Touch of CLASS!

Kirk Baird

Monday, March 28, 2005 | 8:12 a.m.

Drunken driving. Date rape. Drug use. They are not necessarily topics covered by a high school newspaper.

Then again, CLASS! isn't your typical high school publication.

Written by and for Southern Nevada high school students, the monthly newsmagazine isn't affiliated with the Clark County School District, which, the student writers say, allows the publication considerable editorial freedom.

Brianna Rizzo, a 15-year-old sophomore at Cimarron-Memorial High School and an intern at CLASS! recently wrote an opinion piece on the benefits of abstinence.

"I'd never in a million years be able to have that published in my school (newspaper)," she said. "You don't have to worry about that with CLASS! because they're different from school."

Another CLASS! intern, Jamie DeSoto, said the ability for students to cover such topics is important.

"At a high school newspaper you talk about school spirit and who's wearing what. But serious topics need to be discussed so teens can hear about them and think about them," said DeSoto, an 18-year-old Mojave High School senior. "You really feel that CLASS! helps with that."

Funded by grants and corporate and private donations, CLASS! publishes 30,000 issues a month and is distributed to 100 locations throughout Las Vegas, including 48 public, private and alternative high schools.

Founded 11 years ago, CLASS! is run out of a two-room office in a UNLV campus building. The university donated the space in exchange for a full-page ad in each issue.

The two-room office is crowded with adults who run the day-to-day operation of CLASS! including editing the stories, selling ads and designing the cover of the tabloid-sized publication.

There's a staff of 28 high school interns to generate many of the 40-60 articles that run in the magazine. CLASS! also relies on student submissions which number up to 200 a month.

"A lot of kids think they have to be a journalism student in school. That's not true," said Allie Smith, 33, the executive director/editor of CLASS! "If a high school student has an opinion Vand I've yet to meet one who does not they are eligible to submit articles."

Alex Carrillo had an opinion of the Paris Las Vegas musical "We Will Rock You," but had never written a review piece before joining CLASS!

The 15-year-old freshman at Liberty High School read other reviews online "and started getting the idea" before writing his analysis:

"Even if you weren't a fan of Queen's music or of rock 'n' roll, you'll find yourself falling in love with the characters, and you'll be singing along with the actors in 'We are the Champions,' " Carrillo wrote in his review. "This production brings back the meaning of rock 'n' roll and the importance of music not only in our time, but as well as for the future."

His favorable review of the production, based on music by Queen, was well-received by his peers.

"A lot of people told me they liked it and they told me it persuaded them to go see the show," he said.

While having a story published might boost self-esteem, Smith said the main purpose of CLASS! is to give high school students a chance to be heard.

"We're the only non-school district publication distributed in high school," she said. "Teens read what other teens are going through throughout the county."

In addition to internships, CLASS! offers college scholarships and journalism workshops. On Saturday the newsmagazine has its annual "An Evening with CLASS!" invitation-only benefit dinner, which features PBS political reporter Gwen Ifill as guest speaker.

Previous benefit speakers include Linda Ellerbee, Steve Kroft, Brian Williams and Helen Thomas. Among the high-profile readers of the publication are Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"CLASS! promotes reading and writing among high school students, highlights the positive news about young people and encourages teenagers to value their First Amendment freedoms," Reid, the Senate minority leader, wrote in a recent letter to the magazine. "Each month, I look forward to learning from Clark County High School students about what is most important to them and the major issues affecting their lives.

"I am impressed by the creative and high-quality work each student contributes to this informative magazine."

Before joining CLASS! as an intern a year ago, Edna Gonzalez said she read the publication because of its in-depth articles.

"They were targeting issues and topics that a lot of newspapers and magazines don't want to talk about," she said.

The 17-year-old junior at Liberty High School has since written articles on a diverse range of topics: homecoming dances, school uniforms and the March cover story on art and culture.

An advance placement and honors English student, Gonzalez said writing for CLASS! has improved her reporting skills, especially with "getting out there and researching."

Experience with the magazine has even given her thoughts of a career in journalism.

"I'm considering maybe majoring in journalism," Gonzalez said. "But right now my focus is on being a lawyer."