Change.
It affects everything and “The Patriot” is no exception. “The Patriot” is pleased to announce that it will be going online for the 2009-2010 school year.
The driving force behind this is former Editor in Chief Natalie Shaw, whose Senior Project was to put the paper online. The idea was brought to Shaw’s attention by “The Patriot” Moderator Mark Ionescu as a way to make the content of “The Patriot” more accessible to the general public. On a college visit to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, Shaw saw that the school wanted to move their newspaper online. Seeing this paper’s change in action, the idea seemed closer to fruition.
Although this issue is not in color, it is well worth the sacrifice to choose a site that is user-friendly and fits the needs of both editor and reader.
Since settling on the site, Shaw has been posting stories and pictures from “The Patriot” archives to the site, getting a general feel for the site and its features.
Moving “The Patriot” online fits into JC’s longtime motto of “Go Into the New.” Starting in the 2006 school year with laptops, the school has dived head first into the world of technology.
From the e-updates that are sent to parents to Principal Paul Barker’s blog, JC has made an effort to include technology in every aspect of the school.
It only makes sense that our student-produced publication would make the change as well.
This move allows “The Patriot” to publish content as soon as it becomes available, increasing the timeliness of stories. This has the greatest effect on sports and news, as game results and reactions can be online within hours of a game’s final whistle, and breaking news within the school can reach students, parents and alumni before it becomes old news. “The Patriot” can also reach a wider audience through online publication. While the award-winning writing in the newspaper will still be distributed in the print edition throughout the school, it will now be available to readers everywhere.
As Editor in Chief, I am excited for this move to the online edition. I feel that supplementing the print content with the online content will be a great challenge for the staff, but one that will be met with enthusiasm and vigor. I hope having the online edition will encourage more students to read and recognize the talents of their peers, along with helping the students be more informed.
Content from this issue of “The Patriot” along with content from previous issues this year is available at www.jcpatriot.com.