Talon Soars To 2.0

The staff of The Talon prepares the next edition of the paper. (Photo courtesy Manchester Township School District)

MANCHESTER – Fans of student newspapers can now check out journalism students’ work online.

Manchester Township High School launched its Talon 2.0 Cyber Edition earlier this school year, an online daily edition of the school’s print newspaper, The Talon.

Journalism program advisor Jill Ocone said the addition of the online daily presence was an organic and logical progression.

John Simonini, who serves as editor-in-chief, prepares the next edition of the paper. (Photo courtesy Manchester Township School District)

The Talon 2.0 Cyber Edition stems from the creation of the high school’s new class, Career Journalism. Ocone said student journalists can now post news immediately while building individual online portfolios of work.

Those who love to hold a newspaper need not worry: the cyber edition isn’t replacing printed journalism at the Manchester Township High School. The site will feature more timely news, such as breaking stories or date specific items. The journalism classes will still produce printed news, just in a different form: The Talon newspaper has morphed into a news magazine, Talon 2.0. The new magazine will feature more in-depth articles and opinion pieces and reviews, which will solely be published in the news magazine.

“For instance, student journalists are able to write about events here at Manchester, such as the girls soccer team making it to the states, and their work can be posted immediately. Being online eliminates the waiting, as the printed format process includes writing, layout and formatting, approval, printing, delivery, and distribution, which can sometimes take upwards of a month or two,” Ocone said.

Writer Jackie Greger works on a story for the paper. (Photo courtesy Manchester Township School District)

She continued: “More people have access to the online news created by the MTHS student journalists. While the print version is only distributed internally here at the school, each online post or article can now reach into the Manchester community and beyond.”

High school senior John Simonini is editor-in-chief. He’s excited about the upgrades.

“I think going online is the future of journalism. Print journalism is on its way down and more people pay attention to what’s online. More people, especially students, will see news online and through social media. We can provide information and news at a faster rate compared to the time it takes to produce a newspaper or a news magazine.”

The masthead includes Simonini; assistant editors Maxwell Smith and Alan Dang; and writers Elisabeth Hudak, Gavin Kollarik, Kaitlin Clutter, Kaleigh Calderon, Donia Zawacki, Danialle Fazzaro, Ariel Blumensteel, Jackie Greger, Kayla Fameilo, Kaiah Guthridge, Maddie Degnan, Bedeyla McCann, and Andru Maclean.

Talon 2.0 Cyber Edition can be accessed at manchestertwp.org/mths/student-activities/the-talon-news.