News Writing - Alvin Independent School District - News...News Writing Invitational A Meet • 2016...

News WritingInvitational A Meet • 2016

You are a reporter for the Leaguetown Press, the stu-dent newspaper of Leaguetown High School. From the given information, write a news story as you would for the high school newspaper. You may use state-ments attributed to individuals as direct or indirect quotes. You may not change the meaning of a state-ment. You have 45 minutes. Do not write your name or the name of your school on this sheet or your entry. Put your number on your paper.

Leaguetown High School, located in West Texas, has 400 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Last month producers from Dakota, a small Hollywood film company, met with Superintendent Fiona Winters to sign a contract to rent the school for the weekends in March and April. The company is filming a movie about a high school math wiz from a small Texas town. The director grew up near Leaguetown and attended several events at the school. He thought the school would be the perfect setting for the movie.

Several teachers are concerned because they will not have access to the school on the weekends during those months.

In addition to renting the facilities, the film company needs three students for small speaking parts and about 20 students to play extras for the movie. Students who are interested can audition with the film directors on Feb. 20 at the high school. You are writing for the issue of the Press to be distributed Wednesday, Feb. 3.

■ FIONA WINTERS, superintendent“This is a unique opportunity for Leaguetown. A small town doesn’t get

too many opportunities like this. I understand that not all of our teachers are thrilled about losing their access to the school on the weekends, but it’s a small price to pay. The filming at the high school will not only put Leaguetown on the map, but it also will be a financial gain for both the district and town. The company plans to bring at least 20 people in for the filming. That’s a nice economic boost for our town.”

■ SHAY RENNERS, sophomore“I am definitely trying out for one of those speaking parts. I have been

involved in theater since I was in junior high, and I love it. Maybe this could be my big break. I read the book that the film is based on, and it was fascinating. It was written from the kid’s perspective and focuses on what it’s like to grow up so different from your peers.”

■ ALICE SHAFER, English teacher“The spring is a busy time for me, and I often spend either Saturday or

Sunday at the school preparing for the upcoming week. I can do some of my planning at home, but I can not make copies, work on my school computer or set up things in the classroom from home. Also, March is when my seniors turn in their big spring projects which include visual aids and additional materials. Those projects are too large to transport to and from school to grade. Now I will have to spend late nights at the school to grade the projects so that this film company can have the luxury of filming without interruption.”

2016 INVITATIONAL A MEET NEWS • PAGE 2

■ HAMILTON GRAVES, director“I grew up in Lubbock, and I came to Leaguetown for a speech contest when I was in high school. The

town fascinated me. It was small, but it was different, modern. Even back then the high school was cutting-edge. It’s the perfect setting for the movie. The plot of the movie is one a lot of students will be able to relate to, and Ty has spent the last six weeks perfecting his Texan accent. We anticipate the filming to wrap up in six weeks, but we rented the facility eight weeks for a little insurance.

“The three speaking parts will be offered only to Leaguetown high school students. We are happy to cast students from other towns as extras, but the speaking parts will go to local students. Right now, we are looking for two females and one male. To audition, the student will read lines with the cast involved in that scene. We are going to give out the scripts the day before so students will have time to practice.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:The name of the film is “Infinite” and the company hopes to release it in May 2017. Ty Simpkins, who

was in “Iron Man 3” and “Jurassic World,” plays the main character, Dusty, in the movie.

INVITATIONAL A • 2016NEWS WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLE STORY

Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the con-test and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immediate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judge.

1. Open with a future lead under the present circumstances. In this instance, the rental doesn’t start until March and the film company will be auditioning students.

A small Hollywood film company, Dakota, starting in March will be renting the school to film a movie, and the company needs three students for small speaking parts and about 20 students to play extras. Auditions will be on Feb. 20.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes early in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transi-tion/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Winters said,” not “said Winters.”) Avoid stacking quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes from different people together without placing a transition between them. Also, make sure transitions provide information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat information revealed in the transition.

transitionThe film, “Infinite,” stars Ty Simpkins from “Jurassic World” and is about a high school

math wiz from a small Texas town.

direct quote“The plot of the movie is one a lot of students will be able to relate to, and Ty has spent

the last six weeks perfecting his Texan accent,” Director Hamilton Graves said.

transitionBecause of filming, faculty will not have access to the school on weekends through April.

English teacher Alice Shafer said spring is a busy time for her, and she usually works at the school on the weekends.

direct quote“March is when my seniors turn in their big spring projects which include visual aids and

additional materials,” Shafer said. “Those projects are too large to transport to and from school to grade. Now I will have to spend late nights at the school to grade the projects so that this film company can have the luxury of filming without interruption.”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our students” or “Our superintendent Fiona Winters” or “Some of our stu-dents...” Also, do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “The teachers are upset...” without attrib-uting that quote to someone or “The school should ...” These statements are personal opinions and cannot be made in a news story.

4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote, each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be fright-ened from using one and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one and two-sen-tence paragraphs.

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!2016 INVITATIONAL A MEET • KEY PAGE 1

SAMPLE STORYA small Hollywood film company, Dakota, starting in March will be renting the school to film a

movie, and the company needs three students for small speaking parts and about 20 students to play extras. Auditions will be on Feb. 20.

“I am definitely trying out for one of those speaking parts,” sophomore Shay Renners said. “I have been involved in theater since I was in junior high, and I love it. Maybe this could be my big break.”

The film, “Infinite,” stars Ty Simpkins from “Jurassic World” and is about a high school math wiz from a small Texas town.

“The plot of the movie is one a lot of students will be able to relate to, and Ty has spent the last six weeks perfecting his Texan accent,” Director Hamilton Graves said.

Because of filming, faculty will not have access to the school on weekends through April. English teacher Alice Shafer said spring is a busy time for her, and she usually works at the school on the weekends.

“March is when my seniors turn in their big spring projects which include visual aids and ad-ditional materials,” Shafer said. “Those projects are too large to transport to and from school to grade. Now I will have to spend late nights at the school to grade the projects so that this film com-pany can have the luxury of filming without interruption.”

Superintendent Fiona Winters said she understands that teachers are upset about losing week-end access, but “it is a small price to pay.”

“A small town doesn’t get too many opportunities like this,” she said. “The filming at the high school will not only put Leaguetown on the map, but it also will be a financial gain for both the dis-trict and town.”

Graves, who grew up in Lubbock, came to Leaguetown for a speech competition when he was in high school.

“The town fascinated me,” he said. “It was small, but it was different, modern. Even back then the high school was cutting-edge. It’s the perfect setting for the movie.”

The film is set to be released in May 2017.

2016 INVITATIONAL A MEET NEWS• KEY PAGE 2

News WritingInvitational B Meet • 2016

You are a reporter for the Leaguetown Press, the stu-dent newspaper of Leaguetown High School. From the given information, write a news story as you would for the high school newspaper. You may use state-ments attributed to individuals as direct or indirect quotes. You may not change the meaning of a state-ment. You have 45 minutes. Do not write your name or the name of your school on this sheet or your entry. Put your number on your paper.

