Novato High's paper shuts down

Jennifer Upshaw
The Marin Independent Journal
Novato, Calif.

September 23, 2002

Novato High School's student newspaper, the Buzz, has folded.

"What happened is, simply put, there wasn't enough student interest in the journalism program," spokeswoman Dianne Pavia said. "We had less than 10 students sign up for the class.

"When I saw there were too few students for the class I thought, 'Oh no,'" she said. "It could be perceived incorrectly, but we have to go with what the students' interest is."

The Novato newspaper's demise has done little to deter other student journalists in the county.

Novato's program stirred controversy last fall amid an inflammatory article about illegal immigrants written by a student that ran in the paper Nov. 13.

The article by senior Andrew Smith spurred a protest by 150 Novato High students and parents. School officials responded by confiscating copies of the newspaper and writing a letter of apology to parents and students.

A series of delays in publication of a second essay by Smith, titled "Reverse Racism," prompted Smith and his father to file a lawsuit in Marin Superior Court last spring seeking an injunction to force its publication. The essay, and another opinion piece by Smith, eventually ran in the paper's final edition in late spring, although the lawsuit is still pending, district officials said.

The paper had its triumphs. Seniors Ruth Osorio and Stella Robertson, co-editors of the Buzz, were honored last school year with a James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for their fight to get the paper to press.

School officials, who noted the instructor teaching the class resigned last spring, denied the demise of the student publication was related to the flap. Either way, the Novato situation appears to have had little impact on the state of high school journalism in the county.

In Marin's high schools, several programs boast high student interest - some are even forced to turn kids away, high school journalism advisors at several programs around the county said. Other student papers are being reborn thanks to dedicated teachers and small bands of determined students.

At Novato High's counterpart, San Marin High School, the 30-year-old journalism program turns interested students away.

"I have 30 (students), which is too many," said Ronnie Campagna, the advisor of the student paper, The Pony Express.

The draw for students comes from making an impact, Campagna said.

"What they print makes a difference in people's lives," she said. "They need to make sure what they are publishing is the truth and won't offend people. I think they learn responsibility, and they learn about the way adults treat kids. When adults treat them like real reporters, they have tremendous respect for them."

All three school newspapers in the Tamalpais Union High School District have long traditions. At Sir Francis Drake High School, the Jolly Roger has been in print without interruption since the school's doors opened, school officials said.

At Redwood High School in Larkspur, the student newspaper, The Bark, also dates back to the first days the school opened in 1959. The Bark staff tops out at 32 students who work tirelessly on the monthly publication before, during and after school.

Last year, students spent 300 hours doing "paste up," a crunch period to put the finishing touches on the paper before it goes to press, school officials said. On average, the students at all three high schools spend 30 hours per issue outside of class putting the paper together.

This year at Redwood, The Bark is among 40 national finalists for the Pacemaker Award, the highest honor given by the National Scholastic Press Association.

Tom Sivertsen, in his third year as the Bark's adviser, said his role is humbling.

"Helping students realize the power of their voice is one of the most important educational experiences we can provide," he said. "Taking over an institution after 30 years ... I have really big shoes to fill.

"It's becoming very competitive to get into because the paper is getting so well known," he said. "There are more people trying to get into the program than we can accommodate ... we are trying to work on ways to handle that."

At Tamalpais High School, the Tam News, while boasting a long tradition, is in an experimental stage, school officials said.

Advisor Austin Bah said 25 students are working this year on a news magazine-style publication.

"We're still trying to figure out how to do that," he said. "Part of what we're trying to do is to write analytical pieces, and that's pretty hard."

Still, readers are checking it out, he said.

"It looks to us like ... most of the student body takes a few minutes at least to sit down and take a look at the publication," he said. "It's exciting."

Less entrenched programs are flourishing as well. At San Rafael High, where the paper has an on-again, off-again recent past, 21 anxious students are chomping at the bit to get the first edition of The Red and White out on the newsracks.

"We are resurrecting the program at San Rafael High," advisor Chris Simenstad said. "I've got a great group in there. I'm kind of working with fresh clay - I have a lot of enthusiastic underclassmen."

Shooting for an eight-page tabloid-style paper by the end of October, the upstarts hope to crank out five or six editions by the end of the school year. Much work lies ahead, Simenstad said.

"I am starting from scratch," he confessed. "I want to learn what I can so next year I can improve production. We want to get a quality product out there. You want to report and be a true newspaper, but at the same time you don't want to create enemies. Students are very opinionated and a school is an institution."

Terra Linda High School's program is going through growing pains as well, adviser Pat Else said.

For several years, The Voice of Troy has been an online-only edition. Else is working with 12 fired-up students to put the paper back into its traditional print format, while maintaining an online presence so parents can read the publication as well.

"Right now we have virtually nothing," said Else, who added the students hope to have the first edition out by the end of October.

"We are starting over, too," she said, referring to San Rafael High's revitalization effort. "What's really interesting to me is, the paper having disappeared, the students feel cheated for not having a voice."

Journalism advisers said the students who put their heart and soul into school newspapers need dedicated instructors. But, teachers who sign on to supervise student publications pay a price, they noted.

The majority are also English teachers, who, buried under stacks of ungraded papers, struggle to keep up with increasing workloads while running a full-time journalism program that operates more like a small business than a student elective.

"You are the center of all politics at the school," The Bark's Sivertsen said. "Any political issue will come through your classroom. You have a class that's writing about sensitive things - there is always fallout from that.

"It becomes the dominant part of your life," he said. "If you don't like it, if you don't love it, it can make your day a lot longer."

"I think school administrators, to their credit, want to have a very safe environment for their students and journalism sometimes tests the boundaries of what's safe," Tam's Bah said. "There's often going to be a disproportional response to that."

San Rafael's Simenstad said such instructors fight hard to eke out a life outside the classroom.

"Teacher burnout is a relevant issue," he said. "I love my job, I love working with these kids. At same time, I'm trying to maintain a life outside of school."

Bah also admitted his role is draining.

"When I was a younger newspaper adviser I kept track of my hours, " he said. "I don't do that anymore, because, it's too depressing, and also because we have cut back.

"You work your heart out until you have to cut back for your own health," he said. "You cut back and the students get something by you, and they should because it's their publication, and then you get perceived as irresponsible or incompetent ... you kind of get run out (of the job)."

It is a love-hate thing, he said.

"But, on a good day, you feel lucky to be there."

Copyright 2002, The Marin Independent Journal. Reprinted with permission.