VOICES
Our Amazing Online Newspaper
September 15, 2017 | ISSUE 8
By Andrew Xie
The FIHS Newspaper Club is a club that students can express themselves, share ideas and report the things that happen in the school. This club has published articles in a physical newspaper for many years, but this year is memorable because our school’s newspaper club has built a beautiful new website with our wonderful media teacher Ms. Jillian.
Since this newspaper is online, students can have other ways to share the news and express themselves such as making videos and taking photographs. For us, ESL students, we like to watch videos with musics and look at the pictures instead of just reading lots of words. Unlike the pictures on the physical newspaper, the pictures on electronic devices are brighter and clearer, and this is what makes online news so attractive to the teenagers and even the adults. Also, watching videos brings more fun than reading articles because what you need to do is only listening to the speech or music, and watching the scenes. Sometime you don’t really have to understand it like reading words because you can see the facial expression on people’s faces.
Unlike a physical newspaper, digital articles can be added anytime. Yes, if you have written an incredible article, story or poem with inscrutable vocabulary with rhyme, rhythm, repeat and other literary technique, just send it to the editor of the Newspaper Club, Mr. Tony, and he will help you revise it and publish it onto the website as soon as possible that everyone in the school will read it and tell you how great it is.
This beautiful website could not be done without the people who created it including 11th grader Xingcen and website director Ms. Jillian. We asked some questions about this website from them.
Q: Why do you like to design the website?
Xingcen: “I like to design and create websites because I enjoy everything about coding and technology, and I want to try new things about the computer and technology.”
Ms. Jillian: “I was a sign painter, and I love graphic design. I think it is very exciting for our community and I like the balance between something being beautiful and communicative.”
Q: What was challenging about making it?
Xingcen: “It was challenging to me because it is my first time making website, and I need to try each feature and design strategy to make it. So I need to take lots of time making it to make it the best.”
Ms. Jillian: “It was challenging to figure out the main structure of the website and to add detail that are interesting and helpful but not overwhelming.”
Q: Do you have any tips of creating a website?
Xingcen: “One tip of creating a website is using the perspective of reader to look at the website and see what can be improved making it more comfortable for the viewer.”
Ms. Jillian: “It was really good to play around with the program because I learned a lot just by making mistakes.”
Q: What wishes do you have for our website?
Xingcen: “I hope people in both our community and outside of our community to enjoy the this website so much. I look forward to read the comments that readers make in the future.”
Ms. Jillian: “I hope to add a video broadcast portion for announcements and fun projects. I also want to add all the old issues as soon as possible.”
Moreover, Ms. Jillian states that next we want to eventually develop our own app just for Newspaper Club. It is going to be so cool. Therefore, join Newspaper Club if you are interested in journalism, photographing, or creating apps. Or you can join Superstar Video Club if you are interested in recording and editing video.