Leaguetown High School, located in West Texas, has 1,700 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Since the late 1980s, the school district has followed a plan to eradicate asbestos from all of its buildings. Starting March 1, the district will close the high school library to clear asbestos from the ceiling. The library is the final place where asbestos remains in district buildings. Principal Yvette Walsh said she anticipates that the library will be closed until mid-April. Until that time, librarian Adrienne Garza will work out of Room 204. The library computers and some resource material will be moved into the room for student use.

Teachers were notified of the closure this week. The library was scheduled for asbestos cleaning in the summer, but the superintendent moved the project so the construction crew could focus solely on the new elementary school this summer.

Several teachers have voiced concern over the last-minute change and said the closure will impact their classes. You are writing for the issue of the Press to be distributed Monday, Feb. 29.

■ CHASE SLOCUM, superintendent“We desperately need that new elementary school finished this summer,

and I wanted to free up the entire construction crew so that can happen. This move is inconvenient for our teachers and students, but I have faith in our staff. They are creative problem-solvers. They will find solutions to help the teachers and students.”

■ YVETTE WALSH, principal“This isn’t perfect timing, but it’s what is best for our district. We have to

make a small sacrifice so that our elementary students are not overcrowded in the elementary schools. Ms. Garza is doing her best to create a useful workspace for students and teachers. Room 204 is not as large as the library, and it obviously won’t have all of the books, but it’s a good-sized space. One to two small classes would fit easily into the space, and we moved all 36 library computers into the room.”

■ JEFF GROFF, history teacher“March is when my students do their big research project. That’s kind

of hard to do without a library. I guess I am frustrated with the last-minute announcement. Why couldn’t the construction crew just start on the elementary and then take a break in the summer to do our library?”

2016 INVITATIONAL B MEET NEWS • PAGE 2

■ TRINITY AQUILAR, sophomore“Mr. Groff said we are going to have to use the public library for our research project on a historical

figure from the World War II era. We are supposed to read one biography and then find additional resources. I am not sure when I will find time to go to the public library. I have athletics after school until 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays, I work at my uncle’s car repair garage. I will figure it out, but it’s just a pain. Plus, I used the library during my off period to study and do homework. I don’t have a car so I can’t leave campus. Ms. Garza said she’s not sure if I can do that in Room 204. She said it may change daily depending on what classes will be using the makeshift library.”

■ TOM RICON, English teacher“I don’t like the last-minute notice. My students use the library weekly, and now we may not have that

option starting March 1. This school has had asbestos for a long time. A few more months won’t really make a difference. I don’t want to revamp my lesson plans because the superintendent decided to close the library.”

■ ADRIENNE GARZA, librarian“This definitely isn’t convenient, but I support the superintendent’s decision. The faster we can get all

of the asbestos out of our schools, the better. I am happy to be in Room 204 if it means no more asbestos. By the end of the week, I will have an electronic calendar sent to teachers so they can sign up for library use.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles

of fibers that can be separated into thin, durable threads. These fibers are resistant to heat, fire, and chemi-cals and do not conduct electricity. For these reasons, asbestos has been used widely in many industries for insulation purposes.

Asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen).

INVITATIONAL B • 2016NEWS WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLE STORY

Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the con-test and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immediate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judge.

1. Open with a future lead under the present circumstances. In this instance, the library has yet to close.

Teachers were told this week that the the high school library will close March 1 due to asbestos removal. Since 1980, the district has been working to remove asbestos from all district buildings, and the library is the final place where asbestos remains.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes high in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transition/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Slocum said,” not “said Slocum.”) Avoid stacking quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes from different people together without placing a transition between them. Also, make sure tran-sitions provide information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat information revealed in the transition.

transitionThe library computers and some resource material will be moved into the makeshift

library in Room 204 for students to use, but not all the books are making the transfer.

direct quote“March is when my students do their big research project,” history teacher Jeff Groff

said. “That’s kind of hard to do without a library. I guess I am frustrated with the last-minute annoucement. Why couldn’t the construction crew just start on the elementary and then take a break in the summer to do our library?”

transitionThe library was originally scheduled for asbestos cleaning this summer, but the

superintendent moved the project so the construction crew could focus on completing the new elementary school.

direct quote“We have to make a small sacrifice so that our elementary students are not overcrowded

in the elementary schools,” Principal Yvette Walsh said. “This isn’t perfect timing, but it’s what is best for our district.”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our students” or “Mr. Slocum our superintendent” or “Some of our stu-dents...” Also, do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “The students are upset...” without attrib-uting that quote to someone or “The school should ...” These statements are personal opinions and cannot be made in a news story.

4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote, each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be frightened from using one and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one and two-sentence paragraphs.

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!2016 INVITATIONAL B MEET • KEY PAGE 1

SAMPLE STORY

Teachers were told this week that the the high school library will close March 1 due to asbestos removal. Since 1980, the district has been working to remove asbestos from all district buildings, and the library is the final place where asbestos remains.

“This move is inconvenient for our teachers and students, but I have faith in our staff,” Superintendent Chase Slocum said. “They are creative problem-solvers. I know they will find solutions to help the teachers and students.”

The library computers and some resource material will be moved into the makeshift library in Room 204 for students to use, but not all the books are making the transfer.

“March is when my students do their big research project,” history teacher Jeff Groff said. “That’s kind of hard to do without a library. I guess I am frustrated with the last-minute annoucement. Why couldn’t the construction crew just start on the elementary and then take a break in the summer to do our library?”

The library was originally scheduled for asbestos cleaning this summer, but the superintendent moved the project so the construction crew could focus on completing the new elementary school.

“We have to make a small sacrifice so that our elementary students are not overcrowded in the elementary schools,” Principal Yvette Walsh said. “This isn’t perfect timing, but it’s what is best for our district.”

Sophomore Trinity Aguilar said Groff told his class that they would need to use the public library for the project.

“I am not sure when I will find time to go to the public library,” Aguilar said. “I have athletics after school until 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays, I work at my uncle’ car repair garage. I will figure it out, but it’s just a pain.”

Aguilar also uses the library during his off period.“I don’t have a car so I can’t leave campus,” he said. “Ms. Garza said she’s not sure if I can do

that in Room 204.”Asbestos has been identified as a known human carcinogen. Studies have shown that exposure

to asbestos may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.“The faster we can get all of the asbestos out of our schools, the better,” librarian Adrienne

Garza said. “This definitely isn’t convenient, but I support the superintendent’s decision. By the end of the week, I will have an electronic calendar sent to teachers so they can sign up for library use.”

2016 INVITATIONAL B MEET NEWS• KEY PAGE 2

News WritingDistrict 1 Meet • 2016

You are a reporter for the Leaguetown Press, the stu-dent newspaper of Leaguetown High School. From the given information, write a news story as you would for the high school newspaper. You may use state-ments attributed to individuals as direct or indirect quotes. You may not change the meaning of a state-ment. You have 45 minutes. Do not write your name or the name of your school on this sheet or your entry. Put your number NOT YOUR NAME on your paper.

