

Body copy Pudipsus, sit volorio nsequam fugitium faceat volup-tatur, occullam accabor erferum liquos dolecae occus, et quas expliquatium reprero rerioreicimo et lam alias voluptatus raecus.Otaecte molorep rorehen imperrum faceaqui rae volor rem alit

Your actual article is placed on the page under the display type and sub head. Only serifs and sans serifs are appropriate for body copy. Novelty, script and square serif typefaces are too hard to read as body copy and can turn readers away and diminish read-ing comprehension.

Body copy is generally from 9 to 11 points in size, depending on the type-face you are using.

One strategy for creating a good de-sign is to use a typeface from one race as your display and sub head typeface and choose another typeface from another race for your body copy.

too loose

too tight

THe sPACING

Kerning is the space between letter pairs in a word. If you are using InDesign, the program usually does a pretty good job of keeping the space between letters nice and even. You don’t want any gaps be-tween letters, which may confuse readers. Try kerning letters for yourself online at type.method.ac.

Tracking is the spacing between words in a line of type. In InDesign, tracking is set by default at 0. You can create a little more or less room between letters if you need help fitting a paragraph on a page.

Don’t track more than about plus or minus

10 points in InDesign or your words will be too close together to read properly.

The space between lines of type is called leading. It is named after the thin strips of lead that used to separate lines of type in the moveable type printing process.

Leading should be one to two points larger than the body copy. If you are using 10 point body copy, for example, the leading should be 11 or 12 points. InDesign gen-erally will not properly space your lines of type automatically, so make sure you pay attention to leading each time you create a text box.

Kerninggood too tight

too loose

We love to tracktoo loose

good

We need kerning, tracking and leading to make our typography perfectgood

too loose

too tight

too tight


THe PICA rULe

This is the body copy. It is currently using Lorem Ipsum type to simulate paragaphs of text. Sed ma ventur? Um qui cumque restiundici rerum simporum con precerecta alissi di cum est, siti-berem inus ipsa con rem. Rehendus, omnihicil mollore peremo quatece pti-issed estis ut enditat enihici tinctur sim reptaquo vella volut lia ne occupta tes-tium sus.Ut voluptatur magnistium comnist es-sunt facesequis sitisitiam, nit dione voles quibus pos et essit volup

taerum aut ut quis senis pre, cum ni sam evelibe riatur aborro offictin re non-este quiam facerer ioriberatem hillanis eiunt hillacc ullici accabore ped ut a por-

I am a subhead that goes with the story and gives more infogood

too close

good one pica

Some sOUrCes

When designing for print, designers use a spe-cial system of measurement based on the pica. One pica is 1/6 of an inch. Each element of a design should be at least one pica away from all of the other elements. So in the example be-

low, the body copy is one pica to the left of the photo box. The headline is one pica above the subhead. But, the subhead should be one pica above the body copy and photo box, and it’s not. This makes the design look uneven.

Here are a few sources you can use to find great free fonts. But beware — many of the typefaces available online are for personal use only. Make sure you consult the font’s license to make sure you can use it in your publication.

In addition, many of the typefaces found online are novelty typefaces. Resist the temptation to use them, as they make text harder to read and can turn readers away.

1. LostType.com2. TheLeagueofMoveableType.com3. FontSquirrel.com4. Freefaces.SimonFosterDesign.com5. MyFonts.com

one pica = one sixth of an inch


THIS

CHEC

K OUT

NEWSROOMSeoul International School explains how their students embrace journalism through competition. «



Seoul International School has an enrollment of 1,042 students in grades kindergarten-12, including 350 high school students.

And the Winner is...The A+ Herald was applauded for its comprehen-sive coverage and variety of coverage techniques, including two cartoons and an infographic. Previous page: Freshman “A+ Herald” members Kristen Park, copy editor, Kathleen Joo, editor-in-chief, Jaewon Choi, copy editor and Eugene Yang, layout artist, work on their final layout.

By Carolyn Brown, CJEAdviser, Tiger Times Seoul International SchoolSeoul, Korea

Journalism is nothing like sports, right? Or maybe it is. Success depends on good teamwork and communication and in this case anyway, there’s only one winner.

Each year Seoul International School holds an “English Week,” and different English classes are encouraged to host events that celebrate that particular subject. In the past we have had storytelling in the library and a “Great Debate” in the auditorium. The week

always features plays performed by the dra-ma classes, and a popular, “Poetry with the Principal,” which was this year expanded to include the new head of school, in what was to be a bit of a poetry slam—“Poetry with the Principal and Haiku with the Headmas-ter.” It turned out to be much more tame than what most audience members had hoped for, sadly.

