The Panther Press is entering a new era in their publication and transitioning to a new website. All archived posts, articles, and related content have been moved to our new URL, www.pantherpressshs.com, which is currently up and running.
But why make this transition?
The reason behind this change hinges on a desire to improve our publication’s quality and focus on the digital age. While our printed issues have been the paper’s focal point for decades, it’s important to also embrace new technologies and how they shape the way we receive our news. Especially in high school publications, breaking news and hard-hitting stories can’t always wait for the end of the month to be told, and an improved website helps to emphasize this focus on quick and direct news delivery.
Additionally, WordPress, the website hosting platform for the old website, was subject to a variety of limitations and challenges, especially for a student-run publication. So, when a new website hosted by the award-winning SNO (School Newspapers Online) platform was suggested by Dr. Jane Blystone of the JEA (Journalism Education Association), it was a welcome word of advice.
“SNO is so worth it because it provides a support-based platform for students to begin publishing immediately,” Dr. Blystone, mentor to journalism adviser Mr. Dustin Steiger, told the press when asked why the SNO program is worth it. “There are preset templates, and you work with SNO to customize for your school. They work with the adviser and student to make sure the publication is professional, state of the art. All of your social media can be linked to that site so it is easy access to your readers. You get more hits on social media that way. Plus, it archives all student work for historical purposes which does not always happen with paper issues that can be discarded.
Blystone continued, also citing the site’s role in saving the district money as a long-term investment. “The fee will actually save your district money over time. Although the district is not aware of this, publishing multiple-page copies on a copier in the school is very expensive. Cartridges for such large page copiers are over $100 each, so even if the district owns the copier, you are paying from 10-15 cents per 11 x 17 page per black and white copy, color is more for a single page copy, so if your paper is 8 pages with two pages on a flat, that is 80 cents per individual paper x 200 which is $160 for just one issue of black and white only. If you did five issues per year, that would be $800 which is $300 more than the SNO site cost.”
But what is SNO? SNO is a student journalism platform built on helping young journalists and their advisers create a “versatile, dynamic, and intuitive” digital publication, allowing students to focus on improving their writing while the SNO hosting platform takes care of the technical side of things. According to their website, SNO is the country’s largest provider of student news websites in the United States, hosting 477 college sites and over 2,700 K-12 news websites.
When asked why the transition was worth it, SNO gave their explanation:
“With SNO’s proprietary FLEX theme, you can easily customize your site—no coding or theme adjustments required. It’s designed for students, too, offering varying permission levels that you control and automatically grouping each staffer’s content into a personal portfolio that they can use for college or job applications…”
SNO continued, citing their achievements. “Really, the proof is in the pudding. The National Scholastic Press Association just announced the finalists for the 2025 Online Pacemaker Awards—31 of the 34 are part of the SNO network!”
The current staff of The Panther Press voted in overwhelming favor of the transition in a formal meeting, and the new website was up and running by Thursday, March 24.
Our current editors voiced their thoughts on the matter:
“As an editor who is a senior, I’m excited for the new transition,” Managing Editor Camden Gjovik said, “because it’s going to upgrade and give us an overall more refined and professional site, which will be a good legacy to leave behind.”
Editor-in-Chief Claire Barickman added, “I think the transition was the smartest move we could’ve made to ensure that, in the future, our publication is as professional as possible and that future students have access to manage and edit the website to the best of their abilities.”