About

Mission Statement:

The primary purpose of The Matador is to give a voice to the students of Smithtown East. We strive to educate students with stories on a local, national, and global scale. The staff of The Matador is constantly striving to improve the quality of reporting to ensure a standard of excellence for our readers.

The Matador welcomes contributions from non-staff writers.  Please see Ms. Tokarski or a staff member if you are interested in sharing your voice.  All written and visual work must go through the editorial process, regardless of grade level or membership in the journalism class.  As stated by district policy for student publication, “Libelous statements, unfounded charges and accusations, obscenity, false statements, materials advocating racial, sexual, ethnic, disability or religious prejudice, violence, the breaking of laws and school policies and/or regulations, or materials designed to disrupt the educational process will not be permitted. Expressions of personal opinion must be clearly identified as such, and bear the name of the author.”  Due to this protocol, anonymous contributions will not be published.

also from District Policy 5220:

“Students shall enjoy the right of freedom of expression. They shall have the right to express their views in speech, writing, or through any other medium or form, limited solely by those restrictions imposed on all citizens generally and those specifically applicable to children and youth in a school setting.

The Board of Education encourages student publications not only because they offer an educational activity through which students gain experience in reporting, writing, editing, and understanding responsible journalism, but also because they provide an opportunity for students to express their views and a means of communicating both within and beyond the school community.”