CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) -
There's now so much to see beneath the surface of Cape Central High School's TIGER newspaper.
You'll notice right away this isn't your old high school publication. Just inside the cover there's a barcode. Scan it with your smart phone and in this case, it takes you to an exclusive new video of the CHS Madrigal.
"We didn't have enough room in the paper, so we just put it on the web," said Brandon Wells. "We do have unlimited internet paper, so to speak."
It's just one example of how high school papers are catching up with their professional counterparts. Barcodes and other forms of cutting edge technology are gimmicks big time newspapers and magazines are using to keep readers interested.
"Our goal is to get people to read out paper," said Wells. "We'll do this through whatever ways we have possible."
Advisor Pat Kuper explains the booster club bought the staff five flip cameras to help gather news.
"We just turned them loose and they have been really passionate about incorporating these videos into the paper," said Kuper.
The young journalists of the staff say they know students now want to be able to get information anywhere, in hand, online, on your phone.
"I feel like we're different and ahead at the moment but high school papers are going to be picking up on this soon," said Wells.
Cape Central's paper went through a makeover in the past year. It first scaled back from a big traditional paper to a smaller magazine.
"We are really into the cover," said Brooke Burge. "It's the showcase of it. It gets people to open it up."
The next step includes content. Students of today say they want to give readers more than typical high school news, they want to tell stories that mean something and break boundaries.
One topic in the current issue deals with depression, co-written by Mariah Islas and Andrea Anderson.
"I want to reach people and talk about things nobody talks about," said Islas. "I think of everybody in the school as students we have the most power, and we should use it."
For Anderson, the article was more than just a story; it's her story. She says she struggled with depression for three years. She hoped sharing her battle could not only open minds but change lives.
"I wanted people to know that they can speak up and be heard," said Anderson. "Because there's so many people that deal with that but no one talks about it, I wanted it to be an issue where it's not embarrassing."
"I'm really proud of all the work these students put into this paper," said Kuper. "Many of these spend a lot of long hours here."
Look for more barcodes and video in upcoming editions. You'll also find the paper online on the high school website.
Copyright 2011 KFVS. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and KFVS, a Raycom Media Station. 