Leaguetown High School, located in South Texas, has 1,200 students enrolled in grades 9-12. At the Feb. 19 boys’ varsity basketball game, the 25-member dance team performed during halftime to a recent Drake song. The song was edited to omit profanity. During the performance, a group of students sang some of the words as the dance team performed. One week after the performance, Principal Heath Dover and Superintendent Connie Lipo met with dance teacher Tara Wilcox and suspended her from her duties as the dance team coach. Superintendent Lipo, who attended the performance, said numerous parents and community members complained that the music as well as some of the dance moves were inappropriate.

Wilcox continues to teach her five dance classes. The dance team, however, now meets with the cheerleaders and cheerleader coach Penya Stiles. During the dance team class period, Wilcox works in the In-School Suspension room.

The dance team is registered to compete in the regional contest in San Antonio in mid-April. Last year, the team swept regionals and won a spot at the national competition in Nashville, Tenn. Wilcox was hired in 2013 as the dance teacher and coach. Before she was hired, the dance team had only five members and did not perform in public or competitions.

This week Kelly Ly, the dance team captain, drafted a petition asking for the district to reinstate Wilcox. All dance team members and their parents signed the petition. Ly will present the petition to the school board at its next meeting, Tuesday, March 29. You are writing for the issue of the Press to be distributed Monday, March 28.

■ CONNIE LIPO, superintendent“The dance team has every right to present its petition to the school board,

but those girls do not know the whole story. Ms. Wilcox’s suspension as the dance coach was appropriate and consistent with all district protocols. We will continue to investigate the situation.”

■ TARA WILCOX, former dance coach“Both the superintendent and principal asked me not to discuss this matter

with students or parents, but that seems absurd. I did nothing wrong. I have no idea how many parents or community members complained. I don’t know what moves they are upset about or what lyrics angered the parents and community. I don’t even know how long I am suspended for. Is it a month? A year? Forever?

“If the administration is upset about the students who sang the words, then they should deal with them. Suspend them. Not me.

2016 NEWS DISTRICT 1 MEET • PAGE 2

■ TARA WILCOX, (continued)“When I started at Leaguetown, the dance program was in shambles. I have built a first-class program,

and in two years we placed third at a national competition. I want my job back as the dance coach. I hope the school board listens to the girls. Our regional competition is only a few weeks away.”

■ KELLY LY, senior and captain of the dance team“We were shocked when Mr. Dover told us that Ms. Wilcox wasn’t going to be our coach anymore. She’s

incredible. We have a legitimate dance program, a winning dance team, because of her. I know Mr. Dover is upset about those girls singing during the performance, but we didn’t have anything to do with that. Neither did Ms. Wilcox.

“Ms. Wilcox lets us choose the music, and then she is very, very careful about editing it. She is a real stickler o n that. As far as inappropriate dance moves, that is bull. We are so much more conservative than any other dance team. Heck, the cheerleaders are more risque than us. Ms. Wilcox always preaches to us about being ‘ladies’ and presenting ourselves as real dancers and not street tramps.

“I hope the school board listens to us. We love Ms. Wilcox, and we need her. We have a competition in just a few weeks, and without her guidance we don’t stand a chance at advancing to nationals.”

■ CATHY HUFFHOUSER, parent of dance team sophomore Cindi Huffhouser“Ms. Wilcox is a positive role model for our girls. She sets incredibly high standards, and the girls rise to

meet those challenges. My daughter loves dance team, and it’s because of Ms. Wilcox. I was at the so-called controversial performance, as was the superintendent and principal. The performance was stellar. The song was edited. Most of the time, it was just instrumental. The girls did nothing inappropriate. I would have been proud to have my preacher watch that performance. I don’t know what is really going on here, but I support Ms. Wilcox 100 percent.”

■ LESLIE WILSON, parent“I saw the half-time show, and I didn’t care for it. It’s true that the music was edited, but it didn’t matter.

There was a big group of girls sitting behind me, and they sang out all of the edited words really loudly. That dance coach had no business allowing that song for young ladies. She should have known the kids would sing the missing words. She was irresponsible, and she has no business leading our students.”

■ PATRICK PARKER, senior basketball player“The basketball team missed most of the dance because we went to the locker room to talk. The dance

team helps us. They pumped up the crowd. We won that game by three points, and the crowd cheering for us made the difference.”

DISTRICT 1 • 2016NEWS WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLE STORY

Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the contest and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immediate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judge.

1. Open with the newest information. In this instance, the dance team is presenting a petition to the school board tomorrow asking for their coach to be reinstated.

The dance team will present a petition signed by every team member and all of their parents to the school board tomorrow night requesting Tara Wilcox be reinstated as the dance coach. Wilcox was suspended after complaints about the dance team performance to a Drake song during a Feb. 19 basketball game.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes high in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transi-tion/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote or at least after the first sentence. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Wilcox said,” not “said Wilcox.”) Avoid stacking quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes together without placing a transition between them. Also, make sure transitions tell information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat informa-tion revealed in the transition.

transitionSuperintendent Connie Lipo received complaints about the music choice and inappropriate

dance moves. Wilcox’s suspension was “appropriate” and followed district protocol, she added.

direct quote“We are continuing to investigate the situation,” said Lipo, who attended the performance.

transitionFor the basketball half-time show, Wilcox edited all profanity from the Drake song, but

students in the crowd sang the deleted lyrics.

direct quote“If the administration is upset about the students who sang the words, then they should

deal with them,” Wilcox said. “Suspend them. Not me. I want my job as the dance coach back. ”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our student” or “Connie Lipo, our superintendent” or “Some of our stu-dents...” Also, do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “Wilcox is awful...” without attributing that quote to someone. These statements are personal opinion and cannot be made in a news story.

4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be fright-ened away from using one- and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one- and two-sentence paragraphs.

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!

SAMPLE STORY

The dance team will present a petition signed by every team member and all of their parents to the school board tomorrow night requesting Tara Wilcox be reinstated as their coach. Wilcox was suspended after complaints about the dance team performance to a Drake song during a Feb. 19 basketball game.

“I hope the school board listens to us,” said Kelly Ly, senior and captain of the dance team. “We love Ms. Wilcox, and we need her. We have a competition in just a few weeks, and without her guidance we don’t stand a chance at advancing to nationals.”

Superintendent Connie Lipo received complaints about the music choice and inappropriate dance moves. Wilcox’s suspension was “appropriate” and followed district protocol, she added.

“We are continuing to investigate the situation,” said Lipo, who attended the performance. For the basketball half-time show, Wilcox edited all profanity from the Drake song, but students in

the crowd sang the deleted lyrics.“If the administation is upset about the students who sang the words, then they should deal with

them,” Wilcox said. “Suspend them. Not me.”Wilcox said the adminstration asked her not to discuss this matter, but she finds that request

“absurd.”“I did nothing wrong,” said Wilcox, who still teaches her dance classes. Ly said Wilcox constantly preaches to the team about being ladies and presenting themselves as

“real dancers and not street tramps.”“We are so much more conservative than any other dance team,” she said. “Heck, the cheerleaders

are more risque than us.”Since Wilcox was hired in 2013, the team has grown from five to 25 members. Last year, it swept

regionals and won a spot at the national competition. “Ms. Wilcox is a positive role model for our girls,” dance parent Cathy Huffhouser said. “She sets

incredibly high standards, and the girls rise to meet those challenges. I was at the so-called controversial performance. The performance was stellar. I would have been proud to have my preacher watch that performance.”

