Aptitudes and interests matter so much at Lingayas Public School! While some boys and girls pursue sports and gym fitness, others are into fashions. Some students love music and movies while others visit restaurants and follow party and picnic lifestyles. In the olden days, some avoided television, though in the minority. Even today, a few keep away from social media. Yet, the overwhelming majority keeps in tune with the television and social media channels. That is common in the pursuit of media that means publicity. In comparison to the television, social media has more control and the internet allows you to see exactly what you wish, and participate too.
Publishing is the hallmark of the present times with nothing private about our lives any more. Every aspect of life is open to scrutiny, though traditions die hard and some couples do not upload baby pictures online for fear of the evil eye. Students had better get used to advertising themselves, get used to witness their names in print and be prepared for a life and career where the media will take center stage.
While writing skills are developed in classrooms from a tender age, writing for the media and in research papers is not quite the same as homework every week. Schools have a variety of projects like a writing portfolio that may deal with a specific subject like history. Yet, those are also witnessed by a few eyeballs alone, the teacher or the committee that evaluates it.
School publishing of annual magazines
Like a report of all that happened during the year and facilitating creative writing besides the photographs and the artistic experiences, a school magazine sets the pace for the coming session. The record of academic toppers and awards do inspire another group of students who will vie for similar honors later. Which student represented the school in which activity in which country becomes truly inspiring real life stories.
The literary aspect becomes very important with some famous writers having originally published material in school magazines. A small beginning becomes a source of inspiration and may result in the development of skills in a big way. That little exposure to a private world of students, teachers and parents may set the writing stage for bigger achievements on a national or global scale later on. Students get a chance to participate in the management, compilation and editing of the articles besides the writing.
The advantage nowadays is that the digital copy could be made in addition to the hard copies that would have a far wider reach. School alumni in different parts of the world would be easily reached with a memory of their long gone school days. While writing took root in the classrooms, the management of the entire process of publishing the school magazine involves lots of work in a committee. Student participation and learning through experience is enabled for the organizing and printing process too. Students would be charged a magazine fee, maybe Rs. 100. .
Class or subject based newsletters for school publishing
An annual magazine in a school of a thousand students or more could perhaps represent the works of a hundred students in the different aspects, including the digital. A brief newsletter of 10 pages of A4 size that can be easily designed in the computer lab on a monthly basis could become an ongoing activity for the interested students. A combination of creative writing, reports, pictures and artworks would provide small school publishing opportunities to see themselves and read in print their own efforts and generate some useful topics for conversation.
Little effort and expense would be required and a copy for each class, perhaps, 20 in all, would be easily printed in the school computer lab itself or in private facilities with no particular fund required, perhaps the class fund providing the money. A small amount of a few rupees contributed by each student would easily suffice for paper, printing and binding expenses, black being cheaper, but youngsters would have a partiality for glorious color. Besides the hard copy, soft copies would travel the old too.
Classes, clubs, committees, subject wise or department wise?
Besides the classroom study, homework, tests and examinations, students need an activity to keep them interested to avoid falling into the traps of substance abuse, evil and crime. Smartphones mercifully provide plenty to do and exposure to the media becomes a valuable tool to prepare for professional roles.
Each club and committee would find it convenient as a mouthpiece or spokesperson like bulletin at whatever interval they decide, perhaps term wise if not monthly. It would reflect the activities, aims and aspirations and remind of the media that is growing to phenomenal levels in the contemporary world. A consciousness of the power of the media may be thus achieved. School publishing at Lingayas Public School teaches many valuable lessons.