School reporting that is fit to print

Juniors Perry Goffner and David Kaufman have been members of the Hewlett Spectrum, Hewlett High School’s newspaper, since they were freshmen and can recall spending almost 18 hours in school working on the paper.

“We’re sort of like a family here,” said Kaufman, a co-editor in chief and the opinions editor.

With a staff of 65, including at least nine editors, students get hands on experience when it comes to putting together a paper. Recently, six students and graduates, and the paper won Empire State School Press Association awards.

Online and News Editor Jason Brooks, a junior, said being on the paper has taught him what being a journalist is like. “You get experience since you’re acting like this is a real life occupation,” he said.

Goffner, a co-editor in chief and the computer design editor, maintains the layout on each page of the paper, tries new layouts and also writes a sports column. “I wanted to join the paper in middle school but never got around to it,” he said. “In high school we had a club fair and the paper sounded really cool.”

The paper’s advisor of three years, Kristen Hamilton, is a high school English teacher. She enjoys looking at the final product and seeing how far its come. “It’s a young group of students but it’s been impressive to watch them grow and produce an amazing paper,” she said. “The students do a majority of the work. I’m just here to support them, answer any questions and buy coffee when we need to buy coffee.”

Spectrum sections include news and features, opinions, entertainment, sports and one called After Hours. For that section, the staff asks each school club what they want to see in the paper. “The writers in the opinion section choose what they want to write about so we have freedom here,” Goffner said. “We also listen to the students so if they tell us anything they want to see in the paper, we can tell the respective

editor.”

New this school year is the Spectrum’s website, www.hewlettspectrum.com, which Brooks does both at school and at home updating the website and taking feedback from editors on what they want to see on the site. He also applied Kaufman’s suggestion and has the entire current print addition on the website.

“Last year the school sent copies of the Spectrum home to every parent,” Hamilton said. “I got the go from the public relations person in the district and from our principal so we bought a domain and the rest is history.”

Asked if they’ll pursue journalism in college, Goffner said he wouldn’t rule out being involved on a college newspaper but doesn’t see himself as a professional journalist. Brooks said he could see himself as a journalist, while Kaufman said he may write for a college newspaper, but wants to major in business or law.

For students looking to be on the Spectrum staff, Goffner warns it’s a huge time commitment. “We’re not like other clubs who just meet once a week,” he said. “I’d tell them to get ready, because it’s rough but it’s very rewarding.”