But not every parent is as proud of the performance. Parent Leslie Wilson said the dance team should have never performed to that song.

“It’s true that the music was edited, but it didn’t matter,” Wilson said. “There was a big group of girls sitting behind me, and they sang all of the edited words really loudly. That dance coach had no business allowing that song for young ladies. She should have known the kids would sing out the missing words.”

With the regional competition just weeks away, Wilcox said she wants her job back. “I hope the school board listens to the girls,” she said.


News WritingDistrict 2 Meet • 2016


Leaguetown High School, located in Texas, has 900 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Principal Alex Grey recently completed the requirements for his doctoral degree at Texas State University. He wrote his dissertation on four-day school weeks. For the paper, he studied five school districts in Wyoming and Minnesota and found several benefits to the four-day week concept:

• The costs for substitutes decreased 50 percent. • Transportation costs decreased 20 percent.• Utility costs decreased 10 percent.• Student attendance increased 4 percent.• Student discipline incidents decreased 40 percent.Grey proposed the school district should investigate moving to a four-day week

for the high school. He proposed changing school hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. so that no class time is lost.

Grey polled the faculty, and 90 percent of them support the concept. Athletic director Rodd Rooster and several coaches oppose the proposal. Rooster said the four-day week would hurt athletics because of the longer school day and transportation issues for students on Fridays.

Superintendent Dawna Falkenburg and the school board discussed the proposal at the last board meeting and agreed to let parents vote on the idea. If the vote favors a four-day week, then Falkenburg will move forward to devise a plan for the 2017-18 school year.

The school district will post an online voting portal on the district website Monday, April 11. Parents will have three days to cast their vote. You are writing for the issue of the Press to be distributed Friday, April 8.

■ DAWNA FALKENBURG, superintendent“A four-day week has not been on my radar, but after reading Dr. Grey’s

dissertation, I think it’s something we should investigate. If parents approve the idea, then the district will move forward. We won’t make changes for next year because we would need at least a year to plan a new schedule. If the proposal fails to gain approval, then we will not address this issue again.”

■ ALEX GREY, principal“When I started researching the four-day high school week, I had no intention

of bringing the idea to Leaguetown. But then I recognized all of the advantages of a four-day week, and I am not talking about just the money-saving part. That’s great, but it was the positive impact on students that most impressed me. I visited two school districts in Wyoming so I could interview staff and students about the schedule. Not a single student said anything negative about the schedule.


They loved the three-day weekends. Most said the longer weekend made it easier to finish homework, work,

volunteer or relax. They loved the freedom on Friday.

“I understand why the athletic department opposes the proposal. It would make athletics a little more

complicated, but I am not sure if that is a big enough reason to oppose the proposal.”

■ RODD ROOSTER, athletic director“Our coaches do not support the shift to a four-day week. It would definitely hurt athletics. First, after-

school practices would have to run until 6:30 p.m. And, while a four-day week would give us flexibility on the

time of Friday practices, that wouldn’t help some of our athletes because they have transportation problems.

More than 80 percent of our athletes are bus riders. They don’t own cars, and their parents can’t take them

to school in the middle of the day. I am urging every parent to vote no to this proposal.”

■ LEESA PERKINS, sophomore“I love the idea of a four-day school week. I am telling my mom to vote for it. I usually spend about six to

eight hours on weekends working on homework, doing required reading or studying for tests. Having Friday

off would allow me to get everything done in one day. Then, I would have Saturday and Sunday for myself.

A four-day week would make my life much less stressful.”

■ MICHAEL REYNOSA, sophomore athlete (football and baseball)“I have heard so many students say a four-day week would be great. I am not sure they will be saying that

when they have to get up an hour and a half earlier for school. I hate the mornings, and I definitely don’t

want to get up earlier than I do now. The four-day school week would hurt our athletic program. When we

have a Saturday practice, only half of the team shows up. Either they don’t have rides, or they forget about

practice. Friday practices would be the same. Students should really look at the cons before they tell their

parents to support this new schedule.”

■ PATSY PATEL, parent“I oppose the new plan. I don’t want my kids unsupervised at home all day every Friday. Both my husband

and I work, so we can’t be there. I have spoken to several parents, and they agree. I appreciate the school

board allowing parents to voice their opinion, and I hope every parent takes the time to do so.”

DISTRICT 2 • 2016NEWS WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLE STORY


1. Open with the newest information. In this instance, the voting portal for parents and students will open

Monday.

If parents approve Principal Alex Grey’s four-day school week proposal, the high school

will move to the shortened week schedule for the 2017-18 school year. Online voting begins

Monday and continues through Wednesday.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes high in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transi-

tion/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote or at least after the first sentence. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Grey said,” not “said Grey.”) Avoid stack-

ing quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes together without placing a transition between them. Also, make

sure transitions tell information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat information

revealed in the transition.

transitionThe superintendent and the majority of the faculty support the proposal, which would

change school hours to 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

direct quote“A four-day week has not been on my radar, but after reading Dr. Grey’s dissertation, I think

it’s something we should investigate,” Superintendent Dawna Falkenburg said.

transitionWhile the concept has strong support in the district, the athletic staff is urging parents to

vote against the proposal.

direct quote“Our coaches oppose the shift to a four-day week,” athletic director Rodd Rooster said.

“First, after-school practices would have to run until 6:30 p.m. And, while a four-day week

would give us flexibility on the time of Friday practices, that wouldn’t help some of our ath-

letes because they have transportation problems.”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our student” or “Alex Grey our principal” or “Some of our students...” Also,

do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “Falkenburg is awful...” without attributing that quote to

someone. These statements are personal opinion and cannot be made in a news story.

4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote, each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be fright-

ened away from using one- and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one- and

two-sentence paragraphs.


SAMPLE STORY

If parents approve Principal Alex Grey’s four-day school week proposal, the high school will move to the shortened week schedule for the 2017-18 school year. Online voting begins Monday and continues through Wednesday.

The superintendent and the majority of the faculty support the proposal, which would change school hours to 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

“A four-day week has not been on my radar, but after reading Dr. Grey’s dissertation, I think it’s something we should investigate,” Superintendent Dawna Falkenburg said.

While the concept has strong support in the district, the athletic staff is urging parents to vote against the proposal.

“Our coaches oppose the shift to a four-day week,” athletic director Rodd Rooster said. “First, after-school practices would have to run until 6:30 p.m. And, while a four-day week would give us flexibility on the time of Friday practices, that wouldn’t help some of our athletes because they have transportation problems.”

Grey’s proposal stemmed from his dissertation on the alternative schedule. For the paper, he visited schools in Wyoming and Minnesota to study the four-day school week and found that student attendance improved and student discipline incidents decreased by 40 percent.

“When I started researching the four-day high school week, I had no intention of bringing the idea to Leaguetown,” Grey said. “But then, I recognized all of the advantages of a four-day week, and I am not talking about just the money-saving part. It was the positive impact on students that most impressed me.”

