Journalism thrives at schools serving Yorba Linda; staffs embrace new technology, create news sites

Journalism is thriving at several public school campuses serving Yorba Linda, as students and advisers embrace new technology to publish online newspapers, some with staffs posting new material on a daily basis.

And while the online journals cover the more traditional elements of campus life – with articles on students, teachers, sports and other school events – the student editors and reporters also tackle community, state, national and worldwide news with factual stories and opinion pieces.

These new-style publications achieve success by employing technology supplied by Minnes-ota-based School Newspapers Online, a firm organized by journalism advisers that provides website hosting and user support to scholastic staffs from elementary school to college level.

Esperanza and Yorba Linda high schools, Bernardo Yorba, Kraemer and Travis Ranch middle schools and Woodboro Elementary School have the online sites that serve campus communi-ties and reach worldwide audiences.

For example, the Matador Messenger at Bernardo Yorba Middle School, the first in the Placentia-Yorba Linda school district to use the School Newspapers Online technology, reports an average readership of more than 7,000 individuals worldwide.

The Messenger website has a world visitors map pinpointing the locations of visitors and a “Who's Online” box identifying viewers as either “visitors” or “bots,” software apps allowing automated web surfing.

Adviser Christine Perez created the Bernardo Yorba class five years ago to fill a need on campus for an English elective. The school's previously printed paper ended its run in the 1980s. This year's staff has 28 reporters and editors who meet daily during first period.

Financing comes from the school's site council, while other schools have some income from advertising. School Newspapers Online charges $300 for setup and an annual $325 hosting fee, plus other optional expenses, well below the cost of printed copies.

Perez says the staff “is taught to research using multiple sources. These young journalists reach out and conduct interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, scientists, doctors, coaches, athletes, musicians and community members.”

Subjects of recent stories have included the Esperanza Hills housing plan, the endangered rusty patched bumblebee, teens use of social media, relationships and a Russian spy ship.

Perez adds: “Most importantly, what I see every day are students who are transformed by this process of research, interviewing, writing, editing and publishing. They are no longer students in a journalism class; they are published authors with a worldwide audience, empowered by possibilities.”

Access Esperanza and Yorba Linda high school news sites at ehsaztlan.com and ylhsthewrangler.com; Bernardo Yorba, Kraemer and Travis Ranch middle schools at matadormessenger.com, kmscubreporter.com and trmsblazerboiler.org; and Woodsboro Elementary at woodsboroworld.com.