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Story 1 — Write: 2-line headline counting 20-
After four school buses broke down last week, the district struck a temporary agree- ment with the city to use the city buses for two months. “All four buses have major issues and can’t be fixed overnight,” Principal Tess Gonzalez said. “But our students still need transportation daily.” The school district bus drivers will continue to drive the routes, using the city buses. “The buses drive the same, but the city buses have air-conditioning,” bus driver Gil Sands said. “It definitely will be nice, especially in the afternoon.” Sophomore River Brown said he wouldn’t mind riding in the city buses for the rest of the year. “They are really nice and much cooler,” he said. “Maybe the district could put air conditioners in our buses while they are getting fixed.”
Story 2 — Write: 3-line headline with each line counting 10-
The cosmetology class is having a $5 special on manicures for the month of Febru- ary. Students and staff can make appointments during lunch in Room 204. The class offers appointments before and after school. “The manicures take about 20 minutes each, so we can schedule about 10 a day,” senior Rashawn Gregg said. “We just bought a bunch of new spring colors. People will have a lot of choices.” Normally, manicures cost $10. Tipping is not allowed. “Even the regularly-priced manicure is a great deal,” science teacher Dolly Itzle said. “The girls do an amazing job. I am always happy with my results.”
Story 3 — Write: 1-line headline counting 24-
Counselor Nicki Flowers is starting an after-school yoga club for interested students. The club is going to meet on Mondays and Thursdays starting Feb. 8. “Several students have talked to me about stress and how to handle it,” Flowers said. “Yoga is a great way to de-stress yourself. I am not a certified yoga teacher, but I have been doing yoga for more than 10 years.” Flowers said the club will explore the different types of yoga through both practice and study. “I have several yoga CDs that will lead us through a yoga session,” she said. Junior Cassondra Sanders said she is looking forward to the first meeting. “I did yoga a few times with my stepmom, and it was peaceful and relaxing,” she said.
Headline Writing
You are a copy editor for the Leaguetown Press, the student newspaper of League- town High School.
Write the headline as- signed for each of the given six stories. Use the following system: all upper and lower case letters, spaces, punctuation marks and symbols count as 1. Capitalize the first letter of the first word of each headline. You may use either upstyle (capitaliz- ing the first letter of ev- ery word) or downstyle (capitalizing the first let- ter of the first word and the first letter of proper nouns only thereafter). Remember that main headlines belong on the top line and secondary headlines belong under the main headline. You have 45 minutes.
Do not write your name or the name of your school on this sheet or your entry. Put your number on your paper.
Invitational Meet A • 2016
Story 4 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 14-20 and a 2-line secondary headline with
each line counting 22-
The school cafeteria just got a little smoother. Well, smoothier. Cafeteria manager Gail Hester added a smoothie bar to the cafeteria on Monday. Students can choose from 10 varieties of smoothies for under $2.50 each. “It’s another healthy option for students,” Hester said. “We had hoped to have the smoothie stand open at the beginning of the school year, but we were waiting on contracts so the costs would be low.” Junior Hobart Reynolds said he’s bought a smoothie every day this week. “It’s a great value,” he said. “I’ve tried three different kinds. So far my favorite is the strawberry kale smoothie.” Hester said all of the fruits and vegetables are either organic or locally grown. “That was very important to us,” she said. “It took us a bit longer to get this type of produce, but it’s definitely worth it.”
Story 5 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 12-18 and a 2-line secondary headline with each
line counting 15-
Instead of buying chocolates or flowers this Valentine’s Day, the Student Council is hoping to convince students to make a heart donation instead. From Feb. 8-12, the Student Council will be accepting donations for the American Heart Association. Students who donate at least $5 will get a heart to post in the hall. “Students can write their boyfriend or girlfriend’s name on the heart, and we will write the amount donated,” Student Council president Chastidy Evans said. “It’s more romantic to give a donation that can help find a cure for heart disease than to give flowers that will die in a day or two.” The group hopes to raise $2,000 for the AHA. “Last year when math teacher Gerardo Cortes died from a heart attack, the family asked for donations to the AHA instead of flowers,” Evans said. “That got us thinking. We thought it would make for a great fundraiser.”
