The idea which became the Wildcat Tribune was first conceived in the summer of 2008. Having no experience running a newspaper, Johnny Chang (2010) entered the school year with only his ideas and ambitions to guide him. He aspired to create a newspaper which would be respected by staff, teachers, students and parents from the very first issue onwards. Although disorganized and lacking the knowledge of how to start a newspaper, Chang established the parameters of Dougherty's first publication.
Interest in a student newspaper emerged last year. Mr. Corcoran started a message board on School Loop to generate student enthusiasm about a paper. He recruited reporters with the eventual goal of starting a club and creating Dougherty Valley's first online newspaper. A club charter never materialized, however.
As the 2008 school year got under way, Johnny Chang sought the assistance of Nikhil Rao (2010), who was an experienced reporter. Having prior knowledge about publishing a newspaper, Rao contributed to the development of the paper by helping set clear goals for construction and publication. The pair embarked upon the task of establishing a club and successfully producing Dougherty Valley’s first school newspaper.
Cameron Smith (2010), recruited by Chang and Nikhil Rao, was sought to help make the paper a reality by utilizing him as an editor. Ultimately, it was also decided that Smith should be appointed as an additional club president. With a clear goal in mind of creating a tangible newspaper, the three presidents were now ready to begin recruiting members.
Shortly before Club Day it came to the attention of the three presidents that two other individuals, Natalie Cha (2011) and Caroline Shen (2010), were planning on producing a newspaper as well. Chang approached the two girls and asked for their assistance in creating the paper, explaining that it would be more effective to collaborate than it would be to compete. Cha and Shen were soon added as club presidents, bringing the total to five. Their contributions created a greater sense of unity within the group, and helped attract many new members.
On Club Day, the five successfully recruited over thirty members, yet the leaders were surprised when only about a third of those who signed up actually appeared at the first club meeting. Although a bit discouraged, the club did the best they could to start the paper.
Seeing the need for officers in the club, the presidents decided to conduct a series of interviews for people interested in occupying the very important editorial positions. Although the five presidents were initially earmarked for positions as editors, it was decided that officer positions should be available for all interested members in the group. After a number of people were interviewed by advisors, Ms. Bowman and Ms. Plumb, the following students were selected: Emily Gura (2010) as Editor in Chief, Jega Sanmugam (2011) as Front Page Editor, Sasha Jasty (2010) as Editorial Page Editor, Jennie Kim (2011) as Entertainment/Feature Page Editor, and Diana Dai (2011), with Lina Kim (2011), as Sports Editors. Rao has emerged as the webmaster.
Today the five presidents are content in the knowledge that they have a skilled editor in chief, professional page editors, and dedicated advisors. The newspaper is progressing quite well with busy columnists writing articles, reporters collecting information, and editors making stories better than they were before. It is the hope of the Wildcat Tribune staff that the first issue will set a high standard of journalism for successive editions to come. If you are interested in contributing to the Wildcat Tribune, please come to a club meeting on Tuesdays in Room 1111.