What should school papers contain? Sharing with you all sample articles from various issues of our school paper "The Bicol Scholar". I also give lectures on school paper content. Email me at gurugeri@gmail.com or message me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sir.jerry). Have fun and good luck on your school paper production endeavors!
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According to DepEd Standards
A School Paper Should…
Exhibit balance in terms of
content
Use facts from different sources
Cite sources to bolster credibility
Apply the principles of basic
journalism
Provide balance of light and
serious topics
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According to DepEd Standards
A School Paper Should…
Arrange stories in decreasing
importance
Use clear and properly cropped
and captioned pictures, graphics
Observe proper grammar and
style
Observe principles of basic
journalism and ethics
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THE NEWS PAGE
An event that possibly happened
a day or two before your paper
hits the press or printing machine
Inverted pyramid structure- most
important part of the story comes
first.
Question: Do you have
opportunities for news stories in
your school papers?
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News Page Article Ideas
Teachers’/students’ satisfaction levels
on the various senior high school tracks
School principal’s innovations in
administration and how the school
community perceives them
How an outreach program has changed
the lives of the beneficiaries
Interview article on parents’ assessment
of the SHS curriculum (survey)
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News Page Article Ideas
Most challenging subjects, but highlight
needed intervention.
Most useful subjects based on alumni’s
perception
Differing opinions on random drug
testing on high school students
Differing opinions on certain policies
like points from extracurricular activities
not used in academic awards
Survey on how much allowance
students get from their parents
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News Page Article Ideas
Most popular website students use for
academic purposes
Teachers’ insights into certain DepEd
policies especially on those publicly
pronounced by the DepEd secretary
Progressive articles like putting up of
schools, building of bridges, fences, and
other facilities that have direct impact on
the school community
Average sleeping hours of students on
weekdays
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News Page
Community ordinances that have direct
effect on the school
Partnership with the outside community.
Nutritional status of students
Faculty profile (in terms of academic
degree)—relate this to education quality
Survey article on students’ course
preferences
Parents’ manner of disciplining their
children or rules over internet use/online
games
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News Page
Survey on preferences in music, food,
movies, sports, but highlighting what
brings about such preferences.
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THE FEATURE PAGE
Offers you more creativity- allows
you to write an engaging lead rather
than bog you down with a
straitlaced news sentence.
Can comprise long form
storytelling/ student profiles/ staff
profiles/ an ongoing issue in the
school.
Other forms include opinion writing-
more of writing a critical argument.
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PROFILE FEATURES
Beyond such factual basics, profiles look
at who and what influenced the person,
their ideas, and their choice of vocation or
profession.
1. Low-profile yet overachieving student
2. Trustworthy, diligent, and honest
trike/pedicab drivers serving students and
school staff
3. Human interest stories such as on hobbies,
successes, and breakthroughs
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NEWS FEATURES
The news feature focuses on a topic of interest
in the news. News features often cover the
same subjects as deadline hard-news stories,
but do so in greater depth and detail..
Sample Articles
1. The preparations for the senior high school
2. The school’s emergency and disaster
management plan
3. Sports/Academic personalities
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INFORMATIVE FEATURES
An informative feature seeks to inform the
reader, more likely to deliver details about
relevant issues. Secondary emphasis is to
entertain.
Sample Articles
1. Why students need more sleep
2. How a curriculum must be student-
centered
3. Grand activities like the world teacher’s day
in Legazpi
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HOW-TO FEATURES
A “how-to” feature article focuses on the
process of how things came about. This might
be a product, services or activity.
Sample Articles
1. How to stay healthy in an urban setting
2. How to spend your daily allowance wisely
3. How to manage heavy academic workload
4. How to overcome shyness and fear
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TREND FEATURES
Trend stories take the pulse of the culture at the
moment, looking at what's new, fresh and
exciting. The emphasis in trend stories is usually
on light, quick, easy-to-read pieces that capture
the spirit of whatever new trend is being
discussed.
1. Popular culture (music and movies)
2. Emojis and how they may conceal true
emotions
3. Creatively coined words (how they affect our
sensibilities
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LIVE-INS
The live-in is an in-depth, often magazine-
length article that paints a picture of a
particular place and the people who work or
live there. Live-ins have been done on
homeless shelters, emergency rooms,
battlefield encampments, cancer hospices,
public schools and police precincts, among
other locales. The idea is to give readers a
look at a place they probably wouldn't normally
encounter.
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LIVE-INS
Sample Articles
1. A child cigarette vendor in a busy street
2. A visit to a charitable institution (home for
the aged, boys town)—how residents live
their lives, best written in first person
3. Immersion activities (for example, in a
fishing village)
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Editorial Page
Infographics on students’ opinion
on a current issue
Letter to the editor (school issue)
Columns (local and national
issues)
Editorial (local or national issue
but should be contextualized
Other opinion essays
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Editorial Page
Violence against children
AIDS cases among teenagers
The quest for good examples
Valuing-focused articles (honesty,
respect, diligence)
Issues pertaining to discipline and
behavior in the classroom
Getting into sports and extra-
curriculars and their effect on
academics
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Editorial Page
Petty issues such as cheating,
cursing, wasting food, not
observing clean-as-you-go policy,
respect for school/other people’s
property
Exploratory issues (do grades
really measure one’s intelligence
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Sports Page Article Ideas
Sports News
1. In- and off-campus sports game
2. Survey article on favorite sports
personality
3. Nat’l & Int’l sports events
4. Best-player news
5. Sports for a cause
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Sports Page Article Ideas
Sports Editorial/Column
1. Teachers’ sports activity (fitness
program)
2. Infographic on students’ sports
activity (to be developed into an
article)
3. Why P.E. classes should not be
taken for granted
4. PH’s 6th place finish in the SEA
Games
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Sports Page Article Ideas
Sports Features
1. Underdogs in the varsity teams
2. Best-player (or coach) feature
3. Lessons from the playground
4. Students’ after-class sports
activities
5. Features on recently founded
sports
6. Traditional games
7. Sports Analysis