Editorial policy

Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental values in a democratic society. As determined by the courts, student exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of the press is protected by both state and federal law, especially by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Accordingly, as stated in its student publications policy, the Upper Arlington School Board supports the Norwester as a means by which students learn, under adult direction, the rights and responsibilities of public expression in a free society.

The policy of the Norwester, Upper Arlington High School’s official yearbook, is to operate as a limited public forum for student expression, striving to represent the viewpoints of all students. Content should reflect all areas of student interest, and hence may include topics about which there may be dissent or controversy.

It is the policy of the Norwester that student journalists shall have the right to determine the content of this official student publication. While the adviser will act as a resource for decision making, the editor-in-chief and editorial board will make all final determinations in content and coverage of the publication.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the publication are not necessarily those of the school or corporation administrators, the faculty/staff, the adviser, or the individual yearbook staff members themselves.

Purposes of the publication

As a product of the Journalism III-N course at Upper Arlington High School, the primary purpose of Norwester is to serve as a means for students to generate an authentic product while practicing the fundamental skills of journalism: reporting and writing, layout and design, desktop publishing, sales and budget management, photography, and public relations.

The yearbook itself serves the following purposes:

• to inform and entertain its audience;
• to capture the story of Upper Arlington High School—its students, its staff, and its community—over the course of the year from the perspective of its students;
• to preserve a history of the school, its programs, and its population;
• to serve as a public relations tool for the school;
• to communicate to those who are actively interested in the school—the teachers, the parents, the administration, the alumni, and other members of the school community;
• to provide a vehicle for the expression of free speech while maintaining ethical responsibility;
• to serve as an example of exemplary scholastic journalism to the scholastic journalism community.