Bringing students closer to the press

When the first edition of this year's Silver Chips volume was distributed last month, I heard the complaints.

And I understand where those complaints were coming from. Having read the newspaper religiously two years before joining the staff, I took pride in the fact my school's newspaper was a forum for student expression. I took interest in the diversity and eccentricity highlighted in many Chips stories. And I think we all feel that there are still more stories out there - more students to reach and more news waiting for our reporters. When Silver Chips doesn't catch a story, the newspaper is cheating the very students for whom it is printed.

Chips is looking for those stories, but I can tell you now that they might not all be the controversial articles many hope for. Although we feel that every article we print is significant, we understand that this significance may not be readily apparent upon first glance. Serving as the voice of Montgomery Blair necessitates the stories on policy changes, test score updates and budget announcements. This information may not offer much in the vein of hallway discussion, but it is important nonetheless.

As with any newspaper, we feel that it is our responsibility to provide news for an informed readership. While we seek to entertain, our first priority is to educate the Blair community.

We also strive to print fresh and original material. At the beginning of each cycle, each staff member pitches story ideas. And each time we pitch story ideas, staffers mention that many students miss reading more risqué material in the paper - there have been several Chips stories that truly exercised the freedom of the student press, and we know that edgy stories grab students' attention. But the truth is that Chips has already dedicated countless pages to stories of illicit behavior, and new ideas may not warrant a full-length feature story. Substances may change and the names may differ, but the message behind each article is essentially the same. As you know, it's impossible to spell news without "new" - we are responsible for reporting new developments, not established history.

It is also our responsibility to represent the Blair community, a community that includes students, parents, teachers and administrators. We want to have our finger on Blair's pulse, noting every high and low throughout the school year. Recently, I have been told that readers have noticed a disconnect between readers and writers. It seems that for every Silver Chips staff member who complains of having nothing interesting to cover, there are ten readers who wonder why there is nothing of note in the paper.

We have taken steps to bridge the gap between the paper and its readership. We encourage our staff members to canvass students during lunch and ask what makes their lives interesting. Each staff member is also responsible for a "teacher beat," for which they meet with a staff member to discuss the latest Blair developments.

But for this newspaper to be as successful, interesting and worthwhile, there needs to be more than a one-way dialogue. Your stories and your tales, your success and your failures, your passions and your quirks - they are all out there, waiting to be published.

Just as we extend our hand in helping you to better understand Blair - our home away from home - we ask you to do the same. For this paper to be truly representative of our community, we need your input.

If you feel that Blair's junior varsity teams merit more coverage than they currently receive, tell us. If you would like to see more feature stories and fewer editorials, tell us. If you want to see a profile on a friend whose devotion to his ant farm borders on insanity, let us know. If you want to criticize an article or praise a compelling story, write a letter to the editor. With your suggestions, be they critical or congratulatory, we can create a paper that makes us all proud.

Though it may not say it in the staff box, this is, after all, a collaborative effort. Without your experiences, Silver Chips is nothing. So I ask only this of you: speak up a little bit louder. We'll be listening.