Our Mission: Student publications exist to chronicle events and profile people that shape our school in an honest and positive way. We aspire to make student publications interesting to readers and journalistically excellent. We also strive to work peacefully and productively as a team and to continually improve our communications skills – training tomorrow’s writers, artists, photographers, organizers, salespeople, publication advisors, and computer scientists.


Newspaper & Yearbook grading policy

Students, your six-week grade will be based on three factors:

1. Daily time management: How do you choose to use your journalism period on a daily basis? Are you busy planning and doing interviews, writing, editing, and doing all you can to contribute to the publication? If you are, this is an easy A. “Floaters” are unwelcome in the program, both by the advisor and by other staffers who must take on the jobs that “floaters” don’t finish.
2. Actual production: How much have you committed to do by each deadline and what did you deliver? This means actually doing enough and doing what you promised to do by the time it must be finished.
3. Journalism theory/project grades (as applicable): When you are not facing a deadline, you will be expected to use your class time to work on projects designed to improve student publications and plan for the future. For instance, practice designing your own page layouts, taking photos, and writing captions, headlines and a variety of stories.

Overtime
As with most important school organizations (sports, band, cheerleading, etc.), there will be times when what we’re accomplishing does not fit into our three hours of class time each week, although the hardest workers often finish their work using class time only. When we are “on deadline,” we may need to put in some extra time after school or on weekends. These times can actually be a lot of fun, a chance to get to know each other really well, talk, and laugh together, eat snacks and drink Cokes, have the building to ourselves, and still BE PRODUCTIVE.

NOTE
Any staffer who has not already turned in his/her completed pages “plus a little bit more for the common good” at deadline time is expected to work overtime until those pages are complete. Students lose 10 points per day for every day past deadlines that their pages or stories are not turned in. Editors and section heads are expected to do more than general staffers.

Daily productive use of class time = 40%
Deadline Evaluations/Tests/Projects = 50%
What’s News/Daily Assignments/Guided Notes = 10%

What’s expected of students?
1. Daily productive use of class time
2. Mastery of journalistic technical skills over time: We expect students to learn something about writing, editing, InDesign, Photoshop, and so on.
3. Responsible behavior: Students are given a certain amount of freedom in pursuing stories and photos, and in return, responsible use of that freedom is expected. Inappropriate behavior will be reported to Mrs. Sneed and could result in a student’s dismissal from the program. (Please see “Policy on School Publications Staffing”.)

Policy on School Publications Staffing
1. Students applying for newspaper or yearbook positions must submit an application and may be asked to provide a writing sample.
2. All students who wish to be on or continue on staff of any school publication must interview with the advisor and/or have the advisor’s signature prior to acceptance on any publication staff. This process must occur each year. No student is “automatically” on staff because of past positions.
3. The advisor reserves the right to deny staff positions to any student who has a history of disciplinary problems.
4. The advisor and counselor, with backing of the school principals, reserve the right to place any accepted student in an alternative elective at any time during the school year who:
A. Has disciplinary action taken against him/her at school or by the local authorities resulting in alternative placement. (example: ISS or LEO at school, probation outside of school)
B. Is not doing his/her share of the work necessary to produce the publication as defined in writing for each issue, discussed in class, and determined by the teacher/advisor and the editor(s) of the publication.
C. Is not actively improving his/her journalistic skills.
D. Repeatedly produces work that does not fit editorial guidelines as defined in the publications’ individual editorial policies.
E. Habitually breaks classroom rules, wastes class time, or abuses school equipment and facilities.
5. No student will hold staff positions on both publications simultaneously except in “emergency” cases, as defined by the counselor and the advisor. Students pursuing passports in journalism will be encouraged to choose photojournalism, multimedia, and courses other than production classes to ensure a broad based journalistic curriculum.