In order to celebrate doing what we do best, the Introduction to Publications classes celebrated the week not just by attending the events, but actually covering them. The two classes faced off to create the best two-page newsletter, and they were published

on what turned out to be appropriately, the second day of Scholastic Journalism Week.

So each class of between 13 and 15 elected an editor. After I took nominations, I had ev-eryone vote for their choice. Then I turned the project over to the editor. First editors chose copy editors and tried to fill the roles of reporters, photographers and layout art-ists. Students got to “differentiate” them-selves by choosing the role they thought they did best. Next editors assigned the events to photographers and reporters and collected email addresses for the Google Docs they used to communicate outside of class. They ensured assignments were com-

A+ HeraldSeoul International School

Volume 1 Feburary 2012

Issue 1

Tragedy with a touch of humor leaves students laughing

By Yasmin Yoon

Ten minutes to one on

Feb.16, the empty audito-

-

brother robbing a bank to -

sister.

-

-

something to dress up the

the students through a pro-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

David Kim (10) reacts as Jason Huh (11) pulls out a pistol and aims for an English

week drama performance in the auditorium during acitivity period on Feb. 16.

Photo by Amelie Koo

Students battle it out based on their knowledge of books

By Chungwha Suh

Screams and shouts are

rarely tolerated in school-

however, for the “Battle of

the Books,” the louder the

participants, the prouder

the GIN members who

hosted this English Week

event. �e GIN Battle of

the Books was basicaly a

jeapordy game on novels

and fantasy books, seeing

which team could get the

most points. �e event took place in

the auditorium on Wednes-

day during activity period,

and all high school stu-

dents were encouraged to

participate. “Battle of the

Books” consisted of a jeop-

ardy game with categories

such as “famous �rst lines,”

“scandalously banned

books,” “fantasy & science

�ction books,” “books read

in class” and “so you think

you know authors.”

“I actually chose them

[the categories] on whim

the night before the event,”

said Yeeun Chun (12),

president of GIN and head

coordinator of the event.

According to Yeeun, the

reason for GIN’s participa-

tion in English week was

the club’s theme this year-

education for all. In order to

raise awareness of literacy

and reading, the club mem-

bers talked to head of the

English department, Roger

Gribbins, who o�ered them

a place in English Week.

“�e main thing I wanted

students to get out of the

event was awareness,” said

Yeeun. “Since most of our

projects are geared toward

the ES and MS high school

students aren’t as informed

about what we’re doing.

Soon, we’ll be launching

more extensive events that

deal speci�cally with child

literacy rates and how our

contributions can help ‘A

Room to Read,’ the NGO

we’re donating to at the end

of the year.” However, Jamie Park

(11) said that personally, the

event was more entertaining

that informative.

“It was like a big, hyped

up game-- people got excit-

ed and unbelievably loud,”

said Jamie. “I was really sur-

prised because when I think

of English Week activities,

I think of a quiet, calm at-

mosphere- maybe that’s

because I usually associate

English with reading, but I

saw that the auditorium was

�lled with kids who were

ready to shout their hearts

out.” Nonetheless, Yeeun said

that she was pleased with

the results of GIN’s three

weeks of planning.

“English Week seemed

slightly under-advertised

as compared to other years,

since a lot of kids were sur-

prised it was even English

Week whereas that rarely

happened in previous

years,” said Yeeun. “Taking

that into consideration, we

had quite the turn out.”

Photo by Jeeseob Jung

Raising thier boards, students try to get the correct an-

swers during the GIN battle of the books on Feb. 15.

So you think you know authors... 500! After the ca-tegory and the points were chosen, the students shout their answers across the au-ditorium, trying to get their team heard first. The jeopardy game was hosted by Global Issues Network (GIN) on Wednesday, Feb. 15th, in the auditorium from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m..Participation stamps made it mandatory for students to at-tend the events for their class points. However, according to Roger Gribbins, English teacher, the prerequisite was reduced. He took notice that people were actually enjoying themselves in the jeopardy event since they had more freedom with the choice of going to the activities.

