Last week, I ran an item about a high school principal's decision to shut down the school newspaper following an article and photo about flag burning. That decision has been reversed:
By Rob Rogers
Redding.com
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Shasta Union High School District officials reversed themselves Friday, saying they'll allow Shasta High to keep its journalism class and continue to publish the school's newspaper, the Volcano.
"I'm absolutely thrilled," said junior Amanda Cope. "It's excellent to have the paper back."
Cope, who was set to take over as editor-in-chief this fall, called Mike Stuart, district superintendent, earlier in the week, asking for a chance to prove she and the students she recruited could make the Volcano a serious, respectable publication.
"I volunteered an assurance that we would be legitimate and professional," she said.
Stuart said she made her case.
"We're going to give her that shot," he said.
The Volcano was shut down two weeks ago amid controversy after the paper ran a photo of a student burning an American flag and an editorial defending the practice.
Shasta High Principal Milan Woollard said that the decision to shut down the paper was based on financial issues and already had been made when the photo and editorial ran. He said the incident “cemented” his decision to shutter the Volcano.
The extra class section will cost about $13,000. Woollard said the challenge now is figuring out how to secure a faculty adviser.
Stuart said at this point it’s not known if Judy Champagne, the Volcano’s longtime adviser, will return to the job in the fall.
Champagne would say only that she’s pleased with the district’s decision to honor Cope’s hard work putting a staff together.
“I think it’s great news,” she said.
Stuart said Cope has the school year to build up the program. Then, school officials will look to see if class size and interest in the paper is enough to justify its continued existence.
Cope is confident she can do it. She plans to broaden the paper’s coverage to include articles and features that represent the varying interests of the student body — including international human rights and major test dates at the school.
Enterprise and Foothill high schools shut down their student newspapers a few years ago after their class enrollment dwindled, Stuart said. If students at Shasta High can’t generate enough interest during the next school year, the Volcano will exist only online, Stuart said.
West Valley High School in Cottonwood announced it would shut down its school paper, The Eagle Examiner, this fall for lack of interest. The school had only eight students enrolled for the class for August, Principal Karl Stemmler said.
It was a tough blow for the school. The Examiner is known as one of the best high school newspapers in the state, having won three George H. Gallup awards — one of the highest honors given in high school journalism.
However, the paper has been shut down before. In 2005, class enrollment dwindled and the paper was put on hiatus, only to be started up again the next year.
Stemmler said if interest returns and enough students sign up next year, the school will publish again.
“We’ll bring it back,” he said.
Cope worked hard to secure what she thought were enough students to fill the class at Shasta before the news of the closure came. She said she specifically sought out students who would bring professionalism and intelligence to the paper with the goal of “revolutionizing” the Volcano.
Stuart said now they have the chance to prove themselves.
“We’ll see how the kids do,” he said.
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