Watching students—our peers—crumple up our newspapers seconds after handing them out at lunch is inherently counterproductive. Besides feeling like our hard work is not seen, it actually serves as a reminder of our purpose as a publication. Crier’s coverage centers around our audience’s interests and should consist of something important and engaging to every student at MHS, but that is only half of our function. Crier serves as a unique outlet for students to speak on topics they are passionate about, and our peers should use this to their advantage.

By throwing away Crier, you are throwing away an outlet for you to project your own voice. It is an opportunity for your knowledge and opinion to be a factor into the way someone else learns about and understands a topic. Within an evaluation from a Hoosier Star judge, Mitch Eden, he said, “You understand putting students in your publication is creating an inclusive publication.” Our coverage ideas stem from students themselves: what they’re posting about on social media, what they talk about during class or how they choose to spend their time outside of school. We choose stories that we see are important to our peers, not what administrators think we should cover. 

Crier is a member of the Quill & Scroll Journalism Honor Society and every year we receive a critique. In this year’s, veteran adviser Jack Kennedy told us “the most challenging part of journalism isn’t trying to cover everything—we can’t—but is deciding what to leave out.” Any source that exemplifies student voices, such as Mustang Media produced by Mrs. Kristin Laflech’s sports marketing class, is a positive outlet. 

Our priority is you as students. And when we say “you,” we really mean us together as a collective. Our goal is to showcase our own voices as students at MHS, and we expect our peers to be eager to share and take advantage of the opportunity. Newspapers are becoming rare, especially in schools, so it is a unique chance to exercise your First Amendment right—something we should continue to cherish and protect.

Our take:

Crier is a valuable resource that students should take advantage of.