“We actually lowered the number of participation stamps this year so the stu-dents could make their own choice to go to the events,” said Mr. Gribbins. “The atten-dance for jeopardy was great and the students seemed to want to be at the events since they went to the activities they were interested in.”According to Yeeun Chun (12), a crucial factor for the success in having so many people participating enthu-siastically was the questions.“We tried to appeal to them the best we could through our categories, using trivia from popular books like Harry Pot-ter or Twilight,” said Yeeun. “People tend to enjoy things that they find intellectually challenging since they find a sense of satisfaction in get-ting things right, so a few in-

teresting tidbits like first lines and banned books were also included.”While a lot of the teams were enthusiastic about cal-ling their answers out, there was one group in particular that stood out the most, even-tually winning the jeopardy game. The team, including Helen Song (10), was en-joying their lead in the event.“I think jeopardy and other game events usually are the most fun for students because most students are competiti-ve,” said Helen. “The ques-tions were all really well-ma-de so that students could try to answer them since everyone was familiar with the books. As for winning, my friends and I felt nerdy, but it still felt great to be first.”

The purpose of English week was the help promote

English themes and subjects more into the lives of the students by informing them about it. Through the jeo-pardy event, GIN was able to spread its cause to a large audience.“Although GIN is not an English club, we wanted to

promote education for all, especially the literacy reading campaign for books,” said Kelly Cho (10), a member of GIN. “I think the [jeopardy] event was a success in getting our name out there and also the cause of our club as the Global Issues Network.”

A crowd of high school stu-dents rush into the auditorium holding stamp cards right before the clock reads 1 p.m. Members of the audience are somewhat distracted and some can be seen talking with their friends or using their phones. However, by the end of the performance, all eyes are on the stage, astonished by the unexpected ending. On Thursday, Feb. 16, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., half of the Drama II students performed “The Heist,” a tragic play as one of the English Week events.For this performance, Dra-ma II students did not have a solid script. According to Michelle Kim (12), cast member, the students first practiced acting out imp-romptu scenes. Then they wrote down what they had said in practices and turned it into a script.

“Usually, the AP Literature students write the scripts for these tragedies, and we act them out,” said John Rider, Drama teacher. “This year,

however, the class decided to script our own plays using a technique called ‘post-scrip-ting.’ As a result, the script was completely created by the cast and the director, Ju-hohn Lee (12).”According to Mr. Rider, the team was in charge of crea-

ting a tragedy, which could be difficult since there is often a ‘tragic flaw’ to the main cha-racter.“I think it’s always challen-ging for high-school students to play tragic roles since they’re far more comfortab-le with comedic characters,”

said Mr. Rider. “However, I think all performance oppor-tunities are good performance opportunities.”Drama II students also faced a large audience for their performance. Although the performance was mostly imp-romptu, according to David

Kim (10), it was still enjoyab-le like any other drama per-formance the students put on.“Although I could not fully prepare for the performance, my character was not challen-ging to portray since he was a simple character,” said Da-vid. “Since the main emotions my character expressed weregrief for his mother and frustration towards his situa-tion, I could easily relate to those feelings.”Students like Allison Yoo (9) initially came to the per-formance to collect stamps for English Week. However, after attending several Eng-lish week events, she thought the drama performance was the most enjoyable.

“There was a high level of suspense in the plot [of the play], which made me eager to find out what would hap-pen next,” said Allison. “I was especially surprised by the ending when two charac-ters were accidentally shot by a gun and collapsed on stage. After watching this perfor-mance, the fact that attending English week events was mandatory didn’t bother me anymore.”

E.W. ReportDrama II performs tragedy for English Week

FEBRUARY 2012 VOLUME I

Photo by Harry LeeBrian Lee (10) raises his whiteboard in response to a jeop-ardy question during the GIN English week event.

GIN hosts Jeopardy game promoting education for all

Photo by Harwoon Han

Pointing his gun, Jason Huh (12) threatens David Kim (10) in “The Heist” on Thursday, Feb.

16. Drama II students put on tragic performances for English Week during activity period.

By CELINE HWANG

By MICHELLE LEE

ENGLISH WEEK


The publications staffs produce the Tiger Times newspaper, a literary magazine, a science magazine and a yearbook.

pleted throughout the week and stayed af-ter school the Monday after English Week 2012 was complete.

Much of what went on happened outside the classroom. In fact, I only gave them about 20 minutes out of two class periods during English Week to work. I did see pho-tographers shooting the various events, but mostly what I saw was the result of their col-laboration and hard work—two outstand-ing publications. This is what I love about advising newspaper. Every “issue” you start with nothing—they literally had to come up with everything, even an appropriate news-paper title—and end up with a whole paper full of good stuff to look at, read and enjoy. They did this all in the span of a week and attained, what I always call, “publishable

perfection.” How could I choose a winner? To try to make it fair, I asked the principal and the English department head for their feedback. The winner turned out to be “A+ Herald” which had more comprehensive coverage and varied types of coverage with two cartoons and an infographic. Kudos went to the “EW Report” for good photog-raphy and well-written and edited stories, however.

