School Newspapers Online built the site at no charge for the students after learning that their school-sponsored paper, The Echo, was shut down in December by the school’s superintendent because the student editors refused to let him see an article prior to publication.

The new site has no affiliation with the school district.

“We decided to donate the site to the students after we heard about their story,” said Jason Wallestad, co-founder of School Newspapers Online and a high school newspaper adviser. “It’s important to us that student journalists have the opportunity to practice the craft of journalism.”

“School Newspapers Online was founded with an eye on the future of journalism, and clearly the future of news reporting is online,” said co-founder Tom Hutchinson. “For the students in Faribault, online publishing is their only outlet. For many schools, the only way to save student newspapers from budget cuts is to take them online.”

Both founders said that they are excited to see what the students will do with the site.

ABOUT SCHOOL NEWSPAPERS ONLINE – Launched in the summer of 2008 by a high-school newspaper adviser and an Internet industry veteran, School Newspapers Online is a company that focuses specifically on the needs of high-school newspapers looking to create or enhance their presence on the Internet. The company has launched nearly 40 sites for schools across the country.