The students Grey interviewed for his paper supported the four-day week, saying the schedule made it easier to complete homework.

“Not a single student said anything negative about the schedule,” Grey said. Sophomore Leesa Perkins said she “loves” the idea and will tell her mom to vote for it.“I usually spend about six to eight hours on weekends working on homework, doing required

reading or studying for tests,” she said. “Having Friday off would allow me to get everything done in one day.”

But sophomore Michael Reynosa disagrees.“The four-day week would hurt our athletic program,” Reynosa said. “When we have a Saturday

practice, only half of the team shows up. Either they don’t have rides or they forget about practice. Friday practices would be the same.”

Parent Patsy Patel also opposes the proposal because she doesn’t want her children unsuper-vised at home every Friday.

“Both my husband and I work, so we can’t be there,” she said. “I have spoken to several par-ents, and they agree.”

If the poll favors the proposal, Superintendent Dawna Falkenburg will move forward to devise a plan for the 2017-18 school year.

“If the proposal fails to gain approval, then we will not address this issue again,” she said.


News WritingRegional • 2016


Leaguetown High School has 150 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Each year the junior class chooses a project for the spring semester to fulfill the project-based learning requirement. In January, the students overwhelmingly selected global warming as their topic this year.

With guidance from English teacher Gina Chen and science teacher Dylan Culpepper, the students voted to create a presentation to demonstrate an understanding of global warming. The juniors worked in groups of three to research global warming, then each group was assigned a portion of the presentation. At the beginning of April, the juniors gave the presentation to Chen and Culpepper who suggested improvements.

On April 26 and 27, the juniors are scheduled to make their final presentation at the elementary school, the middle school and at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting. The public is invited to the last presentation with the PTA at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the high school cafeteria.

This week two parents of juniors met with the Principal Sally Butterfield and demanded that she halt all three presentations. The parents said global warming is a hoax and a fabrication of the liberal media. The parents said if Butterfield refused, then their children would not participate. Furthermore, they said they would gather a group to picket the presenations.

As of yet, Butterfield has not asked the juniors to cancel their presentations. You are writing for the issue of the Press to be distributed Monday, April 25.

■ SALLY BUTTERFIELD, principal“I did meet with two parents who oppose our junior project. They did ask that

I cancel the presentations. I will meet with Superintendent Barry Goldberg, and I have no plans to cancel the student presentations. Ms. Chen and Mr. Culpepper said the students spent weeks doing their research, and the presentations are polished and professional.”

■ DAVE GREEN, parent“I am flabbergasted that the school would allow the students to present such

propaganda. The teachers should have instructed the students to choose a topic based on truth, not politics. Global warming, climate change, whatever the liberals are calling it this week is a crock. It’s a hoax. Can someone please tell me how the Earth’s climate is changing? The argument is based on questionable scientific data and erroneous claims about global climate change. They claim the ‘science is settled,’ but it’s not. Scientists do not agree on the cause of climate change, the role of carbon dioxide, the degree to which people contribute to atmospheric CO2 and whether global warming is anything other than a naturally occurring

2016 REGIONAL NEWS • PAGE 2

phenomenon. Most of the proposed ‘solutions’ are based upon massive government bureaucratic programs that will reduce personal freedoms and cost millions.

“My daughter will not promulgate such lies. I am not alone in my beliefs, either. If Mrs. Butterfield doesn’t cancel those presentations, I guarantee the district will see just how many people I have on my side. We will show up to every presentation and share the truth.”

■ DYLAN CULPEPPER, science teacher“Multiple studies show that 97 percent or more of climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over

the past century are very likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. If that can’t convince someone that climate change is real, then I don’t know what can. Our students have worked hard researching this issue and have developed very real and doable action plans for students and adults in our community to lessen the warming trends.”

■ ALICIA INKS, junior“My group and I spent hours and hours working on this project. It’s been tough, but I’ve learned a lot. I

am proud of our final product. The presentation works for both young kids and adults. As a society, we can have an impact on global warming if we make simple changes. One of the challenges we give the audience is to increase what you recycle. A lot of people recycle paper or alumunim, but what about food and yard waste. Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. That is an example of the concrete solutions we give during our presentation.

“I don’t know why those parents are upset. Maybe they need to hear our presentation. I heard they may picket our presentaton. That might be great. It could cause media to come out, and we could be on the news. Even more people could hear our message.”

■ SHELTON BARNES, PTA president“The parents and PTA are looking forward to this presentation. We expect quite a few community

members also to be present at the meeting. It would be unfortunate if Mr. Green and his friends decided to picket the presentation, but they do have a right to their opinion. We, however, will not allow the picketers, if any show, to enter the board room where the students will be giving their presentation.”

■ ROBBIE BRIONA, junior“My dad wasn’t psyched about me researching global warming. He was on the fence about the whole thing,

but after he heard the presentation, he started to question himself. He didn’t realize that the overwhelming majority of climate scientists support the theory. That really swayed him in his thinking.”

■ ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONMelinda Green, a junior, is the daughter of Dave Green. She declined to give an interview about the

project or her father’s view on the matter.

■ DAVE GREEN, continued

REGIONAL • 2016NEWS WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLE STORY


1. Open with the newest information. In this instance, the juniors may face protesters at their global

warming presentaitons.

When the junior class gives its global warming presentations this week, it may be doing

so amid protesters. Two parents have asked Principal Sally Butterfield to cancel the presenta-

tions, but Butterfield said she has no plans to do so.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes high in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transi-

tion/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote or at least after the first sentence. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Butterfield said,” not “said Butterfield.”) Avoid stacking quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes together without placing a transition between them.

Also, make sure transitions tell information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat

information revealed in the transition.

transitionUnder the direction of English teacher Chen and science teacher Culpepper, the juniors

chose global warming for their project-based learning topic. But parent David Green called

global warming a “hoax” and “crock” and said the teachers should have insisted on a differ-ent topic.

direct quote“Can someone please tell me how the Earth’s climate is changing,” Green said. “The

argument is based on questionable scientific data and erroneous claims about global climate change. They claim the ‘science is settled,’ but it’s not.”

transitionThe juniors are scheduled to make their final presentation at the elementary school, the

middle school and at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

direct quote“Our students have worked hard researching this issue and have developed very real and

doable action plans for students and adults in our community to lessen the warming trends,” Culpepper said. “Climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human

activities. Most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public state-

ments endorsing this position.”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our students” or “Sally Butterfield our principal” or “Some of our stu-

dents...” Also, do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “Green is awful...” without attributing that quote to someone. These statements are personal opinion and cannot be made in a news story.


4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote, each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be fright-

ened away from using one- and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one- and

two-sentence paragraphs.

SAMPLE STORY

When the junior class gives its global warming presentations this week, it may be doing so amid

protesters. Two parents have asked Principal Sally Butterfield to cancel the presentations, but But-terfield said she has no plans to do so.

