How, exactly, can one high school newspaper improve? By taking a trip to learn and collaborate with another high school newspaper.

Collaboration is exactly what happened on Jan. 26, when members of The Warrior Wire staff traveled to Grady High School to meet with editors and staff members of the Grady High Southerner. The Southerner, one of the state’s most decorated high school newspapers, is the capstone periodical of Grady High School’s long-established journalism program.

Wire editor in chief Summer Epps said the trip was an opportunity to envision what direction North Atlanta’s school paper might take in the years to come. “We’ve long admired their paper so it was really informative to talk to their leaders and hear about the kind of sacrifices it takes to put out a paper with that level of content,” Epps said.

Between the two schools, there’s a long-running rivalry that touches every aspect of school and athletic life. Despite this reality, Epps, a senior, noted the camaraderie that existed between the two newspaper staffs. “I expected it to be more awkward then it was,” she said. “But not only were they welcoming and nice, but they also were very open to sharing what they’ve learned and how they operate.”

Epps was joined by other Wire staffers along with Wire editors Kate Everly and Anna Day. The Southerner benefits from Grady’s well-established newspaper program, a by-product of its one-time magnet school status with a journalism pathway. When North Atlanta’s was a magnet school the emphasis was on the fine arts, so the school’s journalism pathway traditions are not as established. “I could see the degree of teamwork they had, and it really shows in their printed and online products,” Epps said.

The multi-sectioned newspaper, a perennial winner in the Georgia Scholastic Press Association contests, has been published since the 1940s and features a staff that exceeds 50 students across three classes. The Wire, in contrast, is earlier in its journey as a school publication. The first print edition of the Warrior Wire was published in spring 2015 and the Wire staff currently numbers around 20 from just one class.

Epps said down the road she envisions the Wire with more sections, more graphics and even stronger levels of reporting content. “We’ve made massive strides in the short time I’ve been here,” she said. “The Grady trip just helps us all to know where we ultimately want to go.”