An independent day school serving grades K-12 | St. Paul, MN

Publications

From a first year experience in Writing for Publication, Photojournalism, or Graphic Design to staff editors in Journalism / Editorial Leadership courses, students in the Upper School Publications program examine media practices and learn the tenants of ethical, journalistic reporting in a student-led, learn-by-doing environment. Understanding the role of the Fourth Estate in our democracy and the responsibilities that come with our Constitutional rights is more important than ever. An informed populace that understands how to discern the difference between social media rants, robo-writing, fake news, and professional journalism is essential to meaningful civic engagement. If we aspire to educate the people who will change the world, there may be no more important way to do it than by shaping their experience as consumers and creators of news.

Class discussions are devoted to press law and newsgathering ethics, journalistic writing, and equitable reporting. Students work together to develop stories and coverage, planning assignments that combine text, images, video, and audio to present a story in print or online. An intensive Maestro editing process refines writing as each story undergoes multiple draft revisions before it is published, and as student editors on each team coach the work of their peer reporters, photographers, and designers.

The publications program engages the school community and beyond through wide distribution of the national award-winning Iris: Art + Lit magazine, Ibid yearbook, The Rubicon print news and multimedia website RubicOnline, as well as engaging their readership through social media.

As the program’s mission states, “We strive to capture the spirit of the community through its stories while inspiring deeper conversations. Above all, we stand for integrity in our pursuit to inform and engage our readers.”

Publications Course Descriptions