“For the students, by the students, since 1935,” is a slogan for the WHS journalism program that holds great meaning. Three publications, Hi’s Eye, Hi’s Eye Sports and Optic Magazine, are completely student-run and Hi’s Eye is one of the last remaining weekly printed high school publications left in the country.

The lack of funding from the high school gives students a unique opportunity to both remain completely independent (without censorship) and learn the required skills to manage the business side of the publications. With that being said, with inflation and rising costs, managing this business and having enough money to keep the publications going long-term are dwindling. Without the help of the community through donations and subscriptions, our publications may be in financial jeopardy within the next decade.

The appeal of this program overall has led to strong student demand to be part of this journalism community. Students are able to get hands-on experience interacting with each other and the broader community on a wide range of issues and topics that impact both our local and broader environment.

Optic Magazine alum Olivia Falletta said, “The WHS journalism program was a great opportunity for me to come out of my shell. Having to go out in person and conduct interviews with business owners, experts, etc. was scary at first but it really taught me how to be a professional and communicate well.”

Not only has this program helped students with public speaking skills, but it has also shaped so many kids’ high school experiences for the better. Hi’s Eye alum Lainey Deignan said, “The program allowed me to express myself and write about topics that I was passionate about, which not many kids get the opportunity to do.”

Since it is an independent publication, students are allowed to learn about responsibility and ownership. This program is an art that has created a safe outlet for students to learn how to express themselves in an organized manner and experience special opportunities.

“WHS journalism has allowed me to be the person I am today. If I had never done journalism I wouldn’t have the same motivation and organization. It brought me opportunities that I have always dreamed of like going to the Jets practice facility, announcing baseball games and more,” Hi’s Eye Sports alum Drew Kornfeld said.

Additionally, the WHS journalism program is particularly special to me given a longstanding tradition in my family. I am a junior at WHS who will be contributing to both the Hi’s Eye and Hi’s Eye Sports publications during my senior year. My inspiration to join the program comes from my father, Marc Koslowsky, who was an editor of Hi’s Eye in 1993-94.

Marc Koslowsky said, “ Hi’s Eye was hands down my favorite experience at WHS. There were many late nights at school crunching to meet a deadline. Looking back, these moments built long-standing friendships and prepared me to meet future challenges in a professional environment.”

Not only have I seen this program through my father’s experience, but I also have through my older sister Ava. “I felt so proud carrying the Koslowsky name in this publication through a new generation. I feel every family should have the opportunity to do the same and I thank this program for helping me become a more confident person,” Ava Koslowsky said.

I shared my own personal experience in the hopes of shedding light on the significance of this program for both WHS and the broader WHS community. I have learned the importance of teamwork and how collaborating with my peers creates these award-winning publications. I have also become more confident, putting myself out there to interview students, faculty and members of the community on a wide range of topics and sometimes delicate issues.

So while this all sounds altruistic and exhilarating, here’s the real deal.

Since COVID-19, the print price for newspapers has only gone up. Given a combination of a weekly newspaper and quarterly magazine, these rising costs have placed an increasing burden on our program. We want to preserve these unique publications for future generations of aspiring journalists.

If you are a WHS parent, student, alumni or member of the community, I encourage you to subscribe to one of our many publications. The new subscription form will be posted on hiseye.org in August. We can also discuss advertising with businesses as well, if you would like to reach out about that. Most importantly, we will happily and gratefully accept donations to help our program financially. We cannot accept electronic payments due to our student activity policies, but you can write a check made out to Westfield High School and mail it to the school at the following address: Westfield High School Hi’s Eye 550 Dorian Road Westfield, NJ 07090 We can be contacted at hiseye23.24@gmail.com We thank you for your support of this unique and important program at Westfield High School. Your donations, subscriptions and support will help us maintain what we have created for the foreseeable future.