STUDENT LIFE GUIDE & CONTRACT
Meeting Deadlines
Deadlines are extremely crucial to the success of the newspaper. You are expected to meet every deadline your editors and the Pow Wow require of you. Very rarely will you be excused for not meeting a deadline (i.e., the event you are covering has not occurred yet). However, if you really need an extension you must contact your editors before the deadline and provide a reasonable excuse. Remember that deadlines heavily influence your grade.
Brainstorming Story Ideas
Student Life covers alumni and student profiles, unique student hobbies, non-academic clubs, current school events, dances, trips, jobs, trivia, and polls. Seek out interesting people, events, etc. to write about. Once you have come up with your ideas, email or show them to your editors for approval. Because you are required to write two articles per issue, be sure to come with several ideas (at least four) in case some ideas are not approved. The editors will help you come up with story ideas if you have any problems. Finalize your article ideas by the story assignment deadline.
Interviewing
Because the section is Student Life, every article you write requires you to interview students (and occasionally adults as well). Select a variety of students to interview—different grade levels, gender, backgrounds, cliques, etc. You should interview like a professional; have good questions prepared before interviews and record statements accurately. Bring either a recording device or pen and paper to the interview and record quotes and important information. Also remember to write down the names of the people you interview, their grade level, and, if applicable, their title (club president, vice president, etc.). Be wise about which quotes you use in your article. Select quotes carefully, and don’t include ones that may read, “The dance sucked and I hated it.” Not only does the quote make the speaker sound unintelligent, it adds nothing constructive to the article and makes the newspaper seem unprofessional.
Writing Story Roughs
Spend time on your rough draft, keeping in mind that your article will be read by the thousands of people. Write an article of good length appropriate for the topic (usually at least 400 words). If your article is not long enough the editors will make you add to it eventually, so please write as much as you can (but with quality!). Check that all your facts and quotes are correct. To maintain continuity, the Pow Wow provides style guidelines that every article must follow (e.g., using “AHS” instead of “Arcadia High School”). You need to read the guidelines carefully and memorize them for use in your writing.
Once you have completed a rough draft, make sure you have done all of the following:
o When appropriate, include at least 3 quotes from different types of people
o Ensure that facts are true and names are spelled correctly
o PROOFREAD your draft! Blatant grammar errors and typos should be fixed before you submit your draft.
o Thoroughly check your article to see that it follows every point of the style guide
o Post your draft on the forum in the Student Life section by the deadline. Title it appropriately (it need not have a creative title yet—just one that tells what it is about, e.g., “Homecoming Dance”)
Providing Photos
Every article needs pictures. If you attend an event you are covering or interview people, take a variety of photos (minimum of 5 photos both portrait and landscape). Note the names of all the people in the photos. You are required to provide photos for your article (do avoid taking pictures off the internet), so if you have a problem taking photos let your editors know and they will ask the photo staff to take pictures for you.
Editing Stories
Once you have posted your articles on the forum, copy editors will edit your articles. Make the necessary corrections to your article as soon as possible because your article will most likely be edited a few times. Post the revisions on the forum. We want to make sure your article is perfect for printing.
To also ensure accuracy, allow the people quoted in your article to read it. They can confirm their quote--if we print something they state incorrectly, it will reflect poorly on you and the Pow Wow.
Writing Headlines
Once story roughs are due, your editors will ask that you come up with headlines for several articles (not just your own articles). You must come up with at least three creative headlines for each article. Read the stories on the forum for inspiration and genuinely try to write interesting headlines.
Finalizing Stories
Your articles must be complete and ready by the Story Finals deadline. Thus you must keep up with revising articles every time they are edited. The editors will take the finalized article off the forum to put on the Student Life page, so post your story final on the forum.
Editing the Student Life Page
Just as you have story roughs due, your editors have page roughs to complete as well. They will post up the pages on the classroom wall. You should read over the two pages and mark any mistakes that your editors need to fix. Help them perfect the page!
