New Royal Page Editors Have Big Plans

Much has been made of the tough environment that the news business faces. But journalists at Hopkins’ Royal Page are doggedly honing the skills they’ll use to ensure journalism thrives in the digital age.

Hopkins Patch talked with the editors-in-chief for the upcoming school year about their plans for the school newspaper and why residents should check it out.

Grade: 12^th

Journalism experience: Staff reporter (10^th grade); back page editor and wrote stories for that page (11^th grade)

Favorite pieces: Really proud of this year’s back page design. Also likes this year’s teacher of the year article because it was about reading proficiency teacher Dawn Hansen, who isn’t as well known as the Advanced Placement-type teachers usually selected.

Journalism goals: Enjoys journalism for fun but doesn’t know about the future.

Why should residents read the Royal Page? “It supports the community because it’s written by students at Hopkins. So people out in the community, by reading it, they’re supporting Hopkins and they’re supporting the school and looking at something that’s a quality work that the students at the school have made. And it’s a good news source, too. We focus on good stories and good writing."  

What can people expect to see next year in the Royal Page? A continuation of good photographs and good writing, with a continued expansion of the Royals Page’s online presence.

What do you want to add to the Royal Page? More emphasis on leadership at the paper—especially focusing on covering issues well and mentoring those who haven’t been on the newspaper before.

What is your generation going to add to journalism? “The (digital) media portion of it is what our generation will really add to it because we’ve grown up in that, and we know a lot about it, and it’s just been a part of a life. Really integrating the two things together—what kids enjoy doing and the journalism part, too—will keep it alive and maybe not see it fall, but just change it.”

Grade: 12th

Journalism experience: Staff reporter-mostly sports (10^th grade); news editor and wrote the opinion section for most of the 2010-2011 school year (11^th grade)

Favorite pieces: A story in the last issue about one Iraq veteran and one Army veteran who spoke to an elective class at school. At 1,300 words, it was his longest story. He also enjoyed the topic. “I thought the story turned out well.” He’s also proud of a satire story on the worth of teachers he did in response to the Wisconsin union controversy. “It was something different that I hadn’t done before. It was something kind of testing out the waters of my writing ability.”

Journalism goals: Thinks he wants to pursue journalism after high school. He’s looking into journalism schools, but nothing is set in stone yet.

Why should residents read the Royal Page? “If you have friends or family in the Hopkins community, I think it’s going to be the most hyperlocal (source), the best place, that you’re going to be able to get news about Hopkins schools and Hopkins students. There are good stories. We have a lot of good writers and good editors that put a lot of care and work into it—into getting a good product. There are stories in there that you’re not going to see anywhere else. If you care about Hopkins, if you care about the district and the community, and you want to know about, that’s where you’re going to find the stories about it.”

What can people expect to see next year in the Royal Page? Many of the same strong qualties as before—such as good stories and good writing—but an amped-up emphasis on the Web, continuing a focus that started this year

What do you want to add to the Royal Page? A new format. For the past few years, it’s been a news-magazine style where the cover is just an illustration or photo, with content on the inside. Instead, he’d make it more of a newspaper style, with stories and content on the front to allow more students to have their work published and more room for photos and graphics. The journalism class will have about 30 students next year, compared to about 12 five years ago. “It’s definitely grown. And so now we have all these writers, and a lot of good writers, and you want as many of them to be able to get their stories in as possible.”

What is your generation going to add to journalism? The ability to get information out there quickly, using digital avenues such as Twitter, without losing traditional journalism values. “It’s going to be about wedding the new-age technology with the same journalistic standards and integrity that you’ve had before.”

Click here to check out the Royal Page online. You can also like the school newspaper on Facebook or follow @theroyalpage on Twitter.