James Dristas
Email: jdristas@bellvillebrahmas.org
Start with Mr. Dristas for:
- Major announcements affecting the entire high school
- Campus-wide decisions or changes
- New school rules or major policy changes
- Bell schedule or school calendar changes
- New programs or major campus initiatives
- Campus facilities, construction, or major improvements
- New employees, retirements, promotions, or staff recognition
- District decisions and how they affect BHS
- Stories involving the overall direction of Bellville High School
- When you’re unsure which administrator is responsible for a major campus issue
Casey Hollomon
Email: chollomon@bellvillebrahmas.org
Start with Mr. Hollomon for:
- Student discipline and behavior
- Student Code of Conduct issues
- Campus rules and enforcement
- CTE programs and CTE-related developments
- New or changing Career & Technical Education programs
- CTE facilities, equipment, certifications, and opportunities
- Questions affecting multiple CTE programs
- Campus safety or student conduct issues
- How disciplinary rules or procedures are enforced
Karen Fishbeck
Email: Kfishbeck@bellvillebrahmas.org
Start with Mrs. Fishbeck for:
- Grading procedures and academic policies
- Implementation of campus or district policies
- Academic expectations and procedures
- Changes affecting classroom instruction
- Teacher implementation of new academic requirements
- Academic eligibility or grading-related questions
- Campus procedures affecting teachers and classrooms
- How a new policy will actually work at BHS
- Questions about the academic side of a campus change
The Campus & District beat covers news, decisions, and changes that affect Bellville High School as a whole. Start with the administrator whose responsibilities best match your story. They can provide official information or help connect you with the person directly involved. Coverage should focus on what is changing, why it matters, who is affected, and what students need to know.
- School policies and procedure changes
- Bell schedules and calendar changes
- Campus safety, parking, and student procedures
- Construction, repairs, and campus improvements
- New facilities, equipment, or school resources
- New teachers, administrators, and staff
- Staff retirements, promotions, and recognitions
- Major campus announcements and assemblies
- New programs or services for students
- District decisions affecting Bellville High School
- School Board decisions affecting students, staff, or programs
- Other major developments affecting the BHS campus
Covering the Campus & District Beat
Start Here
- Introduce yourself to Mr. Dristas, Mr. Hollomon, and Mrs. Fishbeck and explain that you are covering Campus & District news for the BVP Newsroom.
- Ask how each administrator prefers to be contacted when you need information, an interview, or confirmation.
- Learn which administrator handles different areas of campus operations so you know where to begin when a story develops.
- Pay attention to school announcements, emails, calendar updates, assemblies, construction, new programs, policy changes, and other developments affecting BHS.
- Watch for changes. A new rule, new employee, new program, new building project, new schedule, or new procedure can all lead to stories.
- Ask administrators about major projects, initiatives, or changes already planned for the school year.
- Become familiar with the district and campus calendars so you recognize when something unusual or important is approaching.
- Remember that your first contact may not be the person you eventually interview. Ask, “Who would be the best person for me to talk to about this?”
- Check with administrators regularly instead of waiting for someone to bring you a story.
- When you discover a possible story, submit it as a pitch before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.
Your Responsibilities
- Check for Campus & District developments at least once each news cycle.
- Maintain contact with BHS administrators and other appropriate staff members.
- Watch for developments that affect large numbers of students, teachers, or staff, especially changes people need to understand.
- Keep track of policy changes, schedules, construction, facilities, staffing, new programs, safety procedures, major announcements, and district decisions affecting BHS.
- Look beyond the announcement itself. Find out why something is changing, who made the decision, who will be affected, when it takes effect, and what happens next.
- Determine whether a story is truly Campus & District news or belongs to another BVP reporting beat.
- Find the people directly affected by the story. Administrators can explain a decision, but students, teachers, and staff can often explain what that decision means in practice.
- Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
- Arrange interviews, photography, and video coverage when appropriate.
- Verify names, titles, dates, policies, schedules, numbers, and other factual information before publication.
- Follow developing stories. A construction project, policy change, new program, or district decision may require more than one story during the year.
- Update previously reported information when plans, dates, policies, or circumstances change.
Important
This beat is about more than repeating school announcements. An announcement tells people what happened. Your job as a reporter is to find out why it happened, what changes because of it, who is affected, and what students need to know.
If the school announces a new policy, don’t simply rewrite the announcement. Find out why the policy was created, when it begins, what students must do differently, and who can answer questions about it. If construction begins, don’t just photograph the construction. Find out what is being built, why it is needed, when it should be completed, and how it will affect students.