“Ms. [Gina] Chen and Mr. [Dylan] Culpepper said the students spent weeks doing their research,

and the presentations are polished and professional,” Butterfield said.Under the direction of English teacher Chen and science teacher Culpepper, the juniors chose

global warming for their project-based learning topic. But parent David Green called global warming

a “hoax” and “crock” and said the teachers should have insisted on a different topic.“Can someone please tell me how the Earth’s climate is changing?” Green said. “The argument is

based on questionable scientific data and erroneous claims about global climate change. They claim the ‘science is settled,’ but it’s not.”

The juniors are scheduled to make their final presentation at the elementary school, the middle school and at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Our students have worked hard researching this issue and have developed very real and do-

able action plans for students and adults in our community to lessen the warming trends,” Culpep-

per said. “Climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities.

Most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.”

Junior Alicia Inks said she’s not concerned about possible picketers.

“That might be great,” she said. “It could cause media to come out, and we could be on the news. Even more people could hear our message.”

While researching global warming, Inks said she “learned a lot,” and she is proud of the final product. During the presentation, the juniors will challenge the audience to increase what they recycle, she said.

“A lot of people recycle paper or alumunim, but what about food and yard waste,” Inks said. “Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

Junior Robbie Briona said at first his dad wasn’t “psyched” about the topic, but when his dad heard his presentation, his views changed.

“He didn’t realize that most scientists support the theory,” he said.Parent-Teacher Assocation president Shelton Barnes said the public is invited to the presenta-

tion at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the high school cafeteria.

“It would be unfortunate if Mr. Green and his friends decided to picket the presentation, but they

do have a right to their opinion,” he said. “We, however, will not allow the picketers, if any show, to enter the board room where the students will be giving their presentation.”

2016 REGIONAL NEWS • PAGE 2

News WritingState • 2016


Leaguetown High School has 400 students enrolled in grades 9-12. Last Saturday a tornado ripped through the town destroying the football stadium and the bus barn. Four homes located near the stadium also were destroyed. The tornado was an F-4 with wind speeds up to 260 miles per hour. The tornado hit Leaguetown at 8:05 p.m. No deaths were reported, but a family of four is still in the hospital recovering from their injuries.

The superintendent estimates the tornado did about $3 million worth of damage to school property. All six district buses were destroyed, and the football stadium was leveled.

School was cancelled Monday, May 23 so the district could assess the damage. Because so many students live in the rural parts of the county, the district runs six buses covering 200 square miles each day. No bus transportation was provided for students on Tuesday, May 24.

You are writing for the issue of the online edition of the Press to be posted Tuesday, May 24.

■ RICK RANDY, superintendent“The district was hit hard. We are lucky that when the tornado came through,

we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn. I don’t know how they would have survived it.

“The community has been great over the past few days. On Sunday the mayor called me and asked what we needed to finish the school year. I told him six buses, thinking he would just laugh at me. He simply said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ Later, I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist, and he said, ‘We got your bus problem covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried. We had no idea how we were going to get our students who live on bus routes to school until that phone call.

“On Wednesday, the buses will roll out at 6:45 a.m. like they do every day. We will run the same routes. Everything will be the same except our buses will look a little different. Several parents have asked me about next year, and I don’t have an answer for them yet. It’s going to take some time to figure it all out. My immediate goal is to finish this school year and get our 92 seniors graduated.

“The stadium is another issue. We don’t have a quick fix for that. The school board will meet next week to try to devise a plan. The president of the school board already called and told me not to count on having a stadium for the fall. I doubt we can rebuild one that quickly. Perhaps Southside or West high schools can host our junior varsity or freshman games. I am not sure what we will do about varsity games.”

2016 STATE NEWS • PAGE 2

■ HARRISON HUNTER, athletic director“Coach [Chuck] Slater and I were up at the stadium until about 7 p.m. Saturday night, preparing for

the off-season program. We heard that a bad storm was headed our way, so we thought we better head home before it hit. Lucky we did. I was in my house about 20 minutes when I heard the sirens go off. Our football stadium was one of the oldest in the state, and it’s withstood many a storm in its day. I was shocked to see the devastation. It’s gone — completely gone. I found part of the bleachers about a half of a mile down Springdale Road.

“I don’t know what we are going to do about next year. It’s heart-breaking. Several coaches from surrounding schools have called to say they will support us in any way they can. And I know they will. I don’t know where we will play next year, but I know we will play.”

■ DEVANTE JONES, junior and varsity football player“I was out mowing our backyard when I heard the sirens. I saw the storm coming in, but I thought I

could finish mowing before it started. I was wrong. I had to leave the lawnmower out and make a run for the house. I saw the tornado. It was huge. It sounded like a freight train coming right at me. It didn’t touch down until after it passed over our house. We lost a few trees and some shingles, but most of our property is fine.

“The stadium is unreal. It looks like nothing was ever there. It’s going to be hard not playing my senior year in front of a home crowd. My brother played there. My dad even played there. It’s our home. I don’t know what the district is going to do, but coach has assured us that we will play next year. We just don’t know where yet.”

■ FRANKLIN GUSTNER, principal“On Wednesday, we expect to have a few hiccups on the bus routes. We are still using our regular drivers,

but a few of the church buses are rather old. They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents. By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.

“While the stadium took a big hit, we are fortunate our classrooms and administrative buildings went basically unscathed. We had a little damage to the gym roof, but that’s about all.”

■ SHELLIE WINTER, freshman“I was relieved when I heard about the church buses. I live about 12 miles from the school, and my mom

is a nurse at the hospital. Her shift starts at 6 a.m. so she can’t take me to school in the morning. I have no transportation otherwise.

“The strong winds did a little damage to our barn, but the tornado didn’t come our way. My mom and I were watching television when we heard the sirens. My mom grabbed our bicycle helmets, and we ran to our bathroom. We stayed there for about 20 minutes, and then my mom was called to the hospital.”

■ ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONAn F-4 tornado has the power to inflict devastating damage: Well-constructed houses leveled; structures

with weak foundations blown away some distance; and cars thrown.

State • 2016NewS writiNg CoNteSt tipS aNd Sample Story


1. Open with the newest information. In this instance, a tornado destroyed four school buses and district facilities.

District drivers will resume bus routes tomorrow using six loaned church buses after an F-4 tornado totaled all of the district buses Saturday evening. The tornado leveled the bus barn and the football stadium.

2. Use direct quotes and get those quotes high in the story. After you introduce quotes, use the transi-tion/quote formula. Be sure you attribute after the quote or at least after the first sentence. An attribution should be: subject of attribution followed by the verb of attribution (“Randy said,” not “said Randy.”) Avoid stacking quotes. Avoid putting two or more quotes together without placing a transition between them. Also, make sure transitions tell information to help the action of the story and the quote does not repeat informa-tion revealed in the transition.

transitionEach day the district runs six buses covering 200 square miles. The district provided no

bus transportation today.

direct quote“I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist Church, and he said, ‘We got your bus problem

covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried,” Randy said. “We had no idea how we were going to get our students to school until that phone call.”

transitionPrincipal Franklin Gustner said he expects a “few hiccups” with the new buses but thinks

by Friday everything will be “running smoothly.”

direct quote“We are still using our regular drivers, but a few of the church buses are rather old,” Gust-

ner said. “They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents.”