As a follow-up to the project, and because I think self-assessment is sometimes the most valuable method, I had students participate in an online discussion board to share their thoughts on what their roles were, how they communicated, met deadlines and re-flect on whether their work was published or not and why. I also had them reflect on

what they did best and what they would do differently if they could go back. And of course on how I can improve the project for next time. Students thoughtfully reflected on whether it was good or bad that it was an ungraded assignment. Some said they thought there was less effort put in because it didn’t count for a grade, but many more said they felt more free to “take risks” and try new things. My favorite comment, though, was about the excitement and pride they felt when readers grabbed their publication and commented on how good it was. That’s made all the stress of deadlines worth it.

It’s amazing what kids can produce without even getting a grade for it. Just add a little incentive like competition and a pizza party, and watch them take the ball and run with it.

Final Edits Sophomores Kevin Chun and Jisoo An, both layout editors for the “EW Report” work together to finalize the designs of their paper.


By Brian Hayes

Spring is when the tough decisions for next school year are made. Who has the knowledge, skills and leadership necessary to be editor or managing editor? And who will fill the vital roles of features editor, copy editor, news editor and sports editor? While it is important for a staff to have these decisions made prior to the end of the school year, it is equally important for the new editors (those that will make up the editorial board) to start meeting routinely throughout the summer to make decisions about the content, policies and procedures they want to put in place that will improve the quality and efficiency of their stu-dent media products.

SUMMERPLANNING

Guide(and bonding too!)

IdEntIfy yoUR nEEdSFirst of all, no good meeting can start without pizza and soft drinks! It gives everyone a chance to catch up on what has happened since school let out for the summer and provides some good staff bond-ing. Now that everyone’s belly is full, it’s time to get down to busi-ness. Pass out copies of the previous year’s publication or look at the website. If this is a student newspaper or magazine, it doesn’t have to be the same issue (in fact, a variety of issues would be best!). If this is a broadcast class, take a few minutes and watch a couple of episodes to familiarize everyone with what was done the previous year.

Have everyone start assessing the student media product and write down his or her top five likes and dislikes about the publica-tion. This should not be mean or vindictive or an attack on any one student or group. It should be an honest and constructive assess-ment about the quality of the publication and the organizational processes of how it is all put together (story assignments, deadline management, design, editing, etc.).


Using the ideas generated from the previous discussion, identify the areas that have the greatest need for further development. The editorial board members should then be divided into different sub-com-mittees (some members can be included on multiple sub-com-mittees, if desired) and tasked with writing new policies and procedures that will improve or enhance the efficiency and ef-fectiveness of that idea.

If it’s not already a part of your summer im-provement plan, this is also a good time to reevaluate your staff and editorial policies for student publications and broadcasts. There are many policies that need updated or changed every year based on student leadership, community standards, techno-logical advancements, school board poli-cies and legal decisions. PLANNING

(and bonding too!)

After everyone has been given enough time to read, think, pro-cess and write their comments, the editor should lead the first discussion (having everyone share some of their ideas) about all the good things that were accomplished the previous year — highlighting the ones that they would like to continue. Next, the editor should lead the discussion about the things that didn’t go so well last year — highlighting the ones that they deem most critical to fix or change for next year.

While the editor leads the discussion, another editorial board member should be typing or writing down the ideas on a com-puter (projected on a screen), the dry erase board or flip chart for future reference. And don’t forget to collect all the lists from everyone at the end of the discussion too because there could still be some good ideas that were not openly discussed or shared with the whole group that are worth further consider-ation or exploration.

IdentIfy the problem

IdentIfy the causes for the problem

BraInstorm ways to resolve the problem

select the best problem resolution

IdentIfy how the reso-lution can be implemented (give a step-by-step guide)

monItor the implementation of the resolution (identify who’s responsible)

evaluate the success of the resolution

There are many different ways to go about developing strategies to improve content and procedures for a student publication. However, the basic struc-ture for problem solving includes:

GEt tEMPLAtESThe National Scholastic Press Association has created several guidelines, forms, contracts and policies publication staffs can use and/or edit for their own personal use. Check them out at

www.studentpress.org/nspa/wheel.html

advertising (what will you accept/not accept, when payment is due)

anonymous sources (when will/won’t you use anonymous sources)

corrections (if a correction needs to be made, what will you do)

crime (how will you cover school personnel or students involved in a crime)

editorial (who decides and writes the staff editorial, letters to the editor or guest columns and what will be accepted)

obituary (how and when will you cover them)

