Unleashed will be back in fall as school districts step up

YAKIMA, Wash.-- Unleashed, the popular journalism program for teens that fell victim to budget cuts at the Yakima Herald-Republic earlier this year, will return under a restructured format in the fall.

Educational Service District 105 in cooperation with area school districts will hire a part-time coordinator to oversee the program and supervise student news-gathering efforts for publication every other Sunday in the Life in the Northwest section of the Herald-Republic.

Additional content, including photos, will be published in the daily paper, according to Editor Bob Crider, who added that other details are being finalized.

"The educators in our schools agreed with the outpouring of community support for Unleashed following its loss," Jane Gutting, ESD 105 superintendent, said in a Friday news release.

Each participating school district will fund at least one student for the first year. Additional money from grants will be sought to expand the program. Funding a bare-bones program for one year will cost about $12,000, according to ESD officials.

The Herald-Republic will make a new push for advertising support for the section and absorb other costs associated with publishing student-produced content, said Publisher Michael Shepard.

"Our readers told us just how important this content was to them and we are grateful the schools see the value of this journalistic effort as well," he said.

Approximately 24 students will be able to work for Unleashed.

They will be supervised by the coordinator, who will be hired under contract with the ESD. A three-member committee representing ESD, the schools and the newspaper expects to select a coordinator soon.

In addition to Yakima, participating districts include high schools in East Valley, Ellensburg, Grandview, Highland, Mabton, Mattawa, Selah, Sunnyside, Toppenish, West Valley and White Swan. La Salle and Riverside Christian high schools are also participants.

The goal is to have at least one student from each participating high school.

Since its beginning in 1999, about 300 students have worked as Unleashed journalists. The program has received numerous national awards.

Students interested in working as journalists for Unleashed beginning in September can contact their local school district administrative office or David Goehner of ESD at davidg@esd105.wednet.edu or 509-454-3131.