The King Street Chronicle joined the Fairchester Student Press Association this month, marking the first collaborative journalism organization among Fairchester Athletic Association Schools. The association plans to share appropriate articles to further publicize students’ work and provide editors, reporters and faculty advisors the opportunity to learn from each other.
St. Luke’s School senior and Editor-in-Chief of the St. Luke’s Sentinel, Sebastian Bates, founded the Fairchester Student Press Association (FSPA) because he disliked the lack of communication among student newspapers in Fairfield and Westchester counties.
“I have always been frustrated that there’s very little contact between student newspapers, especially when, as in our case, we serve very similar populations,” Sebastian said.
He hopes that through the implementation of the FSPA all student newspapers will be able to provide their readers with a wider knowledge of stories throughout the FAA. Initially, member schools will share sports, world news and arts and entertainment articles applicable to multiple school communities.
“The FSPA will provide its members with valuable content they would not have otherwise, and also with an opportunity to recognize their own journalists by giving them the chance to have their pieces read by a much wider audience,” Sebastian said.
The King Street Chronicle is already a part of the international Columbia Student Press Association and was awarded a gold medal for its online newspaper for the 2012-2013 academic year. However, the FSPA is unique in that it unites a small group of independent schools in the area. Currently, the FSPA comprises five student newspapers including Sacred Heart (King Street Chronicle), St. Luke’s School (Sentinel), Greenwich Academy (Greenwich Academy Press), Greens Farms Academy (Beachside Press), and Rye Country Day School (Rye Crop). The FSPA hopes more schools will join in the coming months.
The Greenwich Academy Press decided to join the FSPA to broaden the scope of its news coverage. Greenwich Academy junior and Editor-in-Chief of the Greenwich Academy Press, Rebecca Dolan, recognized the benefit of a local student press association to fill sports coverage gaps.
“Initially, we really liked the prospect of including more sports articles in our paper,” Rebecca said. “Because we only come out once a month, it’s hard to assign writers to specific games.”
Membership to the FSPA requires sharing a minimum of one article and one photo per week among other student newspapers. Each newspaper will be represented by one director on the FSPA board to manage the association and award annual journalism and photography prizes for outstanding work.
Through the FSPA, member newspapers plan to increase communication with editors and students across the FAA to not only improve their newspapers but also to understand events from a different point of view.
“I think it’s really interesting to include perspectives from other schools in articles,” Rebecca said.
In terms of the FSPA’s future, Sebastian has high expectations for the association to set a precedent in the student journalism field.
“I hope that, in time, the FSPA will become a model for other student journalism organizations,” Sebastian said. “I also hope that, through the FSPA, we can move towards a day when student newspapers are recognized for the enormous value that they add to a school community.”
-Grace Isford, Managing Editor
Link to the St. Luke’s Sentinel: http://blogs.stlukesct.org/sentinel/