Sometimes it is hard to know what to write about. Since we specialize in printing school newspapers, we have a good idea of what schools like to write about. Below are a compilation of article ideas that we have found schools utilizing in their newspapers.
Interview a student or more than one (even a particular group) and write an article about that individual or group. Try to discover some atypical information from them that would make an intriguing article. Ask questions such as:
- If you had a magic wand and could change anything about the school, what would be the number one change you would make and why?
- If you were the principal and found yourself in charge of us, what would be the first thing you would do?
- What makes a good teacher/principal?
- What makes a good student?
- Here is a list of 10 teachers and administrators, what move/TV actor most resembles each teacher or administrator?
- If school were a movie, what movie would we all be in?
- What is fame and what is the route you intend to take to get there?
- How do you define peer-pressure and is it dangerous? Why?
- If you had the power to hire anyone in the world to be your teacher, who would you hire and why?
- What is the best kept secret on campus that you’re willing to spoil?
Write articles about the latest movies, music, literature and art. You can write reviews, make recommendations, take polls, and become a critic. Be sure to add screen shots or photos to enhance the article.
Write articles about the daily happenings around the school. Write about sporting events, activities, accomplishments, changes in policy, rules, teacher changes, and more. Things to consider writing an article about are:
- Your sports teams
- Your clubs
- Your teachers
- Your administrators
- School changes
- The cafeteria food
- Extra-circular activities
- Field trips
- School needs
- Information about upcoming events and activities
RIVALRIES AND SCHOOL ELECTIONS
Every school has that arch “enemy” so to speak, that other school that always seems to be the one school everyone wants to beat in sports. Writing about them and past and future rivalries make for good articles. Write stories on those running for class offices and talk about their strengths and weaknesses.
Every school has history. Some of it can be quite interesting. Try writing articles about the founding of the school, the history of the school name and/or mascot, former principals, former accomplishments and more.
Write articles about local news. You might even be able to interview the mayor, city council, and other city or county officials. In writing about local news, make sure it relates to the students in your school in some way.
EDITORIALS AND OPINION PIECES
Solicit students to write opinion articles,letters to the editor, and editorials. Some great topics to write on are:
- New governmental policies
- Trending stories – stories that polarize people, cause social upheaval, or that most people are following.
- Social issues (parenting, divorce, dating, religion, marriage, diversity, racism, etc).
- School policy and rules
- School curriculum
You can write articles that help people overcome certain addictions, bad habits, and fears. Write articles on what to do if someone tries to take advantage of you, how to overcome the fear of authority, how to approach the principal, what friendship really is, how to make friends, how to study, ways to get better grade, study tips, and so forth.
These ideas should get you going in the right direction. Don’t forget to add things like:
- Comics (particularly student drawn ones)
- Guest articles (from staff and faculty)
- Polls
- Contests
- Puzzles
- Hide an icon, picture, or logo in your newspaper for students to find
- Popular product reviews
- Popular services reviews
“Two types of articles continue to dominate the changing field of magazine publishing,” writes Nancy Hamilton in Magazine Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success. “The personality profile and the how-to story with its self-help variant. Together, they account for an estimated 72% of magazine feature material. Although Chapters 9 and 10 cover how-to’s and personality profiles in greater depth, the following breakdown and brief description of all article types will suffice to get you going.”
