A new newspaper is in the works in Norfolk — and, yes, it has the blessing of the Daily News.
Ben Uhing, a junior at Norfolk Catholic High School, is editor of his school’s yet-unnamed newspaper.
The 17-year-old said he “brought up the idea of a school newspaper with a couple of my friends last spring. They jumped on my idea.”
The proposal also received the support of administrators and faculty at Norfolk Catholic. Ben said he also worked with Mike Jones and Tyler Eisenbraun of the Daily News, who were “a really big help.”
The first issue of the eight-page tabloid will roll off the Daily News presses in late September, with distribution set for Sept. 30. Five hundred copies are planned.
The last newspaper at Norfolk Catholic — The Knightly Knews — was printed in May 1989 as part of a library/media communications class. School librarian Mary Wakeley taught the class, with seniors Wendy Stover and Dave Dufek as co-editors.
The staff was made up of five other seniors and one freshman: current Daily News business editor Kathryn Harris.
With all but one staff member graduating and little interest from other students to continue the monthly paper that was run off on the school’s mimeograph, The Knightly Knews was discontinued.
“I was disappointed,” Harris said. “That class helped shape my goals as a writer, but I was excited when I heard students at the school will be writing a newspaper again.”
There is no journalism class at Norfolk Catholic High School, but students interested in being on the new newspaper staff were asked to sign up in July. Eight more students were added in recent weeks.
In addition to Ben, the other staff members are freshman Lilly Villareal; sophomores Ashley Crismore, Emily Stewart, Megan Aschoff and Sierra Rasmussen; juniors Taylor Pospisil, Erin Anderson and Daira Gentrup; and seniors Samie Tobey, Ellie Mausbach, Mary Ann Forsell, Mike Hall and Liz Adams.
Ben said a contest, which is open to seventh- through 12th-graders at the Norfolk Catholic Schools, is under way through Sept. 4 to name the new paper and design its front-page masthead. The winner will receive a $50 U.S. savings bond thanks to a donor, he said. “Basically, the new newspaper will be the school’s first newspaper on newsprint,” Ben said.
At this point, photos will be printed in black and white. The newspaper sections will include sports, opinion, entertainment and academics. While the staff members will write the stories, Ben said that “if someone has a really strong opinion on something, he or she should write about it — within reason.”
The newspaper will be a way to inform the student body of various school happenings, as well as a way the students “can get facts (on issues) they might not get otherwise,” Ben said.
The stories will pertain to youths, Ben said, and will include such topics as health care reform and the dangers of texting while driving.
Ben emphasizes that the newspaper will be a work in progress as it evolves. Sponsor Mary Seier and school administrators will monitor the newspaper content, he said.
Seier, a librarian paraprofessional for the Norfolk Catholic Schools, said the newspaper project would be a new learning experience for the staff and herself as well. “Their enthusiasm is what sold me” on being the sponsor, she said. In late July, Seier said she and several students solicited local businesses as advertisers. “We received such a warm welcome from the businesses,” she said. “We were thrilled.”
Ben said, “The paper will be 100 percent underwritten by advertisers.” The ads will be a win-win for the school newspaper as well as the advertiser looking to target the youth market with its products and services, he added.
The paper will be a collaborative effort with much of the work to be done on weekends because other extracurricular activities fill much of the staff’s after-school schedules, Ben said.
Each issue will be personally handed to each student at the high school during the eighth-period class late each month, from September through April. Copies also will be available at the high school office.
Seier said, “Once we get the first issue done, the experience we’ve gained will help us with the next six papers.”
Ben, who has his sights set on a career in the communications field, said he has full confidence that this newspaper will be successful for years to come. “This is just the beginning for us,” he said.
And maybe in the 2010-11 school year, more issues with more pages and color photos will be realized, he said.