Story 6 — Write: 1-line headline counting 26-
The teachers will be without a teacher’s lounge for the rest of the school year due to the fire this week. Apparently, the coffee maker was left on overnight and sparked a small fire in the kitchenette of the lounge. “Luckily, the fire didn’t spread further than the sink area,” Principal Tess Gonzalez said. “We will have to close down the lounge so the district can repair the room.” Gonzalez said she is going to set up a few tables in the copy room for teachers who don’t have a classroom or for teachers who lose their classroom during their planning period. “Because of overcrowding issues, we use almost every classroom every period of the day,” she said. “We don’t have another room to open for teachers, but we are going to try to make the copy room as comfortable as possible. Unfor- tunately, it’s just not that big.”
2016 INVITATIONAL A HEADLINES • PAGE 2
Story 1 — Write: 2-line headline counting 20-
Because of a computer error, students will have to revote for Student Council officers next Friday during third period. More than 50 percent of the votes were lost when the computer server crashed. “We back up most everything on campus, but we didn’t think to back up the votes because we only needed the count for a day or two,” technology director Rita Ybarra said. Student Council sponsor Quita Prater said she will release a schedule by Wednesday for teachers so they know when to bring their class to the computer lab. “We’ve learned our lesson,” Prater said. “Ms. Ybarra is going to back up the votes after each class finishes.” Sophomore Heather Hester said she is frustrated by the revote. “I am running for treasurer, and I already took down all of my posters because I thought the election was over,” she said. “Now I am afraid people won’t vote for me.”
Story 2 — Write: 3-line headline with each line counting 10-
After surveying students about classes for next year, Principal Ted Enos said the course sheets will have more choices in March, including a computer graphics class and an auto tech class. “Our electives were not meeting the needs of our students,” Enos said. “We will not necessarily offer every class on the choice sheet, but if a new class has enough en- rollment, we will do our best to find a teacher for it.” Junior Todd Lewis said he suggested an auto tech course on the survey. “When my cousin was in high school he took an auto tech course, and now he’s working as a part-time mechanic to pay for his college,” Lewis said. “He makes a lot more money than working in the college library.”
Story 3 — Write: 2-line headline with each line counting 16-
Rather than holding one week-long fundraiser like selling candy or cookie dough, the freshman class opted to open a school store for the rest of the year. The store will sell school supplies like pens, paper, notebooks, etc., and it will open next week. “It was Ms. (Beverly) Cast’s idea,” freshman class president Shilo Tavertine said. “She said students always come to her class unprepared, so we think the store will be a great fundraiser and a great service to the students.” The store will be in the old custodian closet near the front office and will be open from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and during both lunches. “We thought we might have issues getting people to work the store, but we have the entire month covered, and we didn’t have to beg,” Tavertine said.
Headline Writing
You are a copy editor for the Leaguetown Press, the student newspaper of League- town High School.
Write the headline as- signed for each of the given six stories. Use the following system: all upper and lower case letters, spaces, punctuation marks and symbols count as 1. Capitalize the first letter of the first word of each headline. You may use either upstyle (capitaliz- ing the first letter of ev- ery word) or downstyle (capitalizing the first let- ter of the first word and the first letter of proper nouns only thereafter). Remember that main headlines belong on the top line and secondary headlines belong under the main headline. You have 45 minutes.
Do not write your name or the name of your school on this sheet or your entry. Put your number on your paper.
Invitational Meet B • 2016
Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the contest and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immedi- ate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judges.
- Headline writing is different than the other contests. It is suggested you pace yourself. You have about 7 1/2 minutes for each headline. Don’t watch the clock, but be aware of the time you are taking to complete a headline. It is better to have four or five good headlines rather than six mediocre ones.
- When writing the headline, first highlight or underline all the important words in the story. Then write a sen- tence based on those highlighted words.
- After you have your first sentence, go back and begin editing out words. If you have a multi-line headline, separate the lines at a recommended area. This means you should not split phrases or ideas. Make sure all types of phrases — noun, verb, adverbial, adjective and prepositional phrases especially — are on the same line. Continue eliminating words until you get to a point where the headline fits. It may be necessary to re-write the headline one or more times or to take a different approach before you get the key idea. Remember to eliminate all unnecessary words such as article adjectives (a, an, the). In many cases a comma (,) can substitute for the word “and.”
- You may use a thesaurus or dictionary, either bound or electronic. You may write in block letters. You should not be penalized for inconsistency in upstyle or downstyle.
- Make sure you are within the prescribed count. Under no circumstances should you go over the maximum count. Judges are instructed to disqualify any headline under and over the prescribed count.
- Write headlines using active verbs in either present, future or present perfect tense. Follow the style of the headline — if it is a fun story, write a fun headline; if it is a serious story, write a serious headline.
- Do not sacrifice accuracy for creativity or cuteness.
