I’m not sure what size your staff is, but you might ask each person on your staff to give you an anonymous (unsigned) list of ideas for columns, articles, photos, etc. that they would like to see. (I suggest unsigned so you won’t be accused of favoritism “you only picked Mark’s ideas because you like him best!” based on whose ideas you think are best.)

How big is your paper going to be? (How many page?) How often will it publish? How big is your school? Those are all questions that will influence your decisions.

Do you have someone who is good at sports writing? Perhaps she or he can write a sports column.

Obviously photos are important. Do you have one or more photographers who have a way to get to important events?

You might try looking at school papers put out by other schools – not to copy ideas, but to inspire you to come up with your own ideas.

Here are a few more suggestions, a few of which are from the good old days – when I was on the staff of a student paper:

**We had a “participation” section each issue, in which students could send in their take on things they liked or didn’t like. We called it “Grins and Grimaces.” It went something like this: “A student (we didn’t use names) who attended the Senior play wants to send a *grimace* to the thoughtless guys in the audience who talked all through the show!” or, “A teacher wants to send a *grin* to the French Club for volunteering to pick up litter around the school grounds.”

**A music review column was always a favorite. What’s the latest hot album to be released? Is it any good? How does it compare to the artist’s earlier work? What do some of the kids around school think of it? (movies are good for this too!)

**Are there any kids you know who can draw? Homemade comic strips are always fun if you have someone who is good at art.

**Letters to the editor – In each issue, you can always ask for students’ opinions on current issues. If you give an email address, you’ll probably get lots of responses. (although you’ll probably have to correct a lot of bad spelling!)

**Special events – if you have any “big events” coming to your school, such as a student play or musical, or a guest speaker, you have a great excuse to go behind the scenes to “get the story.” If your paper has a teacher who is consulting or advising you, perhaps she or he can fix you up a special Press Pass!

**Editorials – These are a lot of fun. What’s happening that the students of your school like or dislike? Have all the vending machines been filled with celery sticks instead of Snickers bars? Is this a good thing or a disaster? Just take care – sometimes writing an editorial that goes against what the principal or school board likes can lead to some real hassles for the person running the paper!

This may be a little bit advanced, but in case you ever need it, here’s a web page about students rights, free speech, and freedom of the press:

http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/pressfaqs.aspx

May you have the very best of luck with your paper!