Profanity (how will you run/edit profanity in the publication)

technology/equipment use (who’s responsible for equipment damage)

REEvALUAtE yoUR PoLIcIESAreas you may want to consider writing or rewriting policies for include:

Add AccoUntAbILIty

{{{{

{

{

{

coRREctIonS PoLIcySpring yearbooks are just around the corner and occasional mis-takes are inevitable. Arm yourself with a corrections policy. Learn how to write one at

www.blendmagazine.org

FIRST PLACE

SECOND PLACE

PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Elliot ParkmanThe Lion/McKinney High SchoolMcKinney, Texas

At the football fundraiser carnival, sophomore JJ Johns attempts to hold his own in an arm wrestling match with SRO Curtis Logan. Johns initiated the arm wrestle and ended up being yet another opponent to fall to the once profes-sional wrestler. “I went up to him and said, ‘I’m stronger than you, my muscles are bigger than yours,” Johns said. “But I was wrong. He beat me.”

Danielle NortonHauberk/Shawnee Mission Northeast HSPrairie Village, Kan.

Check out the winners of the 2011 NSPA Picture of the Year contest

“Dressed in a Santa suit, Choir director Ken Foley leads the Chambers Choir through the hallways, lightening the mood of students preparing for finals. “We normally sing a combination of songs we’ve done from the beginning of the year, and the ones we sing in the choir concert, but we mostly sing holiday songs,” Foley said. “We sang a Nigerian carol at the holiday concert that had some African dancing in it. When 147 students stomped, the stage actually shook.”

FOURTH PLACE

THIRD PLACE

FIFTH PLACE

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Casey Simmons/El Paisano, West Lake HS/Austin, Texas

Dry ice sends water spouting into the air as sophomores Shannon Hetland and Elizabeth Speltz watch in awe during their seventh-period chemistry class on Jan. 20. “I put dry ice in a test tube and put it under water, and it exploded,” Hetland said. “I didn’t feel it building pres-sure, but I saw it getting bigger. I didn’t expect it to be that big.”

Katharina BackscheiderHoofbeats/Burges HS/El Paso, Texas

Alessandra DeCostanzoThe Standard/American School in London/London, England

At the roller disco, “it’s all a part of taking yourself out of yourself and your normal experiences. If you are going to skate around and enjoy yourself, you might as well come in costume,” David French, general manager of Renaissance Rooms, said.

Jake CollinsPilot/Redondo Union HSRedondo Beach, Calif.

Senior Matt Picazo walks out toward the water for surf class just after sunrise.

Toffer MohrThe Prowler/Providence Senior HSCharlotte, N.C.

Chris Williams relishes the pie in his face at the conclusion of the canned food drive. The donations of Emory Berlacher were largely responsible for the reason Williams was chosen: “I brought in ninety cans because my dad works for Del-Monte. I really wanted to see Chris get pied.”

Supported by senior Itzel Perez and sophomore Shandlyn Terlaje-Taitano, sophomore Ana Themann makes her way off the El Paso High football field after one of the first drill meets of the season. “When we stepped of the field, my leg gave out,” Themann said. “I was going to fall so the girls picked me up.” An infected bug bite caused the pain in Themann’s leg.

We help your staff improve.Since 1921

NoNprofit org.U.S. poStage

paiDpermit 314

twiN CitieS mN

National Scholastic press association2221 University ave Se, Suite 121minneapolis, mN 55414

Blend is published by the Secondary Educational Services office at Ball State University. NSPA is mailing complimentary copies of Blend to its members as a benefit of membership.

Join or renew online at nspa.studentpress.org

Feedback: Critiques for publications and websites are a valuable teaching tool for both the new and veteran adviser or student.

Exposure Through our annual Best of the High School to trends: Press book, and the NSPA View online gallery,

students see and learn about the best work being done by their peers throughout the country.

Competitions: Participation by students in NSPA’s national competitions for staffs and individual students promotes intellectual growth, academic excellence and a healthy, competitive spirit.

Networking By attending an NSPA convention or with peers: workshop, participating in our Facebook fan

page or following us on Twitter (@nspa) you’ll gain a network of like-minded students and advisers whose ideas and opinions are at your disposal.

Honors and Receiving an All-American rating, a recognition: Pacemaker, an NSPA scholarship or other

national award boosts staff morale, builds self-esteem, fosters pride in the school and helps recruit new staff members.

Documents

Spring 2012 Blend Magazine