BY BRAXTON STRICKER

Dear Readers,

The Mariemont High School Warpath made the decision to become a paperless media source during the 2009-10 school year with two goals in mind: cut costs and increase readership.

The new site can be found at www.mhsblueprint.com.  With one goal accomplished, the Journalism class has collectively made an effort to market the Warpath through the use of social media.  Although students read the articles, we have received little feedback and have determined that the wisest decision would be to expand our readership in the district.

“The Warpath is the one place where students are constantly published,” states Journalism instructor, Luke Wiseman, “and it is an accurate gauge of student writing and interest.” With fifteen staff writers, the Warpath covers an array of subjects spanning school sports, local news, and student editorials.

Although the Warpath website is still in its infant stage, it has made strides in the last two years. “The quality of journalism has increased, but there is still room for improvement with original photography and graphic design,” informs Wiseman. “I would also like students to explore what we can do with audio and video,” he continues.

There are undeniably inroads with Twitter and Facebook.  “We have fought as a class to stay aligned with current journalistic techniques, and appeal to students in a digital age,” states Wiseman.  Student readership appears to have plateaued this year but we are now looking to expand. The three communities in our district provide this opportunity.

Senior Julia Gaburo has been on the  journalism staff for two years and now finds herself as co-editor-in-chief. “The Warpath is entertaining, informative and interesting,” says Gaburo, “it allows us practice journalistic skills and create something for the student body of which we can be proud.”

Each student is required to maintain a blog, and publish an article biweekly. This work load keeps us busy; if we have missed anything regarding the upkeep and improvement of the MHS Warpath feel free to comment on the website or email [email protected] with questions or suggestions.

By all means be in contact with us.
Website: www.mhsblueprint.com
Twitter: @MHSwarpath
Facebook: The MHS Warpath
Email: [email protected]

Sincerely,
Warpath Staff Writer
Braxton Stricker