It! and Myline

it! and Myline, is the current youth section of The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va. The sections feature articles entirely written by area students. Myline comes out every Tuesday on the backpage of the Family Section, while it! magazine comes out every Thursday as in insert in the Weekender Section. The section is known for its "easy to read" and "most engaging" content. It's quirky headlines also are a source of popularity.

History

In October 1997, Myline made its debut in the paper's Style section.The single page ran every month with contributions from various journalism classes, which determined the content. Myline was discontinued in 2008. [ [http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/102007/10162007/324812 Fredericksburg.com - MyLine section reaches big 10-year milestone BIRTHDAY YOUTH PUBLICATION CELEBRATES A DECADE EDITOR'S NOTE ] ]

The reporter of Neighbor's Section, Wendy LaRue and the newspaper's education director Janet Gibson, began pushing for the paper's very first youth section in 1998. The idea of the section was for young writers to learn the fundamentals of real journalism.

Students review everything from CDs, concerts, movies, books to food.

Staffers have to meet deadlines, conduct interviews, and write entire articles. The stories range anywhere from serious topics such as closed skate parks [ [http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/032007/03152007/265595 Fredericksburg.com - Skate or fate? Area's skate-boarding community faces uncertain future ] ] to Lavatoria (a bathroom that is a country). [ [http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/032007/03272007/269421 Fredericksburg.com - HUMOR ATTEMPT AT BATHROOM COUP FALLS FLAT Student assumes his throne in W.C ] ]

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it! and Myline staffers range from middle school to college. The primary contributers come from both Stafford Senior High School and James Monroe High School.

Several students write comment and personal columns and the group is open to all talented 13 to 18-year-olds.

High School Showcase

In 2007, it! featured it's first High School Showcase. Area high school bands were asked to submit content and the winning band would win a feature story as well as a show booking with Fredericksburg All Ages. The winning bands were "Skwal" and "Ask Me Anything".

References