3. Use third person. Don’t say “our students” or “Rick Randy our superintendent” or “Some of our stu-dents...” Also, do not editorialize. For instance, you should not say “Randy is awesome..” without attributing that quote to someone. These statements are personal opinion and cannot be made in a news story.

4. Note how in the earlier example of transition/quote, each quote is its own paragraph. Don’t be fright-ened away from using one- and two-sentence paragraphs. Journalistic writing consists mostly of one- and two-sentence paragraphs.


SAMPLE STORYDistrict drivers will resume bus routes tomorrow using six loaned church buses after an F-4

tornado totaled all of the district buses Saturday evening. The tornado leveled the bus barn and the football stadium.

“The district was hit hard,” Superintendent Rick Randy said. “We are lucky that when the tor-nado came through we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn.”

Each day the district runs six buses covering 200 square miles . The district provided no bus transportation today.

“I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist Church, and he said, ‘We got your bus problem covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried,” Randy said. “We had no idea how we were going to get our students to school until that phone call.”

Principal Franklin Gustner said he expects a “few hiccups” with the church buses but thinks by Friday everything will be “running smoothly.”

“We are still using our regular drivers, but a few of the church buses are rather old,” Gustner said. “They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents.”

Freshman Shellie Winters said she was relieved when she heard about the church buses.“I live about 12 miles from the school, and my mom is a nurse at the hospital,” she said. “Her

shift starts at 6 a.m., so she can’t take me to school in the morning. I have no transportation other-wise. ”

The tornado, which had wind speeds of up to 260 miles per hour, caused $3 million worth of damage to the school district, Randy said.

“Our football stadium was one of the oldest in the state, and it’s withstood many a storm in its day,” Athletic Director Harrison Hunter said. “I was shocked to see the devastation. It’s gone -- com-pletely gone.”

Randy said the school board will meet next week to devise a plan for next year. “The president of the school board already called and told me not to count on having a stadium

for the fall,” he said. “I doubt we can rebuild one that quickly.”Several area schools have called Hunter and said they would support the school in the fall.“And I know they will,” he said. “I don’t know where we will play next year, but I know we will play.”Junior Devante Jones said it will be hard to not play in the home stadium.“My brother played there,” Jones said. “My dad even played there. It’s our home. I don’t know what

the district is going to do, but coach has assured us that we will play next year. ”Four homes near the stadium were also destroyed. No deaths were reported, but a family of four

is still in the hospital recovering from injuries.“Several parents have asked me about next year, and I don’t have an answer for them yet,” Randy

said. “It’s going to take some time to figure it all out. My immediate goal is to finish this school year and get our 92 seniors graduated.”

2016 STATE NEWS • PAGE 2

1A NEWS After a tornado destroyed the bus barn and the six buses inside it and the

stadium, the pastor from First Baptist Church supplied six buses for the school, which will allow the buses to roll out at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow, and the school board will meet next week to try to devise a plan to fix the stadium.

The superintendent estimates the tornado did about $3 million worth of damage to school property. School was canceled on Monday, and bus transportation was not provided today.

“The community has been great over the past few days,” Superintendent Rick Randy said. “I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist, and he said, ‘We got your bus problem covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried. We had no idea how we were going to get our students who live on bus routes to school until that phone call.”

Athletic director Harrison Hunter said he was shocked to see the devastation, and the football field is completely gone.

“I don’t know what we are going to do about next year,” Hunter said. “It’s heart-‐breaking. Several coaches from surrounding schools have called to say they will support us in any way they can.”

Because so many students live in the rural parts of the county, the district runs six buses covering 200 square miles each day.

“I was relieved when I heard about the church buses,” freshman Shellie Winter said. “I live about 12 miles from the school, and my mom is a nurse at the hospital. Her shifts start at 6 a.m. so she can’t take me to school in the morning. I have no transportation otherwise.”

Principal Franklin Gustner said that they are asking for a little patience from the students and parents.

“On Wednesday, we expect to have a few hiccups on the bus routes,” Gustner said. “We are still using our regular drivers, but a few of the church buses are rather old. They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.”

Randy said the president of the school board called and told him not to count on having a stadium for the fall.

“The stadium is unreal,” junior and varsity football player Devante Jones said. “It looks like nothing was ever there. It’s going to be hard not playing my senior year in front of a home crowd. My brother played there. My dad even played there. It’s our home.”

Randy said several parents have asked him about next year, and he doesn’t have an answer for them yet.

“It’s going to take some time to figure it all out,” Randy said. “My immediate goal is to finish the school year and get our 92 seniors graduated.”

2A NEWS Following the loss of all six district buses to last Saturday’s tornado, the First

Baptist Church offered their buses for school use. Tomorrow, the church’s buses will roll out at 6:45 a.m. and cover the same routes as usual.

2016 News State ChampionsKelsey Espenson, Nazareth HS

Morgan Knobloch, Archer City HS

“On Wednesday, we expect to have a few hiccups on the bus routes,” Principal Franklin Gustner said. “We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents. By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.”

The district’s goal is to finish the school year and graduate the 92 seniors, but a plan for next year is yet to be determined. The school board will meet next week to discuss what to do about the leveled stadium.

“The president of the school board already called me and told me not to count on having a stadium for the fall,” Superintendent Rick Randy said. “I doubt we can rebuild on quickly. Perhaps Southside or West high schools can host our junior varsity or freshman games. I am not sure what we will do about varsity games.”

After assessing the damage yesterday, the district determined that the F-‐4 tornado destroyed about $3 million worth of school property; the classrooms and administrative buildings, however, remained mostly unscathed.

“The district was hit hard,” Randy said. “We are lucky that when the tornado came through, we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn. I don’t know how they would’ve survived it.”

Freshman Shellie Winter said she was relieved to hear about the church buses.

“I live about 12 miles from school, and my mom is a nurse at the hospital,” she said. “Her shift starts at 6 a.m. so she can’t take me to school in the morning. I have no transportation otherwise.”

Not playing his senior year of football for the home crowd will be hard, junior Devante Jones said.

“My brother played there,” he said. “My dad even played there. It’s our home. I don’t know what the district is going to do, but coach assured us we will play next year. We just don’t know where yet.”

Support from the community over the past few days, Randy said, has been great.

“On Sunday the mayor called me and asked what we needed to finish the school year,” Randy said. “I told him six buses, thinking he would laugh at me. He simply said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ Later, I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist. I was so touched I almost cried.”

3A NEWS In order to assess the damage done to the high school stadium and buses by

an F-‐4 tornado, the school board is holding a meeting to devise a plan of action. Saturday, a tornado destroyed the football stadium, bus barn, and four

surrounding homes. School was cancelled Monday and there was no bus transportation provided today. However, the First Baptist church offered buses to cover the kids living in rural areas and finish the school year.

“On Wednesday, the buses will roll out at 6:45 a.m. like they do every day,” Superintendent Rick Randy said. “The stadium is another issue. We don’t have a quick fix for that.”

