Maya Wilson squeezed through the crowd that packed Pennsylvania Avenue for the March for Our Lives. She was trying to reach the nearest Starbucks — anywhere with Wi-Fi — to send updates to be published on the Huffington Post’s social media pages.
“That really was a crazy experience,” said Wilson, a rising senior at Woodrow Wilson High School and co-editor-in-chief of the Tenleytown school’s paper, The Beacon. “I think it’s rare to find that kind of opportunity for in-the-field journalism at this age.”
Tommy Craggs, senior enterprise editor at the Huffington Post, reached out to The Beacon’s staff to see if they would cover the student-led march. The team of high school journalists interviewed members of the crowd, taking videos and pictures to be posted. By the end of the day, their content had received about 14 million impressions.
The Beacon, which began publishing in 1935, is overseen by Spencer Nissly, an English teacher at Wilson, the school system’s largest comprehensive high school. Nissly also teaches a journalism class taken by students who work on the paper.
Nissy hopes that after many years of running solely as an extracurricular activity, the yearlong class — which just finished its second year — will encourage more students to write for The Beacon, whose staff does not currently reflect the school’s diversity. It is a problem of which Wilson and co-editor-in-chief Ellida Parker are very aware.
Editorial responsibility lies almost entirely with the students, a point that caused a stir in 2015 when Principal Kimberly Martin arrived at Wilson and instituted a policy of prior review, which she carried over from her previous school in Colorado. The policy would allow Martin to review advance copies of all Beacon articles before publication.
Students criticized the decision, claiming that it would be inefficient and hinder their ability to report on controversial topics. A petition asking Martin to reconsider the policy garnered over 850 signatures, and the debate caught the attention of The Washington Post. Martin dropped the policy almost immediately.
“What I love about our students is how they advocate for themselves,” Martin said. “They are active members of the Wilson community, and it is important to me that they are engaged.”
“We’re the final say,” said Parker. “We make the big decisions about what goes to print and what doesn’t.”
Editorial independence also means the responsibility of dealing with conflicts related to content falls to the students as well.
The Beacon staff publishes a print newspaper nine times per year, and just added a magazine. However, like most publications, they are becoming more digitally focused, which inspired the staff to invest in a new website this past year.
One loyal reader, at-large DC Council member Elissa Silverman, met Ben Korn, former editor-in-chief, at an education event last year. She said he asked for her help with two things: setting up meetings with local journalists for mentoring opportunities, and raising money for their website project.
The Beacon, like all student organizations at Wilson, applies for grants from the Parent Teacher Student Organization. However, event coupled with the money they make from selling subscriptions, it still wasn’t enough to fund the project fully.
Silverman, a former journalist at The Washington Post and the Washington City Paper, donated her Capitals playoff tickets to the paper. The students set up an online auction and raised over $2,500.
The Beacon generally gives students their first foray into the world of journalism. One of the great challenges, according to Korn, is understanding that they are not only reporting, but also teaching younger students to report.
Emma Buzbee, co-editor-in-chief during the 2016-2017 school year, is now a staff writer at the Columbia Spectator at Columbia University. She said that although the level of quality and intensity is certainly higher at the university level, The Beacon prepared her well.
Silverman sees the value of the paper even for those who do not want to pursue journalism in college or as a career.
“The skills that you can learn being a high school reporter or a high school editor are skills that are translatable to almost any career,” she said.
The Beacon is more than just a training ground for students; it’s also a well-respected publication for local news. Ruth Wattenberg represents Ward 3 on the D.C. State Board of Education. She says The Beacon “provides some of the best educational reporting in the city.”
The students recognize they have a unique role to play, even in a city saturated with journalism.
“A lot of parents and people in DC have no interaction with DCPS whatsoever,” said Korn. “I would hope that people that don’t have any interaction with DCPS would read some of our stories, interact with the Wilson Beacon, and see what’s going on for high school students.”
The Beacon produced a number of stories this year that got the attention of local publications and elected officials, and led to changes at the school. For example, last year’s DC budget allocated $10,000 for new metal detectors for Wilson, but the school has yet to see the equipment. Reporters from The Beacon investigated, getting in touch with DCPS and the Department of General Services.
The story was picked up by The Current Newspapers, and it led Ward 3 DC Council member Mary Cheh to get involved. Although the issue has not entirely been resolved, it’s moving forward.
The Beacon also reported on maintenance concerns at the school, which remain even after a significant renovation completed in 2011. The reporters have covered the DCPS attendance scandal, interviewed teachers about the citywide Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests, and reported on a proposed bill to lower the voting age to 16. Korn discussed this last issue with WAMU host Kojo Nnamdi.
“For our school community, The Beacon tells our students’ stories and keeps them informed on the issues they care about,” said Martin.
Other student publications from DCPS high schools include The Rookery at School Without Walls, Train of Thought at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, and the Cardozo Owl at Cardozo Education Campus.
Yet the number of students involved in The Beacon exceeds involvement at other DCPS publications. As a result, Beacon reporters see it as an important part of their role to cover stories happening at other high schools, including the plumbing crisis at Anacostia High School.
Many people would like to see even more such coverage, since student-run newspapers are a unique opportunity to hear what is important to young people in the city.
“I do think it’s a great activity for high school students,” said Wattenberg. “There is reporting that needs to be done, and they’re close to where the information is. They can find stuff out and report on it.”
This post has been updated to correct the name of the newspaper’s adviser.
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