By Viviam Liao
Staff Writer
A cacophony shatters the silence of a usually quiet classroom lit in stark fluorescent light as Rampagers collaborate to complete the month’s issue. The white board in the back of the classroom is filled with an entropy of colorful miscellaneous doodles and brainstorming.
Rampage is an elective where students spend around three weeks creating a school newspaper containing news, opinion, feature, sports and entertainment articles. To start the issue cycle, Rampagers reserve two to three days to brainstorm ideas for the different pages based on events, trends, holidays and recognition months.
After brainstorming, editors assign articles and staff writers reach out to their sources for interviews. Late nights are the week before publication where Rampagers stay after school to make final edits and touches to their article or illustrations. It is also a time where Rampagers can bond with each other. On publication day, students deliver the newspaper to every classroom during the fifth period.
Rampage also publishes content on their newsletter, usually emailed out biweekly, and social media. The Rampage newsletter consists of the most relevant news that would be too recent on print. Staff writers and illustrators take on extra article and graphic assignments for these to be completed.
Since Rampage is an independent organization and doesn’t rely on the school to fund publication, it relies on selling ads to businesses and donations as the main source of income.
Throughout the entire issue cycle, each student has their own roles and assignments. Staff writers collect interviews and create the articles printed throughout the pages. Illustrators draw many of the graphics, including the banner decorating the top of the Focus page and the cover illustration. Editors design the page structure, decide what content is published and which graphic should color the page. This year, Rampage has two editors-in-chief, who execute editorial decisions and alternatively writing columns on the Focus page.
To enroll in Rampage, students must go through an tryout process. To start, students join the Google Classroom mainstream to receive information about workshops and tryout requirements. The week before tryouts, editors present information slides during workshops, teaching students writing elements and page styles.
During tryouts, students applying for staff writers position write a news article based on the prompt given. There will be a press conference provided, allowing students to interview the members for quotes to use in their article. Students applying for illustrator positions draw an editorial cartoon of the scenario given. After tryouts, those chosen to continue the audition process have an interview with the Editors-in-Chief and advisor.
“I expected Rampage to be very stressful and have a high workload. I didn’t expect the students to have a say in the articles chosen, but in reality it is more student-led,” first-year staff writer Bruce Piekarsa said. “What I like about Rampage is that the atmosphere here is very welcoming and there isn’t any animosity between the students.”