While fans of the Raider Wire have probably read the stories posted on the website, they may not know much about the people who write them. The Journalism program at North Forsyth is one of the most highly decorated in the country, and the people behind the paper work incredibly hard for that recognition. However, it can still be hard to put a name to a face. North’s program has a dedicated team of fifty five writers, editors, photographers and artists who handle nearly everything related to both the newspaper and the literary magazine.

With such a high commitment to quality, there is a process every staff member must follow in order to get something published. First, they pick a Topic. This can be news around the school, or just about anything Mrs. Rose, who is the current advisor, approves. After lots of research and careful wording, they submit their rough draft to the editors. Next, they must take, or get permission to use, an original photograph, once a staff member has acquired their photo it must be edited to be compatible with website.  Once all of these steps have been completed, and the story is in its final form, it is submitted to the web editor, Brandon Moss or Emma Franklin who upload it to the Raider Wire. Not to mention that before they can even write a story, every prospective student journalist must complete a rigorous application process and be handpicked by Mrs. Rose to join the class.

There is no hiding the course is a lot of work. For several weeks of the year, the staff is split, with half publishing the newspaper and half composing the literary magazine, and with several juggling both. The internationally recognized literacy magazine incorporates the works of the best writers, artists, poets and photographers from the student body, proudly putting them on display.

These incredibly intricate processes only work because the journalism department operates like a big family, with everyone helping each other, playing off their strengths and weaknesses, offering constructive criticisms and suggestions, as well as supporting each other in whatever endeavors they decide to tackle.

Journalism students are also involved in the school, they are members of theater, band, sports teams, honor society and just about every other club or sport. Possessing such a diverse pool of talent and interests makes for a unique atmosphere and allows for ideas to flow and mesh in ways that are simply not possible outside of the Journalism program.  That is why The Raider Wire is strong across the board; the poetry section is just as good as the news or the short stories.

The program can trace its roots back to 2007, when a group of students from the Writers Workshop class wanted to create a literary magazine to showcase the best art from around the school. However, all the planning, designing, fundraising and creating had to be done after school hours. That year the students published two literary magazines and started a tradition. The processes was done the same way for years, with students coming in before and after school till 2011, when the literary magazine became a school funded, which allowed students in the Writers Workshop class to work on it during school. The next year, Mrs. Rose combined the Writers Workshop class, responsible for the literary magazine, with the journalism class, responsible for the newspaper. This led to the newspapers transition from a printed publication to the online form it takes today. The new class had roughly twenty eight students, but, with the re-launch of the newspaper and the recognition the literacy magazine was receiving the program quickly grew, and now has almost sixty students in two classes.

With the end of the 2014-15 school year looming, the Journalism program is poised on the edge of a new era. The current advisor, Mrs. Rose has announced she will be moving to Lambert High next year, and, while the identity of her replacement has been kept secret, hopes are high for everyone involved.

“I can only imagine the newspaper will get better and better,” said Mrs. Rose

Photo Caption: Editor in Chief, Lacy Hamilton reviews every story before it is uploaded, in order to insure it’s up to par.