Randy estimated the tornado did about $3 million worth of damage to school property. The six district buses were destroyed and the football stadium is leveled.

Lydia Alexander, Friona HS

“The president of the school board already called and told me not to count on having a stadium for the fall,” Randy said. “Perhaps Southside or West high schools can host our junior varsity or freshman games. I am not sure what we will do about varsity games.”

Though the stadium and bus barn were damaged, the classrooms and administrative buildings were left unharmed. Principal Franklin Gustner asked for patience from students and parents while the district sorts out the problem.

“On Wednesday, we expect to have a few hiccups on the bus routes,” Gustner said. “We are still using our regular drivers, but a few of the church buses are rather old. They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.”

Junior and varsity football player Devante Jones said it would be “hard not playing my senior year in front of a home crowd.”

“My brother played there,” Jones said. “My dad even played there. It’s our home. I don’t know what the district is going to do, but coach has assured us that we will play next year. We just don’t know where yet.”

Randy noted that several parents have asked him about next year, to which he offered no answer and said “it’s going to take some time to figure it all out.”

“My immediate goal is to finish this school year and get our ninety-‐two seniors graduated,” Randy said.

4A NEWS In spite of an F-‐4 tornado destroying the football stadium and the bus barn

last Saturday, buses will resume their routes tomorrow with the help of the mayor and the pastor of the First Baptist Church. Next week, the school board will try and devise a plan in regards to the stadium.

At 8:05 p.m. on the 21, a tornado ripped through the town, not only destroying parts of the school, but also four homes located near the stadium. School was canceled yesterday so the district could assess the damage.

“The district was hit hard,” superintendent Rick Randy said. “We are lucky that when the tornado came through, we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn.”

Randy estimates the tornado did about $3 million worth of damage to school property, including the destruction of all six district buses which cover 200 square miles each day. No bus transportation was provided for students today; however, the pastor of First Baptist church has lent their buses to the school district for the remainder of the year.

“The community has been great over the past few days,” Randy said. “On Sunday the mayor called me and asked what I needed. I told him six buses. Later, I got a call from the pastor, and he said ‘We got your bus problem covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried.”

The president of the school board has already notified Randy to not count on having a stadium for the fall, but has yet to meet to discuss the plan.

“I don’t know what we are going to do about next year,” athletic director Harrison Hunter said. “It’s heart-‐breaking. I don’t know where we will play next year, but I know we will play.”

Ashley Skinner, Bandera HS

Tomorrow the buses will resume their routes with their regular drivers, but could be slightly delayed.

“A few of the church buses are rather old,” principal Franklin Gustner said. “They run a little slower than our usual buses, and our drivers won’t be accustomed to them. We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents. By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.”

5A NEWS A First Baptist Church donation means bus transportation will be provided

again tomorrow following the tornado from last Saturday, which destroyed all six district buses and leveled the football stadium. The school board will meet next week to formulate a plan for the stadium’s reconstruction.

“The community has been great over the past few days,” Superintendent Rick Randy said. “On Sunday the mayor called me and asked what we needed to finish the school year. Later, I got a call from the pastor at First Baptist, and he said, ‘We got your bus problem covered.’ I was so touched I almost cried.”

Randy estimated the tornado’s damage to district property amounts to about $3 million. The stadium is not expected to be replaced by next fall.

“I don’t know what we are going to do about next year,” athletic director Harrison Hunter said. “Several coaches from surrounding schools have called to say they will support us in any way they can. I don’t know where we will play next year, but I know we will play.”

On top of damage to the school, the tornado damaged four homes near the stadium, and a family of four is still in the hospital.

“The district was hit hard,” Randy said. “We are lucky that when the tornado came through, we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn. I don’t know how they would have survived it.”

Principal Franklin Gustner said by Friday, the bus system should be running smoothly.

“On Wednesday, we expect to have a few hiccups on the bus routes,” Gustner said. “We are still using our regular drivers, but a few of the church buses are rather old. We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents.”

The tornado was an F-‐4, the second highest possible tornado strength on a scale of 1-‐5, and had wind speeds reaching 260 miles per hour. Junior and varsity football player Devante Jones said it’s going to be hard not playing his senior year in front of a home crowd.

“The stadium is unreal,” Jones said. “It looks like nothing was ever there. I don’t know what the district is going to do, but coach has assured us that we will play next year.”

Despite a school cancellation yesterday and no bus transportation today, Randy said tomorrow, the buses will roll out at 6:45 a.m. like they do every day.

“Several parents have asked me about next year, and I don’t have an answer for them yet,” Randy said. “It’s going to take some time to figure it all out. My immediate goal is to finish this school year and get our 92 seniors graduated.”

Erin Sheffield, Canyon HS

6A NEWS Devastated by a tornado which destroyed the school buses and leveled the

stadium, the school has arranged for donated buses to run tomorrow at 6:45 a.m., and the school board will meet next week to devise a plan regarding the stadium.

“We are lucky that when the tornado came through, we didn’t have any staff or students at the stadium or in the bus barn,” superintendent Rick Randy said. “I don’t know how they would have survived it.”

The tornado, an F-‐4 with wind speeds up to 260 miles per hour, injured a family of four and did about $3 million worth of damage to the school property when it struck at 8:05 p.m. last Saturday, leaving the school without transportation. This damage led to yesterday’s cancellation of school and a lack of bus transportation today.

“On Sunday the mayor called me and asked what we needed to finish the school year,” Randy said. “I told him six buses, thinking he would just laugh at me. He simply said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’”

Following this conversation, the pastor at First Baptist called Randy and said, “We got your bus problem covered.”

“I was so touched I almost cried,” Randy said. “We had no idea how we were going to get our students who live on bus routes to school until that phone call.”

Principal Franklin Gustner said they expect a few hiccups on the bus routes tomorrow, as the buses are old and the drivers are not accustomed to them.

“We are asking for a little patience from our students and parents,” he said. “By Friday we should have everything running smoothly.”

Because many students live in rural parts of the county, the district runs six buses covering 200 square miles each day.

“Several parents have asked me about next year, and I don’t have an answer for them yet,” Randy said. “It’s going to take some time to figure it all out. My immediate goal is to finish this school year and get our 92 seniors graduated.”

In addition to transportation, the school district is seeking answers to questions regarding next year’s stadium arrangements.

“The president of the school board already called and told me not to count on having a stadium for the fall,” Randy said. “I doubt we can rebuild one that quickly.”

Junior Devante Jones, a varsity football player, said the stadium was his family’s home.

“The stadium is unreal,” he said. “It looks like nothing was ever there. It’s going to be hard not playing my senior year in front of a home crowd.”

Athletic director Harrison Hunter said the stadium, which is one of the oldest in the state, and has withstood many storms.

“I was shocked to see the devastation,” he said. “It’s gone—completely gone. I found part of the bleachers about half of a mile down Springdale Road.”

Hunter said it’s heart-‐breaking not knowing what will happen next year. “Several coaches from surrounding schools have called to say they will

support us in any way they can,” he said. “And I know they will.”

Sydney Smith, Mesquite HS

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