About The Register
The Omaha Central Register is the award-winning student newspaper of Omaha Central High School. We are dedicated to helping Central students understand one another, the high school and the world through independent, deeply reported scholastic journalism. With an enterprising team of student journalists at Central, we cover a range of topics including student life, faculty, administration, academics, sports and the arts.
Our signature newspaper is published six times every school year and showcases our very best reporting. The print issues are delivered to newsstands throughout the school and to the English classes. Our online publication produces written and visual journalism continuously throughout the school year. The Register goes on a hiatus from June through August while students are on summer recess.
As a student news organization, our work is supported by Central High School, the Central High School Foundation, the Omaha Public Schools Foundation, advertisers, and individual donors. The student journalists of The Register have full authority over all news judgements and maintain strict editorial independence from all funders, including the school and its administrators.
The Register was established in 1886 as a paper “of the scholars, for the scholars, by the scholars”, rooted in the belief that student journalism has the power to foster community and enrich the Central High experience. Over a century later, our staff remains committed to cause of a more informed student body, one inspired to engage with the issues and ideas shaping their lives.
The Register is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Nebraska High School Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and hosts a chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists.
Our History
The Register is the oldest continuously published newspaper west of the Mississippi River. Since 1886, the student journalists of The Register have gone to great lengths to seek out the most important stories at Central. This unwavering commitment to deeply reported journalism has led us to uplift students’ voices, document their experiences, and bear witness to the making of school history. The name of our publication reflects this crucial function. In its news gathering and commentary, The Register not only informs current students, but also crafts a record of the people and events that defined Central through the years. Today, the pages of The Register contain the most complete history of Central High School in existence.
Ethics and Standards
The Regsiter practices and promotes scholastic journalism in the interest of Central students. In order for us to fulfill this mission, it is essential that our readers always trust in the integrity and accuracy of our reporting. We build on that trust every day through exercising our best independent judgements when seeking, recording and presenting the truth to our peers. Any real or perceived bias or conflict of interest by our journalists risks sowing a mistrust with our readers that would undermine our mission. Therefore, The Register strives to maintain the highest standards of journalistic ethics in all of its proceedings. The student journalists of The Register are stewards, not owners, of the paper. We take seriously our responsibility to uphold the values and principles that have guided The Register for more than a century.
Awards and Honors
We pursue stories that offer insight and inspire accountability, and we are honored to have been recognized for the excellence of our journalism on the local, state and national levels. The Register is a multiple time Best-in-Show winner for large newspapers at the JEA/NSPA national conventions in San Francisco, Boston, Phoenix, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Chicago, Orlando and Los Angeles. The Register also won first place in Front Page News Layout for large newspapers at the JEA/NSPA convention in St. Louis. The Register has won multiple Pacemakers from the NSPA, which is considered the Pulitzer Prize of high school journalism. It has also won many Cornhusker awards from NHSPA and has been awarded the Gold and Silver Crowns from Central Scholastic Press Association for its overall work.
Adviser
Brody Hilgenkamp is the third year journalism adviser at Central. He hails from Laramie, Wyo., and went to Doane College and graduated in 2014 with a degree in journalism and media. Outside of the Register, Mr. Hilgenkamp can be found reading, spending time with his wife and son’s, and following the Chicago Cubs.
Submissions
The Register Opinion aims to promote a free exchange of ideas and perspectives throughout the school. We welcome guest contributions from all students, teachers, administrators, parents, alumni and friends of Central. The best opinion essays draw from both personal experience and research to make a persuasive argument on a topic. All opinion essays must be exclusive to The Register, meaning that they cannot have been submitted or published elsewhere. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for style, accuracy, civility and space.
We invite our readers to respond to our journalism, both news and opinion, by sending a Letter to the Editor. Letters should not exceed 250 words in length and must contain reference to a story published by The Register. We do not publish open letters or anonymous letters.
Corrections
The impact that our journalism has on the lives of Central students necessitates that The Register corrects any and all factual errors, as soon as they are discovered. Our reporting must be accurate, complete and fair – regardless of the medium. If you believe that we have made a mistake, we encourage you to reach out. If we determine that we have made an error, we will promptly correct it and append a correction notice detailing the error. If a story is deemed to be so fundamentally flawed so that no corrections can resolve its inaccuracy, The Register may remove it from our digital platforms altogether.
Join The Register
There is no experience at Central quite like working for The Register. We one of the school’s oldest student-run organizations, continuing a more than 100-year tradition of journalistic excellence. Our dedicated team includes students with a wide range of interests who cultivate real world talents in reporting, writing, editing, photography, filmmaking, illustration, design and marketing. As a member of our staff, you will become part of a tight-knit, supportive community driven by a shared mission to tell deeply reported stories about our school. With unmatched opportunities for personal and professional growth, The Register is the best way for any student to make an impact during their time at Central.
The Archive
The Regsiter Archive located in the Arts and Library Wing preserves the paper’s complete account of the history of Central High School. The archive was established in 1912, when Register Adviser Dr. H.A. Senter collected and bound together past editions of the paper. Today, the print archive is a deep repository of the greatest scholastic journalism in the nation. In order to transform it into a public resource, The Central High School Foundation partnered with The Register to digitize the archive, allowing readers to browse scanned pages of every Register newspaper published since 1886. Organized chronically and navigable by year, this collection makes more than a century of school history freely accessible to all.
Contact Us
Do you have a story about an issue or event affecting the lives of students? Many of The Register’s stories begin with people reaching out to us about something they saw, heard or were simply curious about. We especially encourage anyone aware of behavior or practices that are damaging to students to consider sharing their information with us. We look for tips that are clear and specific about what is happening and how it relates to Central. Most importantly, we are looking for tips that about newsworthy. We are sorry that your girlfriend broke up with you, but we are not going to write a story about it.
Mailing address: Omaha Central High School C/O The Register 124 N 20th St, Omaha, 68102
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 531-299-5566