“Here to Stay,” the theme of this year’s Scholastic Journalism Week, highlights the importance of student journalism in schools all over the world.

The Panther Press has worked to inform Strath Haven students about local and global issues as well as document important events and trends over the last 40 years.

As we look back through old print issues of the school’s paper, events from four decades are recorded along with entertainment columns that showcase the essence of the paper over time.

OCTOBER 14, 1983

In the first-ever edition of The Panther Press at Strath Haven High School after Swarthmore High School and Nether Providence High School merged, the editorial board chose to write a column reviewing the beginning of Strath Haven’s founding school year. They discussed the great start to the school year and stated that they hope “it will maintain its swift pace.”

MATTEO: I like that they reviewed the school. It gives the new administration a morale boost that could have helped them improve the new school even more.

SASHA: We did something like this at the beginning of the year. For the first issue, I think it’s a great way to start off. A good introduction to the year; making a statement.

Also in the first edition, 40 years ago: A second editorial that describes the conflict between classes that meet during “ninth period”—think fifth block, like chorus and band—and clubs, activities, and publications that also need to meet during this time.

We think the loud ‘pop’ in the corner of the classroom was our adviser’s head exploding when she read this column, and we haven’t seen her since.

OCTOBER 14, 1983

Also in the first edition, a reporter chose to write a comical story about ‘Smurf Day’. It is an entertaining read about a student who goes to lunch and struggles with obtaining his food in the cafeteria because the dining staff was selling Smurfette Burgers.

We have been unable to confirm whether any part of this story is factual.

MATTEO: I found it very funny. I liked the way it was written because it started off as a normal event, and ended as an embarrassing event. We need this.

SASHA: Smurf Day: the kind of story I’d want to read in every issue.

DECEMBER 11, 1987

In 1987, The Panther Press wrote a best and worst column. In this column, they surveyed the positive and negative aspects of the 1987 school year at Strath Haven. They came up with many subtopics to review, including the best and worst album, the best and worst place to go on a date, and the best and worst day way to reject a date offer.

MATTEO: I like how this column combines comedy and advice. It helps people while still keeping its comedy

SASHA: “While I disagree with some of these takes—for example, getting out of a date with the excuse, “I have to visit my sick aunt”—I think it’d be fun to review the bests and worsts every now and then.”

JANUARY 29, 1988

The Panther Press covered news on the Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court Case, which surrounded issues of censorship in school newspapers. The article discusses how the Hazelwood cases are relevant to Strath Haven and gives examples of student and administrative feedback. Censorship was and still is a prevalent issue for student-run newspaper publications and The Panther Press’s 1988 article focuses on Hazelwood’s impact.

A related editorial in the same issue takes the stance that censorship threatens academic freedom.

MATTEO: I’m glad that The Panther Press covered this topic. It shows how this newspaper used to cover heavy topics with no fear at all.

SASHA: This is a vital story for a newspaper staff to cover. We still discuss the Hazelwood Case now in 2024, so I’m grateful for their coverage of it when it first sparked concern.

DECEMBER 15, 1989

“Fads, Facts shaped the decade”, was written in a 1989 edition of The Panther Press. The article showcased features from the eighties and what made the decade what it was. It includes fun facts and vital trends from each year. Some of the notable events were the death of John Lennon and Prince Charles’s marriage to Lady Diana’s marriage, with trends like Pacman, Lasertag, and Madonna’s increasing popularity listed as well.

MATTEO: This is similar to the ‘Year in Review’ that we do now. It contained the interests of anyone because it included world news, games, and music. We do some global events columns in The Panther Press and I believe that we should write more. The only problem is that it is hard for someone to write about a heavy topic in which people have various opinions.

SASHA: Everyone loves a good fad or fun fact…especially me. Why did we stop noting the breaking news events that take over the minds of students the way these events did in 1989? I think discussing important global events and phenomena is as relevant as discussing school issues, especially in terms of student interest. Obviously, we are a school paper, and our main focus is the school and its students, but our job is also to document things that impact the student body besides school. After all, teenagers love their fads.

DECEMBER 15, 1989

The Panther Press, continuing its review of the decade, lists slang words that shaped the eighties. Phrases like “Boo on You Goober” are coined and put into perspective changes made over the last thirty years. Familiar slang words like “chill out”, “dude”, and “awesome” were just starting out in 1989; meanwhile, we don’t bat an eye at those common words nowadays. How bizarre is that?

MATTEO: This is just comedy. I will be honest: I feel like this was put in The Panther Press just to cover some space. Maybe it was; the column states it is a reprint from 1984. It is a useless article but it is funny. It does also count toward a document that will be seen in the future so that people can see what language was like in 1989.

SASHA: I think it’s funny how teens form slang words, and how we use them in different ways. This article makes a spectacle of the word, “Goober,” meanwhile my friends and I use it to poke fun at each other while also recognizing that it’s out of date. All of the words noted in this article are familiar to me, except I don’t view them as slang–-to me they’re just normal, everyday words. I wonder if the words we use in 2024 will sound as funny to kids 30 years from now as words like “goober” and “gnarly” do to me.