Newswriting Team

The Arcadia Unified Digital Communications Internship Newswriting team writes articles about the school district to be professionally published in local newspapers and news sources such as Arcadia Weekly and Arcadia Patch. Members of this team will become proficient in news writing and copy editing.

General Process

• Writers submit or are assigned story ideas
• Writers are given one week to complete a final draft of the article and an accompanying photo
• Articles should be preferably turned in by Monday morning for review during meetings and to meet Arcadia Weekly’s Tuesday publication deadline
• DCI Folder > DCI News-writing > “Topic” > Article + Photo
• Roughs (due before finals) are up to you (helpful for writers that have trouble meeting deadlines)
• Try to limit extensions
• Photos should be high resolution and not blurry or dark
• Copy-editor and Manager review article for mistakes/sensitivity
• Mr. Foran and Mrs. Nuuvali perform the final review and submit to Arcadia Weekly and Arcadia Patch

Content Categories

• AUSD Content - AUSD has many events and programs that need publicizing! Article pitches are preferred, so please do not wait to work on an article until you're assigned a topic. Find something to write about. There are no shortage of great article ideas so be creative, resourceful, and proactive. AUSD content includes, but is not limited to:

• School board meetings
• New initiatives
• Important sports games (CIF, Finals, etc.)
• Concerts and plays
• Newly hired principals/administrators
• New facility openings
• Template Content - These are just general ideas to write about that usually work well as AUSD-oriented content:
• Student feature – any special achievements, hobbies, or traits of an AUSD student (i.e. made it onto Junior Olympic team, started a business, scored 5’s on all AP’s)
• Teacher feature – a teacher that has made a meaningful impact on students, did something remarkable, etc.
• Community events – local college fairs, competitions, recitals, City of Arcadia events, community classes
• Educational News – new education bills, new AUSD-specific policies
• AHS Events – ASB events, food/money/amenities drive (see SCAC, Girl Up, LEO, other clubs), APES gardens, student exchanges/visits (AHS hosts Apaches, French & Japanese exchange students, marching bands), academic competitions, new clubs, club events
• Personal Content - Do you writers want to write about hobbies and interests? Usually, the best work is produced when the author is passionate about what he or she is writing about. If they can find a way to spin it into something relevant for publication, go ahead and write about it! 

Scheduling/Task List

Here is the task list for the Newswriting team. Interns should keep track of what articles they write, when they started, and when they finished an article. Be sure to let the team manager know when the article is finished so it can be edited and sent to Mr. Foran and Ms. Nuuvali.

General Tips

• Write about what interests you! 
• Be sure to run articles through Grammarly.com
• Be sure to follow the Associated Press Style Guide. Here is a nice overview/cheat sheet. If unsure, just Google it!
• Remember: we’re trying to paint AUSD in a positive light, but avoid obvious bias!
• Should sound like you’re reporting, not advertising
• Give the facts and don't overly sing praise; the positive facts will speak for themselves about the great students, staff, programs, events, etc. happening in Arcadia Unified.