Communicating and Meeting With Your Editors
Communication is very essential! Editors will contact you both in person and via email (and through phone if necessary). Check your email frequently for announcements. You submit your writing, headlines, and photos through email as well. Because there are two periods of Pow Wow, the editors will post messages on the Student Life section of the wall in H6 to communicate with staff writers in different periods. You may also post messages on the wall for your editors to read. Editors will also hold weekly lunch meetings that you must attend; they generally last 10-15 minutes. If you cannot attend, you must let your editors know beforehand and have a valid reason. Your editors are there for a reason, so please don’t hesitate to talk to them if you have any questions or problems.
Grades
You decide your grade. Every issue you will fill out the form the Editors-in-Chief created, listing everything you have done for the issue. The Student Life editors will look over your form, make any corrections, and give you a grade. As long as you willingly do everything your editors ask of you and provide them with quality work, your grade should be fine. If you disagree with your grade, discuss it with the editors.
General Writing Rules
As a staff writer, you should already know the basics of grammar. Here are some other things you should keep in mind while writing for Student Life.
* Write in a formal tone and use appropriate language; you do not want your article to sound like you are writing to your best friends.
* Use active voice, not passive voice.
Bad: The student was asked by the teacher to write an essay.
Good: The teacher asked the student to write the essay.
* Do not use first person. You should always write in third person.
* Avoid exclamation marks unless it is appropriate for the sentence (which will be very rarely). You do not want to sound like you! are! shouting!
* There are many ways to incorporate quotes into your articles. Pay attention to the punctuation and where they belong in each scenario.
1. She comments, “I am grateful to have won this award.”
2. “I am grateful to have won this award,” she adds.
3. “I am grateful to have won this award,” she exclaims. “I will treasure this moment forever.”
4. “I am,” she remarks, “so grateful to have won this award.”
5. She declared that she was “grateful to have won this award”.
* Vary your word choice and sentence structures. Be creative with sentence construction to make your article more interesting.
* Although we tell you to vary word choice, use words you are familiar with and can use properly. Don’t rely on the thesaurus too heavily!
* Don’t be repetitive or verbose. Try to avoid the use of “said” every single time you integrate quotes. Make your points clear to the reader.
Meeting Deadlines
Deadlines are extremely crucial to the success of the newspaper. You are expected to meet every deadline your editors and the Pow Wow require of you. Very rarely will you be excused for not meeting a deadline (i.e., the event you are covering has not occurred yet). However, if you really need an extension you must contact your editors before the deadline and provide a reasonable excuse. Remember that deadlines heavily influence your grade.
Brainstorming Story Ideas
Student Life covers alumni and student profiles, unique student hobbies, non-academic clubs, current school events, dances, trips, jobs, trivia, and polls. Seek out interesting people, events, etc. to write about. Once you have come up with your ideas, email or show them to your editors for approval. Because you are required to write two articles per issue, be sure to come with several ideas (at least four) in case some ideas are not approved. The editors will help you come up with story ideas if you have any problems. Finalize your article ideas by the story assignment deadline.
Interviewing
Because the section is Student Life, every article you write requires you to interview students (and occasionally adults as well). Select a variety of students to interview—different grade levels, gender, backgrounds, cliques, etc. You should interview like a professional; have good questions prepared before interviews and record statements accurately. Bring either a recording device or pen and paper to the interview and record quotes and important information. Also remember to write down the names of the people you interview, their grade level, and, if applicable, their title (club president, vice president, etc.). Be wise about which quotes you use in your article. Select quotes carefully, and don’t include ones that may read, “The dance sucked and I hated it.” Not only does the quote make the speaker sound unintelligent, it adds nothing constructive to the article and makes the newspaper seem unprofessional.
Writing Story Roughs
Spend time on your rough draft, keeping in mind that your article will be read by the thousands of people. Write an article of good length appropriate for the topic (usually at least 400 words). If your article is not long enough the editors will make you add to it eventually, so please write as much as you can (but with quality!). Check that all your facts and quotes are correct. To maintain continuity, the Pow Wow provides style guidelines that every article must follow (e.g., using “AHS” instead of “Arcadia High School”). You need to read the guidelines carefully and memorize them for use in your writing.