Publications Staff Positions
Editors: Oversee the entire book or paper, make sure the concept carries through, the style is consistent, photos are the best they can be, deadlines are met, and pages are proofread. You will work closely with the section editors and advisor, and if we stay late, YOU are there! You will need to be very organized, creative, a good writer, and make your publications a top priority.
Section editor: Plans, oversees other staffers, and works on a specific section, creating master layouts and choosing headline fonts, being sure that the fonts, layout are consistent and that section is cohesive. If a staff member defaults on his/her pages or stories, it is the section editor’s job to take over those pages.
Business Manager/ Assistant: Responsible for promotion and sales of the yearbook. The business manager is in the charge of selling advertising and keeping track of all monies coming into the publication account. You must be extremely well organized and dedicated.
Staff Photographers: Handle photo requests from both yearbook and/or newspaper in a timely, efficient manner. Help maintain check-out log for digital cameras. Follow catalog system for organizing photos. Gather pertinent information for use in captions and work on the other aspects of publications as time allows.
General Staffers: Cover stories or produce DPS’s in all these areas at one time or another, help with layout, photos, etc. You need to be flexible, committed, and a good team player.

Yearbook Editorial Policy

Since the yearbook is a student conceived, planned, and produced publication, as well as a product of an academic program, there are certain ethical and legal guidelines that must be put into practice.

Goals & Readers
REPLAY attempts to inform and entertain its audience in a broad, fair, and accurate manner on all subjects that affected readers in the areas of student life, academics organizations, and sports.
The entire student body of perspective readers constitutes the primary target audience for the book. Secondary audience includes school personnel, community members, and scholastic journalism groups.

Content
Content focuses on coverage that meets the wants and needs of the majority of students as long as those wants and needs are not contradictory to the principles of scholastic journalism. Sports and organizations covered in their respective sections will be those that are school-sponsored.
The staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of REPLAY. However, final authority for the content of the yearbook rests solely in the hands of the REPLAY staff. The Supreme Court’s Hazelwood Decision, however, gives the principal the right to censor any material that he/she considers objectionable for any reason.
No material that is deemed by the editorial board to be vulgar, libelous, invasive of privacy, constituting a substantial disruption to the school day, inappropriate, or advocating illegal activity will be published.

Deadlines
REPLAY is a Spring yearbook scheduled to be finished in February and arrive in May before school is dismissed for the summer so that yearbook students will not be forced to work for three weeks after school is out. Every effort will be made to include the most timely photos and information possible, but due to our deadlines with Taylor Publishing, this is not always possible. The RAIDER RUMBLER normally goes to press near the end of each six weeks period. Submissions must adhere to its publication schedule in order to be included.

Advertising
All advertising accepted by the staff must meet the same guidelines as the editorial content. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement by the staff, school administration, faculty, staff, students or district.
When the staff accepts an advertisement from a political/social cause, movement and/or service, the staff will offer an organization holding the opposite opinion a chance to purchase an advertisement in the newspaper, insofar as time limitations allow.
Advertising rates are detailed on our rate card.
Personal advertisements are available to any student, parent, or school employee upon request. All guidelines regarding editorial content apply.
Booster Club members will assist in advertising sales.

School Portraits
All students and school personnel must have their portraits taken by official school photographers on designated dates to be included in REPLAY. They will be given at least two opportunities to have their portraits taken or retaken. No outside photos will be accepted.
By having all portraits taken by the same photographer under the same condition, the REPLAY staff can be assured of uniform quality and the highest reproduction quality of all the photographers, thereby serving the best interest of all students.
Students moving in after retake dates will not be able to appear in the People section, although every effort will be made to include them in other sections.
Students who are unhappy with their school photos are encouraged to be present for retakes. Students who are unhappy with both their original school photos and their retakes may choose the “least objectionable” photo for the school yearbook, but must bring a copy of the publications office to insure that the desired photo is used.


Student Names & Nicknames
All student and faculty names are taken directly off the master list from the registrar’s office. If a name is misspelled there, it will also be misspelled in the yearbook unless students come by the publication office to correct it. All students will be referred to by the same name throughout the yearbook; thus if a student goes by a middle name, for instance, and she wants that name in the yearbook, she must notify the yearbook staff. Although every attempt will be made to accurately spell names, mistakes may still be made.

