Revising Your Meeting Story

Wanna improve your grade?Listen up!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIt’s Nap Time, Readers!!!!

On June 28, the school board called a meeting.

The school board met on June 28.

The school board met yesterday to discuss dress code policy.

Wake Up Your Readers!!!!!!!!!!!

• Don’t put your readers to sleep with boring sentences where nothing really happens.

• Tell readers THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING.• And tell them in the first sentence!EXAMPLE OF A GOOD LEDEThe Volusia County School Board voted unanimously to adopt a new dress code.ANOTHER GOOD LEDESay goodbye to your short-shorts. The Volusia County School Board passed a new dress code policy yesterday, and it bans students from wearing some popular clothing choices.

Things You Ought to Report• The school district based the dress code policy on one from Seminole

County Schools.• The dress code policy changed because students are wearing

inappropriate clothing.• The school district will get information out to students and families by

Connect-Ed, the website, flyers sent to stores, etc.• The definitions aren’t very clear.• Trench coats are banned, but it won’t be enforced.• If students don’t comply, school uniforms are the next option.• In January 2012, they’ll take a look at how well the new policy is

working.• The details of some of the new policies.• An overview of some of the changes in dress code policy, including

what the previous policy said and what the new policy says.

Getting Names Right

• A lot of you goofed up names and titles• The Meeting Agenda document lists the

names of the three presenters: Richard Kizma, Nancy Wait and Stan Whitted.

• The March 29 meeting minutes has the names of all of the board members.

• Kizma, Wait and Whitted ARE NOT board members. They are county employees with specific titles.

The Board Members

• Don’t call board members (or anyone else) Mr., Mrs. or Ms.

• Write “board member Judy Conte” the first time.• Write only “Conte” if you use her name again.• You don’t need to report their zones. It’s not

important.

AP Style Issues

Volusia County School Board (capitals!)The date of the meeting should be yesterday. Not June 28 or March 29. Just YESTERDAY.Write January 2012 (No abbreviation without day)