The Drops of Ink Staff:
Taylor Wanbaugh, Editor-in-Chief
Aubrey Clement, News Editor
Gina Smith, Opinion Editor
Katy Marhenke, Entertainment Editor
Anthony Mack, Sports Editor
Dana Humen, Layout/Design Editor
Thomas Ackerman, Staff Writer
Christine Anderson, Staff Writer
Sarah Blackwell, Staff Writer
Molly Bruns, Staff Writer
Ryanne Bruns, Staff Writer
Hao Chen, Staff Writer
Alyssa Curry, Staff Writer
Elise Houcek, Staff Writer
Kristen Kinast, Staff Writer
Teddy Kopacz, Staff Writer
Orko Manna, Staff Writer
Becca Morozin, Staff Writer
Luke San, Staff Writer
Ria Sangsomwong, Staff Writer
Tyler Skinner, Staff Writer
Jamie Stanley, Staff Writer
Alison Zupkus, Staff Writer
Michael Gluskin, faculty advisor
847.327.7800 ext. 8219
Drops of Ink Editorial Policy
The following are the editorial and advertising policies of Drops of Ink, the Libertyville High School student news publication.
PURPOSE: Drops of Ink is a student-written, edited and produced high school publication that acts as a service to the school and greater community of Libertyville, bringing news of events affecting our readership as well as other education and entertainment. Drops of Ink is a class for credit at Libertyville High School—not an extra-curricular activity—for student journalists, graphic artists and photographers. Students interested in joining Drops of Ink may see their guidance counselor in the spring during student registration.
CONTENT: Drops of Ink is not reviewed by anyone in the District 128 administration prior to publication, but it is expected to abide by the school board’s publications policy. The adviser will act as one who makes sure this happens. The right to make any editorial changes or operating decisions rests with the editorial board, and more specifically, the Editor(s) in Chief; however, the District 128 administration does have the authority to edit or delete material that is inconsistent with the District’s educational mission.
Freelance writing will be accepted, but priority for placement is given to those articles assigned to class members. Freelance photographs are also subject to the terms for freelance writings.
Drops of Ink will strive for accurate and balanced reporting, subject to the constraints of deadlines. Suggestions regarding the paper’s content can be submitted to the Editor(s) in Chief or the adviser via telephone, mail or email.
EDITORIALS: Unsigned staff editorials appearing in the commentary section represent the opinion of the editorial board. Columns and opinion articles that are signed will be denoted as well with a photograph of the writer—except in the case of the website, where district policy disallows any student from being identified through both name and photo. All authors will sign editorials, unless the article represents the editorial board. All opinions in columns are solely the author’s opinions and do not represent the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff, their advertisers, nor the District 128 staff, school board, student body or community.
STAFF WRITING: Drops of Ink staffers will attempt to produce the most well-written, accurate, balanced and informative articles possible. Community members and other readers should be aware, however, that the high school staff members are learners of the journalistic process and are journalists in training. The staff members aim to meet professional journalistic standards but cannot reasonably be expected to do so in all situations. Constructive criticism is welcomed, while ridicule is of little value. Writers with a special interest in a particular sport or organization will not write articles relating to that organization, so as to meet the goal of objectivity in writing.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters will be printed as submitted unless any portion of the letter is in poor taste, libelous or unnecessary to the understanding of the writer’s message. Letters should be no more than 250 words in length (typed, double-spaced); the staff of Drops of Ink reserves the right to edit any letters longer than 250 words. Submissions must include the writer’s name and phone number; unsigned letters will not be printed. Drops of Ink will withhold the writer’s name upon request only if circumstances warrant its absence, and only at the discretion of the Editor(s) in Chief. Drops of Ink will make every attempt to verify all factual statements in letters to the editor, but will ultimately expect the author to have authenticated all statements of fact. Opinions expressed in a letter to the editor do not represent the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff, their advertisers, or District 128. Letters will be printed as space permits.
COLUMNISTS AND CARTOONISTS: Columnists and cartoonists are held to the same editorial standards applied to other parts of the paper and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Drops of Ink editorial board, its staff or of District 128 members.
BYLINES: All articles and photographs will carry a byline, except in the case of a staff editorial.
DEATHS: The death of a student, faculty/staff member or community member will be treated as a news item only when the situation is warranted. This decision is at the editorial board’s discretion. Due to the limited space in the newspaper, not all deaths will be covered. Occasionally, a death will warrant a feature or editorial coverage, in which case, a news item may or may not appear alongside the article.
PROFANITY: Drops of Ink will refrain from the use of profanity except in direct quotes and only when the meaning or connotation of the direct quote warrants its use. Gratuitous use of profanity is always discouraged.
ERRORS: The Drops of Ink staff regrets all factual errors. Any factual statement requiring a correction must be brought to the attention of the Editor(s) in Chief. Misspelled names do not warrant a correction. Corrections will appear in following printed issues, if printed, or will be changed directly, if online. Online corrections will be noted so readers are aware of the change.
ADVERTISING: Drops of Ink accepts advertisements of varying sizes for its print issues and advertisements of a set size for its website (185 pixels x 370 pixels). Ad rates vary from $40-$100. Ads are accepted in a variety of electronic formats and as attachments in email in most cases. The Drops of Ink staff will sometimes create an ad at the merchant’s request. Drops of Ink does not accept advertising which, in the view of the editorial board, is sexist, promotes religion, or is prejudiced against race, ethnicity or creed. The editorial board reserves the right to refuse any ad for its content. Drops of Ink will not run ads for religious groups or establishments, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, family planning or abortion referral clinics, term paper or research services, organized protest groups, dating groups, political campaigns or birth control. Advertisers are required to pay in full after receiving an invoice, sent twice yearly. Ads must not be confused with regular news material and must not be unusual in size or layout. All decisions regarding ads rest with the advisor and the Editor(s) in Chief.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Subscriptions can be purchased voluntarily for $20. A subscription consists of every issue produced for the rest of the school year after the date of received payment.