Once you have completed a rough draft, make sure you have done all of the following:
o When appropriate, include at least 3 quotes from different types of people
o Ensure that facts are true and names are spelled correctly
o PROOFREAD your draft! Blatant grammar errors and typos should be fixed before you submit your draft.
o Thoroughly check your article to see that it follows every point of the style guide
o Post your draft on the forum in the Student Life section by the deadline. Title it appropriately (it need not have a creative title yet—just one that tells what it is about, e.g., “Homecoming Dance”)
Providing Photos
Every article needs pictures. If you attend an event you are covering or interview people, take a variety of photos (minimum of 5 photos both portrait and landscape). Note the names of all the people in the photos. You are required to provide photos for your article (do avoid taking pictures off the internet), so if you have a problem taking photos let your editors know and they will ask the photo staff to take pictures for you.
Editing Stories
Once you have posted your articles on the forum, copy editors will edit your articles. Make the necessary corrections to your article as soon as possible because your article will most likely be edited a few times. Post the revisions on the forum. We want to make sure your article is perfect for printing.
To also ensure accuracy, allow the people quoted in your article to read it. They can confirm their quote--if we print something they state incorrectly, it will reflect poorly on you and the Pow Wow.
Writing Headlines
Once story roughs are due, your editors will ask that you come up with headlines for several articles (not just your own articles). You must come up with at least three creative headlines for each article. Read the stories on the forum for inspiration and genuinely try to write interesting headlines.
Finalizing Stories
Your articles must be complete and ready by the Story Finals deadline. Thus you must keep up with revising articles every time they are edited. The editors will take the finalized article off the forum to put on the Student Life page, so post your story final on the forum.
Editing the Student Life Page
Just as you have story roughs due, your editors have page roughs to complete as well. They will post up the pages on the classroom wall. You should read over the two pages and mark any mistakes that your editors need to fix. Help them perfect the page!
Communicating and Meeting With Your Editors
Communication is very essential! Editors will contact you both in person and via email (and through phone if necessary). Check your email frequently for announcements. You submit your writing, headlines, and photos through email as well. Because there are two periods of Pow Wow, the editors will post messages on the Student Life section of the wall in H6 to communicate with staff writers in different periods. You may also post messages on the wall for your editors to read. Editors will also hold weekly lunch meetings that you must attend; they generally last 10-15 minutes. If you cannot attend, you must let your editors know beforehand and have a valid reason. Your editors are there for a reason, so please don’t hesitate to talk to them if you have any questions or problems.
Grades
You decide your grade. Every issue you will fill out the form the Editors-in-Chief created, listing everything you have done for the issue. The Student Life editors will look over your form, make any corrections, and give you a grade. As long as you willingly do everything your editors ask of you and provide them with quality work, your grade should be fine. If you disagree with your grade, discuss it with the editors.
General Writing Rules
As a staff writer, you should already know the basics of grammar. Here are some other things you should keep in mind while writing for Student Life.
* Write in a formal tone and use appropriate language; you do not want your article to sound like you are writing to your best friends.
* Use active voice, not passive voice.
Bad: The student was asked by the teacher to write an essay.
Good: The teacher asked the student to write the essay.
* Do not use first person. You should always write in third person.
* Avoid exclamation marks unless it is appropriate for the sentence (which will be very rarely). You do not want to sound like you! are! shouting!
* There are many ways to incorporate quotes into your articles. Pay attention to the punctuation and where they belong in each scenario.
1. She comments, “I am grateful to have won this award.”
2. “I am grateful to have won this award,” she adds.
3. “I am grateful to have won this award,” she exclaims. “I will treasure this moment forever.”
4. “I am,” she remarks, “so grateful to have won this award.”
5. She declared that she was “grateful to have won this award”.
* Vary your word choice and sentence structures. Be creative with sentence construction to make your article more interesting.
* Although we tell you to vary word choice, use words you are familiar with and can use properly. Don’t rely on the thesaurus too heavily!
* Don’t be repetitive or verbose. Try to avoid the use of “said” every single time you integrate quotes. Make your points clear to the reader.