Imagine the smell of a freshly printed newspaper, the feel of the paper in your hands, the ink it leaves behind. Perhaps a printed newspaper is a thing of the past, a lost art known only to the generations before. Or perhaps it acts as a quiet, little rebellion against the seemingly inevitable turn towards technology.

Proposed at the end of the 2021-22 school year, Gallatin High School’s student-run newspaper was born this fall. With many newspapers in the area, including Bozeman High’s Hawk Tawk, Gallatin High was eager to name its very own paper. After a school-wide vote between possible names— The Current, Gallatin Gazette, The Carnivore, Raptor Report, and Jurassic Chronicle— the clear winner was Raptor Report. With it, comes a new aspect of the culture at Gallatin High and a new opportunity for the readers in and around the school. It also presents what many hope will be a rival to Bozeman High’s paper. In that regard, Gallatin High student Mykhailo Poland believes it important that both schools publish their own newspapers. Poland says, “I think it’s good because it shows a bit of a sense of… friendly competition? Both schools can read both, if they want and see what’s more interesting to one school compared to the other.”

Much of the faculty at Gallatin High presented a similar excitement of having a newly named student newspaper; they voiced their appreciation and admiration for the name, Raptor Report, and the creative use of alliteration. In response to the name, Jessica Baxter, a Biology teacher at Gallatin High, says, “I like it a lot. I think that’s awesome. Hawk Tawk is so cool, but Raptor Report; I love that.” 

Furthermore, Gallatin High Principal Erica Schnee, who is excited to see the school produce its first edition of a newspaper, stated, “I like having a newspaper. I think it’s fun because I think kids enjoy reading it.” Speaking to the school’s goal to empower students, she continued, “It’s important for students to feel like their voices are heard.” To tie it all together, she calls upon the opportunity presented by newspapers when she says, “I liked the opportunity for the members of the newspaper to bring up topics and talk about things that were important to them and things that matter to them. I think it plays an important role and I always enjoyed reading it to see what our students are thinking about.”

Principle Schnee makes a point of touching upon the thought and care that goes into a newspaper and the individual articles within. “I think student journalism is really important. As a former government teacher, there are some really important fundamental pillars of a democratic society.” Continuing on with what she refers to as her “social studies soapbox,” she continues by stating an independent press to be a part of those fundamentals. “I think it’s really important that we teach students the importance of a free, independent press, and journalism in regards to our society.” Schnee strongly believes “journalism is extremely important as part of a safeguard to our democracy.”

From within a school setting, a student newspaper has the opportunity to impact those from all walks of life: from faculty members to students, parents, and more. In regards to journalism in general, Trevor Nichols, an AP Environmental Science, Wildlife Biology, and Biology teacher at Gallatin High states, “I think these are important skills and real-world applications that can be applied in any setting.” Furthermore, Marren Russell, a Gallatin High student, believes student journalism is important because it gives students a voice that they may not otherwise have had. Russell makes a point of mentioning that she would like to see multiple student groups included in addition to sports; such as music groups and student clubs. Gallatin High teacher Jessica Baxter says, “There were Hawk Tawk’s all over my room anytime they passed them out and students would be going through them and reading and talking. I liked that it brought up the conversation.”

When reading a newspaper, Principle Schnee believes it important that a reader knows the difference between an opinion article and an article that is simply stating the facts — both of which appear in a newspaper. In that regard, both Schnee and Baxter believe an opinion piece to be important. Schnee says, in “people’s opinion pieces, there was bias or perspective or opinion stated, and I think there’s value in that for the purposes of moving discussion and bringing up issues.” Schnee believes it is important for the reader to understand the difference. “It’s an opinion piece. Therefore what’s represented here may not represent the views of the entire newspaper staff; or the student body; or the school.” While the modern era presents a new way to read newspapers, Schnee makes a point of regularly reading the paper copy of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

While currently the Gallatin High Newspaper operates as a student club, rather than from within a class setting, Schnee believes that running the newspaper as a club will allow for more student involvement with hopes that in the future there will be enough interest to run it “as a class instead of a club.” This, she believes, is important so teachers can take more time with their students to further teach journalism ethics but can only be achieved should enough students sign-up during class registrations to take newspaper as a class.

As Gallatin High begins its new chapter with Raptor Report publications, there is much anticipation surrounding the topics between the pages. Schnee says, “I’m excited just to see what kids who are working on the newspaper think is really important. I think we have a lot of wonderful things that happen in our school.” Schnee continues by saying, “I’m excited to just see what else you guys discover.” Whether the reader skims the pages or reads each and every word, an adventure awaits.