visionproduction.htm

Newspaper production at H.S.Billings
High School

Putting together a monthly newspaper requires teamwork and timing. The pieces fall together in stages leading up to deadline when the final edit is complete and the pages are sent to the printer. Then a new month begins with staff assignment meetings for writers and photographers. Originally these took place in whatever room was available--the chapel, the library, the science lecture hall or crammed into Vision's own tiny quarters. Above Project Manager Mary Leblanc prepares youths to face the community outside school walls. Below, students work on their stories in the spacious and fully-equipped classroom - newsroom.

Meetings, meetings, meetings: Within school walls, the adult advisors and students work together to develop themes, propose stories, and design the pages.		The monthly routine
	Students tutoring students: First-time photographers and computer page designers learn the techniques from the veterans. At left, Journalism Class teacher Julie Pinard edits and prints a school newsletter "Voice."

Photo editing and page design create Vision's "look."

Hundreds of photographs are taken each month but only a fraction appear in the paper. The editing process determines the look of each issue and the content themes readers will receive. At right, raw photo prints from a maple sugaring outing are edited into the final presentation in Vision (below). Now the process is completely digital from taking the photos to placing them on the pages and sending them to the printer on a CD-ROM.

More photo pages

The first two issues of Vision were designed on Adobe PageMaker by teachers Craig Bullett and Nick Ross. The format was 8 1/2" x 11" white paper. That was changed to 11" x 15" newsprint and Christine Wormald assumed the PageMaker duties. She designed the new logo for the masthead (below).

On assignment in the community	Tearsheets from back issues
Launching the newspaper	Our supporters
Photo portfolio	Back to Vision Home Page