- Normally, the main headline is used to grab the reader’s attention. It is not necessary, although it is possible, to have a verb in the main headline when you have a secondary headline. The secondary headline should do one of two things: emphasize the significant aspects of the story or emphasize the unusual.
- Please note that AP does not have a style dealing with headlines. Most newspapers create their own style; so using numbers or spelling them out is acceptable either way as long as the writer is consistent.
The following are additional basic headline rules for you to follow:
- avoid starting the headline with a verb
- always use single quotes
- avoid using the same word twice in a headline
- use active verbs, not passive verbs
- try to write in present or future tense
- avoid unfamiliar abbreviations
- do not end the headline with a period
INVITATIONAL B • 2016 HEADLINE WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLES
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!
2016 INVITATIONAL B HEADLINES • KEY PAGE 1
Story 4 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 12-19 and a 2-line secondary headline with
each line counting 18-
Senior Richie Potter is never going to leave his car windows open during school again. On Friday, when Richie jumped in his car to head home after school, he wasn’t alone. “As soon as I started to pull out of my parking space, I felt a tiny hand on my shoulder,” Richie said. “I jumped and screamed — which was exactly the wrong thing to do.” The little hand, attached to a big raccoon, started scratching and slapping at Richie. “I threw the car into park and jumped out,” he said. “I was screaming the entire time.” Assistant Principal Sheryl Filler, who witnessed the scene, ran over to Richie and was able to coax the raccoon out of the car into a large box. “We wanted to have animal control check out the raccoon and place him where he needs to be,” she said. After the raccoon was trapped, Richie and Filler went to the emergency room where Richie received his first round of rabies shots. “The raccoon looked fine, but the doctors and my parents were taking all precautions,” he said. “I could have done without the shots, but I understand their point. One thing I am sure of — I will always close my car windows.”
Story 5 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 22-28 and a 1-line secondary headline counting
One Thing. Two Thing. Red Fish. Blue Fish. Dr. Seuss is back. Or at least, he’s back in the hallways. When students returned from the one-week spring break, they discovered newly-painted lockers. The traditional blue lockers were painted with scenes from Dr. Seuss books. It was an Art Club surprise. “The art students had the idea after seeing a video about students who painted murals throughout the school,” art teacher Maribel Gomez said. “We got the go-ahead from the administrators and worked long crazy hours during spring break to surprise everyone.” Students were definitely surprised. “Part of Thing One is on my locker,” senior Sydney Repo said. “I love it. The halls look so much different — better different.” Junior Cassie Yedder said the paintings have changed the mood in the hallways. “Before, everyone would grumble in the hallways about classes and work and stuff like that,” she said. “How can anyone be upset now when they have the Cat in the Hat looking right at them? Everyone seems so much happier.”
Story 6 — Write: 1-line headline counting 26-
The Student Council is sponsoring a Walk-A-Thon Against Bullying next Friday at Bonner Park. The money raised will be donated to 1-800-No Bully(ing), the national hotline for youths threatened by bullying. Registration for the10K walk is $5 for those 18 and younger and $10 for 19 and older. “We want to continue to bring awareness to this issue,” Student Council president Chloe Stamps said. “We also want to be a part of the solution by helping the hotline.” Stamps said they kept the registration cost low so more students could participate. “Participants can always add a donation to their registration fee if they want,” Stamps said. “We are not going to turn any money away.” The hotline needs almost $1 million a year to provide services to youth across the nation. “Donations keep us alive,” hotline director Trenton Stiles said. “Last year, we received more than 100,000 phone calls from youth who needed help. I like to think a lot of young people are alive today because we were there to answer their call. We were there to answer the call because of people like Chloe and the other council members.”
2016 DISTRICT1 HEADLINES • PAGE 2
District 1 Meet • 2016 Headline Writing Entry Sheet
All letters (upper and lower case), numbers, punctuation marks, symbols and spaces count as one (1). Place one letter or other unit in the appropriate spaces below. Remember to leave spaces between words. Note that the number of lines you are given on this sheet corresponds to the number of lines required for each headline.
Write your number on the upper right-hand corner of this sheet.
Contestant’s Number
Headline Number 1 1
Headline Number 2
Headline Number 3 1
Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the contest and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immedi- ate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judges.
- Headline writing is different than the other contests. It is suggested you pace yourself. You have about 7 1/2 minutes for each headline. Don’t watch the clock but be aware of the time you are taking to complete a headline. It is better to have four or five good headlines rather than six mediocre ones.
