Samson Naleway

A stack of Hummer newspapers from 2019, shortly before The Hummer discontinued print editions.

Dear Readers, 

As editor-in-chief of The Hummer, I am at a loss about what to do to save our school newspaper. This year, we have failed in our attempts to add a journalism class to the BHS course catalog. Additionally, we are struggling to find a consistent place to meet and collaborate, and we are currently searching for a faculty advisor. Despite passionate support from Hummer staffers, the administration doesn’t heed our student voices, and many students and faculty are not even aware that this newspaper exists. We claim in our core values at Beaverton High School that “Tradition Unites Us”, but why don’t we celebrate and support this paper, one of our greatest and longest traditions spanning more than 100 years? If we don’t add a journalism class and get more support from faculty, the newspaper will be forgotten. 

School newspapers around the country are facing similar problems. A 2013 article about school papers in New York City stated that “fewer than one in eight of the city’s public high schools reported having a newspaper or print journalism class.” Declining readership, budget reductions, and school district cuts of elective classes have relegated newspapers to the fate of other forgotten classics like woodshop and home economics. 

Many schools, including BHS, have turned to Instagram to fill the news void. A 2013 article in The Columbian praised the BHS social media team, run by digital marketing students, for “getting the word out in 140-character notes” about students, staff, and events. The problem is no one can tell a full story in 140 characters. They can only scratch the surface. In the past year, The Hummer has shared in-depth stories covering topics like campus myths about off-campus lunches and underground tunnels, the conditions of student bathrooms, construction updates, profiles of new student clubs and new teachers, and reviews of movies and books.

Instagram, the primary news source at BHS, has become more cluttered and difficult to use. To find announcements about finals week, for example, students and parents must sift through layers of posts about the Shoe of the Week and Oreos vs. Cheez-Its. Instagram and other social media platforms are not the universal solution for our media problems. 

Reviving the newspaper would give our community the in-depth journalism it lacks. It would give students an opportunity to use their voices in a meaningful way. It would connect the community with stories that currently go unreported – or are only superficially covered. As former principal, Anne Erwin, said, “There is a tremendous story to tell here.” So, Beaverton, let’s tell it.