Team/Organization Group Photos
Every effort will be made to include campus organizations wishing to be pictured in the yearbook; however, it is the organization’s sponsor or team’s coach who is responsible for being sure that such photos are taken in time to include them in the yearbook.

Yearbook Sales
Any buyer who does not wish to keep his/her book may obtain a refund, provided the book is returned in the same condition in which it was distributed. Books returned for refund must be free of damage and writing. Once returned, the book becomes the property of REPLAY and can be resold at the current cost.
Exchanges for flawed books (flaws appear in one or several, but not all copies) can be made if no writing appears in the book. If a book has been written in, then no exchange can be made.
It is the buyer’s responsibility to provide proof of purchase if the staff has no record of a yearbook sale. Valid proof of purchase includes a receipt or canceled check. For their own protection, all buyers must present a picture ID when picking up their book.
If a student moves during the school year, it is the student’s responsibility to see that his/her paid-for yearbook is picked up within 90 days or the book will be sold.

Cost of the yearbook
Yearbook price is set with the goal of paying our bill with Taylor and our supplies costs. The price begins at a certain amount, at which books are available for a period of at least 3 months, and then increases if students wait until late (usually the second semester) to purchase yearbooks. The few “extra” yearbooks received with our final shipment may be sold at a further increased price, as determined by the staff. Individuals who have ordered and paid for yearbooks and then do not claim them for whatever reason must contact the publications advisor within 90 days of the shipment’s arrival or their book may be sold. Any yearbook put on “hold” (with a check) will be held for 48 hours maximum; if cash payment is not received in that amount of time, the book will be sold. Any student who cannot afford a yearbook and who is referred to the advisor by a teacher or administrator may receive a special price. Faculty or staff may order one copy of the yearbook at a reduced price. Any additional copies will cost the regular price. Paid copies will be held through the end of August only.

Newspaper Editorial Policy

Since the school newspaper is a student conceived, planned, and produced publication, as well as a product of an academic program, there are certain ethical and legal guidelines that must be put into practice.

Goals and Readers
The newspaper attempts to inform and entertain its audience in a broad, fair, and accurate manner on all subjects that affect readers in the areas of student life, academics, entertainment groups, and sports.
The entire student body of prospective readers constitutes the primary target audience for the paper. Secondary audience includes school personnel, parents, other community members, and scholastic journalism groups.

Content
1. Coverage should meet the wants and needs of the majority of students provided those wants and needs are not contradictory to the principles of scholastic journalism.
2. The staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of THE RAIDER RECORD.
3. No material deemed by the editorial board to be vulgar, libelous, invasive of privacy, or constituting a substantial disruption to the school day will be published.
4. Final authority for the content of the newspaper rests in the hands of the newspaper journalism students; however, in recognition of the Hazelwood Decision in the US Supreme Court, the school principal may choose to censor any material on the grounds of any of the four criteria listed in #3.
5. Opinions expressed in editorials and/or features are not necessarily the opinions of the students, advisor, or administration of RHS or LISD.

Distribution
The newspaper will be distributed to students free of charge at strategic points during the school year. Additional copies will be placed in the school office and library and will be on file in the journalism room for parents and community members’ perusal. Subscriptions may be ordered for $10.00 per year by contacting the Rouse High School Publications Department.

Advertising
All advertising accepted by the staff must meet the same guidelines as the editorial content. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement by the staff, school administration, faculty, staff, students or district.
When the staff accepts an advertisement from a political/social cause, movement and/or service, the staff will offer an organization holding the opposite opinion a chance to purchase an advertisement in the newspaper, insofar as time limitations allow.
Advertising rates are detailed on our rate card.
Personal advertisements are available to any student, parent, or school employee upon request. All guidelines regarding editorial content apply.
Booster Club members will assist in advertising sales.