East Islip Student Campaigns To Bring Back Award-Winning Paper

EAST ISLIP, NY—One East Islip High School student has started a campaign to bring back a staple of high school life: the school newspaper.

Tristan Hearth is a sophomore who has started a campaign to reestablish The Broadcaster, the school's former paper that won numerous awards. The student paper even nabbed a national first ranking of Best Overall Newspaper by the American Scholastic Press Association.

But after the teacher who ran the paper as an after-school club and a course elective retired, the school struggled to fill the staff role and the paper ceased existing.

Hearth would like to see that change. He started his petition so the school could see "that the community does want the paper back," he told Patch.

The high school has a literary magazine and a broadcasting club, but Hearth says he thinks a student-written school newspaper is crucial for students to have a voice and a community.

"It's an opportunity for writers and photographers, and it brings everyone together," he said.

"I feel East Islip isn't complete without a paper."

Hearth has started collecting a list of interested students, and is presenting his plan and petition to school administrators. He's hoping new English department hires will yield a teacher interested in taking on the project, ideally one with a journalism background.

He'd like to see the paper continue with the same name, "to honor the paper before," and its prestigious history.

"I think a newspaper gives students a voice. There can be content that encompasses everyone, and gives everyone a place to have a voice," he reflected.