Marketing 'Cool'

Marketing. That’s what we’re missing in the Central York Prowler newsroom.

We are so immersed in layout and design, ethics and beats that we’ve forgotten to really promote ourselves to the school and the community.

Sure, we have t-shirts and a snazzy masthead. We distribute a paper that elicits enthusiasm from the student body and receives accolades from the community. We tout our judging successes and network with the administration, school board, staff, and students. But we don’t really market ourselves.

Alan Weintraut’s morning presentation only reinforced my need to do more. We need to brand ourselves, to make journalism seem like the coolest class in the school (which, of course, I already think it is) and to make the hardcopy Prowler, the website, the Twitter and Facebook components indispensible to the student body. The journalism room, although way too cozy, needs to ooze giant doses of enthusiasm. And I know it all starts with me.

First on my summer agenda after the institute: research and apply for the Best Buy Teach Award. Incentives like field trips to the local school press conference ( or even Columbia Press Association) and pizza parties go a long way in boosting staff morale and piquing journalism fervor.

Second: revamp my curriculum, improve the Internet presence (lynda.com will be my July mentor) and redesign the newspaper (I’ll borrow some of Alan’s ideas).

Third: devise a marketing plan for our “new” brand.

Because, according to Alan: “No one’s going to make journalism big except you.”

Lucinda Hogentogler

Central York High School

York,Pa.