Do not confuse an “official source” with your “only source.” For a story involving a school decision, get the official facts from the person responsible for that decision—but don’t stop there. Talk to the students, teachers, staff members, or others directly affected when their experiences are part of the story.
Your administrators are often your starting point, not necessarily your entire source list. They may direct you to a counselor, teacher, department head, district administrator, maintenance employee, or someone else who knows the subject firsthand.
The goal is not to write a story that simply says “Mr. Dristas said…” The goal is to use official sources to establish the facts and then report the story of what those facts mean for the people at Bellville High School.
Reporting Your Campus & District Stories
Possible Story Ideas
- A new school rule, policy, or procedure
- Changes to the bell schedule, calendar, parking, attendance, or campus procedures
- Construction, renovations, repairs, or new facilities
- New equipment or technology affecting students or classrooms
- A new academic program, course, service, or student opportunity
- A major district decision affecting Bellville High School
- New administrators, teachers, or staff members
- Retirements, promotions, awards, or staff recognition
- Changes involving campus safety or security
- Assemblies, guest speakers, or major schoolwide events
- Changes to student services, counseling, transportation, meals, or other school operations
- A problem on campus and what is being done about it
- A decision that students or teachers are talking about
- Progress or completion of a project previously announced
- How a new policy or program is actually working after it has been in place
Signs There May Be A Story
Pay attention when:
- Something students used to do one way is now being done differently.
- A decision affects a large number of students or staff.
- Students are asking, “Why are they doing this?”
- A new rule, policy, schedule, or procedure is announced.
- Construction or other visible changes appear around campus.
- A new program, service, class, or opportunity is introduced.
- Something that was promised or announced earlier is finally happening.
- A project is delayed, expanded, changed, or completed.
- Students or teachers are experiencing an unexpected effect from a decision.
- An administrator makes an announcement that leaves obvious unanswered questions.
- A School Board decision directly affects BHS.
- There is a noticeable difference between what was planned and what actually happened.
An announcement is often the beginning of your reporting—not the finished story.
Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H
You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.
Who was involved?
- Who made or approved the decision?
- Who is responsible for carrying it out?
- Who will be affected?
- Which students, teachers, or staff members have firsthand experience with it?
- Who else should I talk to?
What happened?
- What exactly is changing or being announced?
- What was the situation before?
- What will be different now?
- What does this mean for students?
- What questions still need to be answered?
When did it happen?
- When was the decision made or announced?
- When does the change take effect?
- How long has this been planned?
- Is there a deadline or completion date?
- When should people expect another update?
Where did it happen?
- Does this affect all of BHS or only certain students or areas?
- Where will a project, program, or change take place?
- Is this a campus decision or a districtwide decision?
Why does it matter?
- Why was this decision made?
- What problem is it intended to solve?
- Why is it happening now?
- How will students or staff be affected?
- Why should someone at BHS care about this story?
How did it happen?
- How was the decision reached?
- How will the change be implemented?
- How much will it cost, if relevant?
- How will students or staff be informed?
- How will officials know whether it is working?
People You May Need to Interview
The correct sources will depend heavily on the story.
- Principal or associate/assistant principals
- District administrators
- School Board members when appropriate
- Teachers or department heads
- Counselors and other professional staff
- Employees directly responsible for the program, project, or procedure
- Students directly affected
- Teachers or staff directly affected
- Student leaders when the issue involves the student body
- Contractors, specialists, or outside organizations involved in a project, when appropriate
Remember: the person who gives you the official information does not have to be your only source. If a decision affects students, teachers, or staff, talk to some of those people too.
What You Need to Collect
Before writing, make sure you have:
- Correct names and titles
- The exact decision, policy, change, or announcement
- When it was decided and when it takes effect
- The reason for the change
- Who will be affected and how
- Important dates, deadlines, locations, or costs
- Official information from the person responsible
- Interviews with people affected by the decision, when appropriate
- Strong quotes that add information, explanation, or firsthand experience
- Photographs or video that actually help show the story
- Documents, announcements, agendas, or other material needed to verify important facts
- Information about what happens next
Before You Leave
Ask yourself:
- Do I understand what actually happened or changed?
- Do I know why this is a story?
- Have I confirmed the information with the appropriate official source?
- Did I talk to the people affected, rather than relying only on administrators?
- Can I explain how this affects students in plain language?
- Do I have the correct spelling and title of everyone I interviewed?
- Did I get specific answers instead of vague statements?
- Do I have at least one useful quote?
- Did I ask follow-up questions when something didn’t make sense?
- Have I verified important dates, numbers, rules, or other details?
- Do I have useful photographs or video?
- Do I know what happens next?
- Most importantly: Am I reporting a story, or am I just rewriting an announcement?