BUBBLER BULLETIN BREAKS BOUNDARIES
By Claire Dickinson, Editor
Teens have been turning more and more to technology, preferring online resources over magazines, checking Spark Notes instead of reading books, and shopping online instead of in stores. In the same way, more people have turned to online news instead of a printed newspaper. As the times are changing, so is the Bubbler Bulletin. The Boiling Springs newspaper staff has created a website to bring news to students, faculty and the rest of the community in a more efficient way.
“I’m excited that we can do things that we didn’t have the ability to before,” said Mrs. Tracy Mersch, teacher advisor for the Bubbler Bulletin. Back when Mersch began teaching at Boiling Springs in 2000, students paid for subscriptions to The Bubbler Bulletin. The staff had to print out their articles and literally cut and paste them onto papers. Scissors and glue in hand, staff members became tired of the time consuming and inefficient method.
Because the former process was cumbersome, Mersch decided to introduce technology desktop publishing. First, the staff members used Microsoft Publisher, but eventually moved to using Adobe InDesign, which is the program students use for the print issues today. A few years ago, the paper began to be distributed to all students for no cost at all. In recent times, the Bulletin has been printed only three times throughout the school year, and students have been uploading a PDF version on the school website. In order to involve more readers and give more updates, the staff unanimously decided to once again evolve the way Boiling Springs reported the news.
Senior Catherine Lynch has taken this project under her wing as web editor, designing the site and uploading articles and pictures. “Watching this project go from an idea to reality has been really cool,” said Lynch.
The website includes the same information as the hard copy papers but with new features as well. While the news, sports, entertainment, and opinion sections will still be the main focus, students will also be able to view articles from past editions, vote in polls, view pictures in the photo gallery, and more. As this is the first year for the website, the staff will be working diligently to keep it updated and to make improvements.
The staff is excited to introduce this new format to the community, but it will take not only hard work, but also input from the student body. Has a peer of yours achieved something special, is there a topic you would like to know more about? Visit the page www.bubblerbulletin.weebly.com, contact us and let us know what you think should be in the paper. Tweet us @bubblerbulletin and answer the Roving Reporter questions of the month. The Bubbler Bulletin staff is thrilled about the website and hope others will enjoy it as well.
Teens have been turning more and more to technology, preferring online resources over magazines, checking Spark Notes instead of reading books, and shopping online instead of in stores. In the same way, more people have turned to online news instead of a printed newspaper. As the times are changing, so is the Bubbler Bulletin. The Boiling Springs newspaper staff has created a website to bring news to students, faculty and the rest of the community in a more efficient way.
“I’m excited that we can do things that we didn’t have the ability to before,” said Mrs. Tracy Mersch, teacher advisor for the Bubbler Bulletin. Back when Mersch began teaching at Boiling Springs in 2000, students paid for subscriptions to The Bubbler Bulletin. The staff had to print out their articles and literally cut and paste them onto papers. Scissors and glue in hand, staff members became tired of the time consuming and inefficient method.
Because the former process was cumbersome, Mersch decided to introduce technology desktop publishing. First, the staff members used Microsoft Publisher, but eventually moved to using Adobe InDesign, which is the program students use for the print issues today. A few years ago, the paper began to be distributed to all students for no cost at all. In recent times, the Bulletin has been printed only three times throughout the school year, and students have been uploading a PDF version on the school website. In order to involve more readers and give more updates, the staff unanimously decided to once again evolve the way Boiling Springs reported the news.
Senior Catherine Lynch has taken this project under her wing as web editor, designing the site and uploading articles and pictures. “Watching this project go from an idea to reality has been really cool,” said Lynch.
The website includes the same information as the hard copy papers but with new features as well. While the news, sports, entertainment, and opinion sections will still be the main focus, students will also be able to view articles from past editions, vote in polls, view pictures in the photo gallery, and more. As this is the first year for the website, the staff will be working diligently to keep it updated and to make improvements.
The staff is excited to introduce this new format to the community, but it will take not only hard work, but also input from the student body. Has a peer of yours achieved something special, is there a topic you would like to know more about? Visit the page www.bubblerbulletin.weebly.com, contact us and let us know what you think should be in the paper. Tweet us @bubblerbulletin and answer the Roving Reporter questions of the month. The Bubbler Bulletin staff is thrilled about the website and hope others will enjoy it as well.