Join Our Staff

Do you like current events, photography, sports, graphic design, podcasting, or writing? Are you looking for a platform to express your opinions and build your resume? Do you want to get a backstage pass to all that happens at Rock Ridge?

Join The Blaze Newspaper Staff!

We are now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Apply using the link here or see the form below.

Newspaper is offered as a graded elective (it’s not a club; this will be a course in your ’24-’25 schedule).

Course:  Newspaper Journalism I

Course Number:  188000

Grades 10-12

Credit: 1

Prerequisite: Introduction to Journalism OR application process

Why Should I Take Newspaper?

When you join Newspaper, you will gain marketable skills in:

• Writing
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Communication
• Leadership
• Editing
• Marketing
• and much more

Any other reasons? How might this help me in the future?

Research reveals that students in journalism:

• Get better grades in high school
• Score higher on the ACT
• Earn higher grades as college freshmen
• Perform better in 10 of 12 major academic areas
• Write better in 17 of 20 comparisons of collegiate writing.
• Are “doers” in schools — they’re more involved in co-curricular and community activities.
  Information taken from “Journalism Kids Do Better” (Dvorak, 1988). See https://www.kent.edu/csj/value-scholastic-journalism for more information. 

A Little About The Blaze

In true Phoenix style, the 2018-2019 year was a relaunching year for our staff, bringing the program back from the ashes after a brief hiatus. Since then, we expanded our coverage, revamped our website, and grew our social media presence. When distance learning hit us unexpectedly in 2020, the staff of The Blaze proudly continued to produce award-winning student journalism from our homes. Our writing and reporting routinely reaches thousands of visitors a month, and our journalism as been nationally recognized.

We are assembling a team that’s willing to work for excellence. We are looking for investigative journalists who want to ask tough questions about tough topics, social media reporters eager to live-tweet Rock Ridge sporting events (yup, you can do that for a grade ), graphic designers and photographers who can catch the student body’s attention with stunning images, and detail-driven writers and editors with witty prose that deserves to be published. We’re also looking for students to market our product and risk-takers to expand our coverage base.

We hope you’ll apply to join our team! Come see Mr. Anderson in room 1400 or email [email protected] if you have questions!