Haldane, Beacon have vibrant publications
Student newspapers, like their professional counterparts, are disappearing nationwide. Only 45 percent of high schools have newspapers, down from 64 percent in 2011, according to the Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University. Peter Bobkowski, a professor there, said the decline follows the decline of journalism classes and local journalism in general.
But you wouldn't know it in the Highlands, where journalism clubs at Haldane and Beacon high schools have revived their student newspapers.
Two years ago, Lincoln Wayland started a journalism club to publish The Haldane Outlook, a quarterly that has had more than 70 contributors. In addition to posting stories at haldaneoutlook.com, students print 500 copies for distribution on campus and in the community. "More people will read it if it's on paper," said Wayland, a junior who is editor-in-chief.
Students at Beacon High School hadn't published a newspaper for 30 years when, in 2022, the district started a journalism class and a journalism club, which launched Breaking Beacon, said Kelly Hamburger, its faculty advisor. The club publishes the paper monthly; The Highlands Current publishes excerpts several times each year (see dub.sh/breaking-beacon).
At Haldane, The Outlook replaced The Blue Print, which had been produced as part of a journalism or English class, with some stories reprinted in The Current. The journalism class still produces articles but focuses on producing a podcast, said Ashley Linda, its instructor.

Wayland said he began exploring an independent student newspaper because he wanted a more robust journalism experience. "I was writing all these articles that no one was going to see because there wasn't really any distribution process," he said.
His father, John, who helped start a student newspaper at his Nantucket high school, The Veritas, and his mother, Jennifer Zwarich, agreed to be advisors. With Keira Shanahan, who would be the first editor-in-chief, they requested a grant from the Haldane School Foundation. The paper also receives some funding from the district and has expanded coverage to Haldane Middle School.
School newspapers are "a way for students to build self-confidence and find a purpose in school," said Lara Bergen, of Press Pass NYC, which promotes student journalism in New York City, where only 27 percent of schools have newspapers.
Bergen said a key to a successful school newspaper is avoiding "prior review," in which administrators approve stories, a practice allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1988 in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. Unlike 18 states, New York hasn't enacted legislation prohibiting administration censorship.
"The best journalism happens in the freest student newsrooms and brings pride to administrators," said Bergen.
Student Journalists at The Current
Six years ago, with support from readers and donors such as the Haldane School Foundation and the McManus Foundation, The Current launched a Student Journalists Program, which paid Beacon and Philipstown students to report for the paper, with guidance from editors.
Last year, although 10 students signed up to participate, engagement dwindled. The students might not admit it, but we know they prefer to write for their own publications, neither of which existed in 2020.
We continue to support student journalists by reprinting stories from Breaking Beacon, paying for occasional assignments, providing office space, holding our weekly editorial meeting at Beacon High School once a year, covering the fees for scholastic journalism conferences and distributing The Outlook.
At the college level, each summer we hire a journalism student from Marist University as a reporter and each fall partner with a documentary film class. The contributions of students to the paper have been invaluable.
Chip Rowe, Editor
The Outlook's charter says it is "committed to remaining an independent voice. We reject prior review by school officials or admin...

Newspapers are Dying? Not at Local High Schools