- When writing the headline, first highlight or underline all the important words in the story. Then write a sen- tence based on those highlighted words.
- After you have your first sentence, go back and begin editing out words. If you have a multi-line headline, separate the lines at a recommended area. This means you should not split phrases or ideas. Make sure all types of phrases — noun, verb, adverbial, adjective and prepositional phrases especially — are on the same line. Continue eliminating words until you get to a point where the headline fits. It may be necessary to re-write the headline one or more times or to take a different approach before you get the key idea. Remember to eliminate all unnecessary words such as article adjectives (a, an, the). In many cases a comma (,) can substitute for the word “and.”
- You may use a thesaurus or dictionary, either bound or electronic. You should maintain consistency between upstyle and downstyle. You may write in block letters.
- Make sure you are within the prescribed count. Judges are instructed to disqualify any headline that is over or under the prescribed count.
- Write headlines using active verbs in either present, future or present perfect tense. Follow the style of the headline — if it is a fun story, write a fun headline; consequently, if it is a serious story, write a serious headline.
- Do not sacrifice accuracy for creativity or cuteness.
- Normally, the main headline is used to grab the reader’s attention. It is not necessary, although it is possible, to have a verb in the main headline when you have a secondary headline. The secondary headline should do one of two things: emphasize the significant aspects of the story or emphasize the unusual.
- Please note that AP does not have a style dealing with headlines. Most newspapers create their own style, so using numbers or spelling them out is acceptable either way as long as the writer is consistent.
The following are additional basic headlines rules for you to follow:
- avoid starting the headline with a verb
- generally avoid using names
- always use single quotes
- avoid using the same word twice in a headline
- use active verbs, not passive verbs
- try to write in present or future tense
- avoid unfamiliar abbreviations
- do not end the headline with a period
DISTRICT 1 • 2016 H EADLINE WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLES
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!
Story 4 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 12-19 and a 2-line secondary headline with
each line counting 18-
To avoid the risk of being too risque, Mr. Leaguetown pageant officials have altered the swimsuit portion of next week’s competition. All males may now wear grass hula skirts with their bathing suits. “It’s definitely better this way,” senior Pete River said. “I felt naked during rehearsals, standing on stage in my speedo. Plus, the hula skirt adds a little extra flair.” Senior Robbie Benton said his mother is working on his hula skirt. “When the officials told us last night that we could wear a skirt, I was so psyched,” he said. “But I don’t want a regular, plain hula skirt. My mom is adding flowers and beads. It’s going to blow the judges away.” The male participants will compete in three categories — formal wear, talent and bathing suit. “My cousin won last year, so I have some family pressure to bring home the crown,” Benton said. “I plan to wear his lucky garter.”
Story 5 — Write: 1-line main headline counting 14-21 and a 1-line secondary headline counting
Junior Kaitlyn Moss dreamed of seeing a humpback whale, but she never wanted to swim with one. Somehow, Kaitlyn did both over spring break. While she and her dad were kayaking at Moss Landing in California, a bay known for humpback whale viewing, a whale landed on the front of their boat, toppling Kaitlyn and her dad into the water. “We were kayaking so we could get a better view of the whales,” she said. Neither Kaitlyn nor her father were hurt, but the pair had a difficult time climbing back into the kayak. “The water was pretty rough after a second whale broke the surface, so we just hung onto the kayak and watched,” she said. “It was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” With her waterproof camera, Kaitlyn took pictures of the second whale surfacing. “I would have been devastated if I hadn’t gotten any photos,” she said. “I didn’t get any photos of the first whale, but some tourists on another boat shot video. They sent it to my dad last week. It’s wild. You can see my dad and me fly into the air as the huge whale slammed our kayak.”
Story 6 — Write: 1-line headline counting 26-
After participating in her church’s handbell musical group, sophomore Trudy Easten decided to start a club, and in only one semester, it has grown to more than 20 participants. The club will have its first performance at 7 p.m. Friday in the school auditorium. The concert is free. “I am still amazed at how big our group grew and how talented our group is,” Easten said. “We are going to perform nine songs Friday night. A few girls from choir are going to sing during our last song.” Easten’s church, Graceline Church, donated two sets of bells to the group. “Without the donation, I don’t think we could have the club,” Easten said. “Handbells cost about $1,000 per set. Our bells are not fancy, but they have great sound.” Junior Tamika Keys joined the group two months ago and will perform in two songs at the concert. “I’ve never played an instrument, so I thought it would take a long time to learn,” she said. “But it didn’t. I love the sounds of the bells. It’s so beautiful and soothing.”
