Ask any journalist— the need for journalism today is greater now more than ever.
Ask any student journalist— the student voice today is more powerful than ever.
Ask any member of The Prowler staff— student journalism is being overlooked in Central York School District today, more than ever.
Entering the 2018-2019 school year, The Prowler was faced with a near-complete budget cut. We were informed that we would no longer be allowed to print our publication, and that we would have to be an entirely digital news source.
You are holding one of 400 copies of this edition of The Prowler, which came about with negotiation. We are happy and very thankful that we were able to print this paper at all, but it is a significant decrease in the number of copies we printed previously.
“Until every physical newspaper goes extinct, the creating, editing and publishing of a newspaper is essential in any journalism class,” said Editor-in-Chief of The Prowler, Marissa Marsh.
“Newspapers used to be the primary source of news for the public. Although that fact has changed in 2018, physical newspapers are nostalgic for many people. The Prowler has been a part of Central for 60 years; it’s part of our history as a school district. The Prowler is more than just a newspaper, and we want people to understand that,” said Marsh.
“Journalism has taught me the importance of expressing myself in a way that no other class could. Student journalism is less about developing articles and more about developing as a writer and a person,” said Co-Managing Editor of The Prowler, Grace Seebold.
“Journalism has taught me how to work with a large group of people to create something that matters to us. We all care so much about The Prowler because we all want to make it the best it can be and we’ve become a family in the process,” said Molly Reinhard.
The journalism isn’t just about the paper, though. It teaches students even more about their writing and allows styles to grow and flourish.
“The journalism classes at Central have been so impactful in teaching its students about aspects of communication that regular English classes don’t even begin to mention,” said Laila Samphilipo.
“Journalism has taught me valuable lessons that I can continue to use later in life. It has taught me how to effectively communicate with others, which will be especially helpful in the future,” said Nick Guadagnino.
This impact goes far beyond the page.
“I’ve been able to find confidence in myself when having real life discussions with others who, without journalism, I wouldn’t have thought about talking to. Writing for the school newspaper has allowed me to expand my horizons and I’m forever grateful for my friends I’ve made along the way,” said Grace Strayer.
"Being in journalism has given me capabilities that are incomparable to any other classes. A good sense of communication and the ability to express are just a couple of the imperative skills that I've gained while writing for the school's newspaper. When one cuts the budget, they also cut the true potential of these publications and the unhampered expression of the students," said Anna Holly.
It discouraged us as editors to see how something that means so much to us may be seen as inferior to other school activities.
“From a student's perspective, the cuts made this year paint the picture that Central thinks its reputation in sports and other big activities is more important than student expression through academics,” said Managing Editor of On The Prowl, Katie Kruza.
“There’s extensive research that discusses how the arts are just as important as STEM or athletics. It’s not fair to the students or our school to rank them against each other,” said Grace Montgomery.
“The budget cuts take away from our usual process that we’ve known since we’ve started the publication. That sudden of a change isn’t one that we can easily adjust to. Not only is it limiting us, but also making it harder for our voices to be heard and seen by our audience,” said Editor-in-Chief of On The Prowl, Joelle Pacheco.
“There is something so special about opening up The Prowler and seeing your name in the byline of your story. Putting The Prowler completely online would take away something so dear to the student journalists at Central,” said Max Reeder.
“Without the ability to print, what we’re losing isn’t just physical copies, we’re taking the opportunity away from future members of The Prowler staff to feel the same sense of accomplishment that we do,” said Seebold.
On distribution day, The Prowler invites learners from our life skills class to deliver the paper with us. They look forward to distribution day and frequently ask when the next paper is coming out so they can help. They feel the same sense of accomplishment helping us distribute that we do from writing it. The Prowler means something to more than just its staff members, yet we continue to be looked over.
“On behalf of the entire staff, I can say that we were all disheartened by the original compromise we were given regarding the printing our publication. We know that we have a greater appreciation for the paper-making process since we are fully immersed in it, but we wish that our school understood the importance of student journalism as well as we do,” said Marsh.
“Student journalism is the foundation for freedom of press and freedom of speech. It teaches students that they have a voice and an impact beyond themselves. It becomes more and more important in today’s society for student voices to become pioneers. We are this country’s next leaders and deserve to be treated as such,” said Co-Managing Editor of The Prowler, Marita Blake.
The Prowler would like to thank everyone who has supported us for the past 60 years here at Central York School District. We would not be the publication that we are today without you. Going forward, we hope that we can continue to report the news, express ourselves and to improve while also being The Prowler we all know and love.