WELCOME TO THE Journalism @ SOLI.

Welcome to your Journalism class for 2026–2027. 

This year, you are not just students completing journalism assignments. You are members of The Dragon Gazette newsroom. 

Our job is to tell the stories of our school, give students a voice, celebrate accomplishments, ask important questions, and create journalism that represents our community. 

THE DRAGON GAZETTE is our official student news publication. It was established in 2023. We have an intensive program that includes media, newsmagazine, and yearbook. Our program has grown since then, from winning our first 'Best of the Best' in 2023 to having over 15 'Best of the Best' awards in the state of Florida, along with a Pulitzer Finals Nomination (2025) for Human Rights for the only middle school student. Article here. 

What is our goal for the 2026-2027 school year? 

It's to inform our readers by creating the following: 

• News stories 

• Interviews 

• Student and staff features 

• Photography 

• Opinion pieces 

• Video and multimedia 

• Graphics and design 

• School event coverage 

OUR EXPECTATIONS. As members of The Dragon Gazette, we expect you to: 

Be Curious. Ask questions and look for stories. 

Be Accurate. Facts matter. Always verify information. 

Be Responsible. Journalism comes with responsibility and ethical decisions. 

Be Creative. Find new and interesting ways to tell stories. 

Be Professional. Treat interviews, deadlines, classmates, teachers, and our audience with respect. 

Meet Deadlines. A newsroom depends on everyone doing their part on time. 

Work as a Team. Writers, photographers, designers, editors, and reporters all contribute to the final product. 

OUR JOURNALISM GOALS: This year, we are going beyond the classroom.

FSPA. We will prepare our best journalism work for the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA) and compete against other student journalists.

JEA. We will work toward the JEA Junior High/Middle School National Media Contest. Contest Opens: March 29, 2027. Submission Deadline: April 20, 2027 at 1:00 PM CDT. Our goal is to create work throughout the year that is strong enough to compete at the national level.

PULITZER. We will also study Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism to understand what makes professional journalism powerful, accurate, impactful, and meaningful. The Pulitzer will serve as inspiration and a professional standard for the type of journalism we want to learn to create.

YEARBOOK. Journalism will also play an important role in creating our 2026–2027 Yearbook. You will help document the school year through: Photography - Stories - Interviews - Captions - Page design - Clubs, sports, events, and student life. If it happens at our school, we want to make sure it is documented. 

Our MISSION. Don't think of Journalism as just another class. Think of it as a real newsroom. You will have stories to find. You will have people to interview. You will have deadlines to meet. You will have photographs to take. You will have stories to tell.  And most importantly…

YOU WILL HAVE A VOICE. 

The Dragon Gazette. Inform. Inspire. Investigate. Represent. 

Let's make 2026–2027 our strongest journalism year yet!