“The Sandtonian? What’s that?”
I’ve heard it almost every time I’ve brought it up, and right now, you’re probably thinking the same thing. So, what is the Sandtonian? As you now know, having somehow made it to the Sandtonian, it is Charles Page’s school newspaper. It is 105 years old. The history of the Sandtonian is a long story. It ends, and in a sense, begins here.
Today is October 4th, 2021. It has been 105 years since the first issue of the Sandtonian was published, on November 23, 1916.* We, as a paper, have come a long way since our first issue. We have gone in and out of print, going from a printing press to an electronic printer. Our first pages are yellowed with age, but these, our newest, will remain forever.
In a 1936 copy of the O’Collegian–Oklahoma State University’s paper–The O’Colly mentions the Sandtonian, saying it was “produced on a small job press” A man named Orval C. Husted, the “head of the journalism and printing department” at Sand Springs High School, which later became CPHS. Husted came to Sand Springs in 1918 and founded a monthly publication which he built up into a “state contest winning newspaper” during his time at Sand Springs.
The Sandtonian is Charles Page’s school newspaper. It is 105 years old. The history of the Sandtonian is a long story. It ends, and in a sense, begins here.
After the 1930s, the history of the paper is hard to follow. In the 1970s, the Sandtonian ran under the name Traffick. It continued under the name Traffick for a few years.
By the late 1990s, the paper was running under the Sandtonian name again. Mrs. Becky Painter, Freshman English teacher, worked for the Sandtonian from 1998-1999 while she was a student when the Sandtonian was a monthly publication. When she was at Charles Page High School she reported about the Columbine Shooting.
In 2011, the Sandtonian was first launched as a part of our school’s website. Shortly after, however, the Sandtonian was, once again, put on hold and subsequently taken off the web–until now.
Let me be the first to say that I’m glad you are with us on the next leg of the journey. We’ve been your voice for over a hundred years and now, we have a new chance to serve you better. We now have the ability to get feedback on our articles instantly, update you when we release new content, ask you questions, and be able to listen. Now, you have the news at your fingertips. This is your paper, and it depends on you, it grows with you, it becomes the paper you want it to be.
We’ve told the story of the last century, and now we move forward equipped with the tools of the next. Today, our heads of journalism are Michael Ross and Hannah Nelson, and we now upload our articles to this website instead of printing them, but at our core, we are still the same paper. From all the men and women dedicated to the truth, to timely news, and to you, welcome to the Sandtonian.
*According to The Sandtonian, Issue 2, Volume 1, 1916. No earlier date could be found before the time of publication than the one given.
Obadiah Dobbs is a student reporter and the Editor-in-Chief of the Sandtonian.