2016 DISTRICT2 HEADLINES • PAGE 2
District 2 Meet • 2016 Headline Writing Entry Sheet
All letters (upper and lower case), numbers, punctuation marks, symbols and spaces count as one (1). Place one letter or other unit in the appropriate spaces below. Remember to leave spaces between words. Note that the number of lines you are given on this sheet corresponds to the number of lines required for each headline.
Write your number on the upper right-hand corner of this sheet.
Contestant’s Number
Headline Number 1 1
Headline Number 2
Headline Number 3 1
Contest Director: Give one copy to each judge to use during critique/judging. Also, staple one copy of the contest and one copy of the contest tips to each student’s returned entry. The purpose of the tips is to provide immedi- ate feedback to students. However, it is not meant to replace written comments from the judges.
- Headline writing is different than the other contests. It is suggested you pace yourself. You have about 7 1/2 minutes for each headline. Don’t watch the clock but be aware of the time you are taking to complete a headline. It is better to have four or five good headlines rather than six mediocre ones.
- When writing the headline, first highlight or underline all the important words in the story. Then write a sen- tence based on those highlighted words.
- After you have your first sentence, go back and begin editing out words. If you have a multi-line headline, separate the lines at a recommended area. This means you should not split phrases or ideas. Make sure all types of phrases — noun, verb, adverbial, adjective and prepositional phrases especially — are on the same line. Continue eliminating words until you get to a point where the headline fits. It may be necessary to re-write the headline one or more times or to take a different approach before you get the key idea. Remember to eliminate all unnecessary words such as article adjectives (a, an, the). In many cases a comma (,) can substitute for the word “and.”
- You may use a thesaurus or dictionary, either bound or electronic. You should maintain consistency between upstyle and downstyle. You may write in block letters.
- Make sure you are within the prescribed count. Judges are instructed to disqualify any headline that is over or under the prescribed count.
- Write headlines using active verbs in either present, future or present perfect tense. Follow the style of the headline — if it is a fun story, write a fun headline; consequently, if it is a serious story, write a serious headline.
- Do not sacrifice accuracy for creativity or cuteness.
- Normally, the main headline is used to grab the reader’s attention. It is not necessary, although it is possible, to have a verb in the main headline when you have a secondary headline. The secondary headline should do one of two things: emphasize the significant aspects of the story or emphasize the unusual.
- Please note that AP does not have a style dealing with headlines. Most newspapers create their own style, so using numbers or spelling them out is acceptable either way as long as the writer is consistent.
The following are additional basic headlines rules for you to follow:
- avoid starting the headline with a verb
- generally avoid using names
- always use single quotes
- avoid using the same word twice in a headline
- use active verbs, not passive verbs
- try to write in present or future tense
- avoid unfamiliar abbreviations
- do not end the headline with a period
DISTRICT 2 • 2016 H EADLINE WRITING CONTEST TIPS AND SAMPLES
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONTEST!
- District to use city buses
- until repairs completed
- Cosmetology class
- hosts $5 special
- on manicures
- Counselor launches yoga club
- A smooth start
- Cafeteria opens drink bar
- adding healthy lunch choice
- Romancing a cure
- Fundraiser to collect
- for heart association
- Staff lounge closed due to fire
- 2016 INVITATIONAL A HEADLINES • KEY PAGE
- StuCo revote on Friday
- due to computer crash
- School to add
- more electives
- to choice sheets
- Freshmen to open
- school supply store
- When cows fly
- Thrown brisket knocks
- sophomore out cold
- Vandals deface gym,
- cameras yield suspects
- Double down
- Twin teachers make history again
- 2016 INVITATIONAL B HEADLINES • KEY PAGE
- Tennis court repairs
- to begin June
- Senior restores
- 1957 tractor,
- wins $10,000
- Seniors vie for scholarships
- with service projects
- Backseat bandit
- Raccoon surprises senior
- who left windows open
- Just what the Dr. ordered
- Locker art delights students
- StuCo to host anti-bullying walk
- 2016 DISTRICT 1 HEADLINES • PAGE
- School to end early Friday
- for window replacement
- Powderpuff game
- moved to stadium
- due to big crowd
- Four exits now open after school
- Skirting the issue
- Pageant makes changes
- to swimsuit competition
- Whale, hello there
- Humpback topples junior into bay
- Handbell concert set for Friday
- 2016 DISTRICT 2 HEADLINES • PAGE
