Calif. students reach goal to aid Neshaminy

A fund-raising campaign launched by students in California to support the Neshaminy High School student newspaper reached its goal of $2,400 in fewer than two days.

The money, according to students from Foothill Technology High School in Ventura, will be used to cover the lost salary of Neshaminy's journalism adviser, Tara Huber, who was suspended for two days without pay this week, and to replenish the newspaper's student activities fund, which was recently docked $1,200.

Both penalties, as well as the decision to strip Gillian McGoldrick, one of two editors in chief, of her title for a month, appear to relate to an unauthorized printing of the newspaper in June, in which the students removed an opinion article that contained the school's team mascot name Redskin, which they believe is discriminatory.

Administrators have not publicly commented on the discipline.

News of the sanctions inspired the Foothill High students to launch an Indiegogo page titled "Free the Playwickian," the newspaper's name. The campaign had 47 donors over the last two days, the page shows.

Reed Hennessy, the other editor in chief of Neshaminy's paper, said the support is humbling.

"The best part for me [is] that a high school newspaper in California, across the country, was passionate about us all the way in Pennsylvania," he said. "I think it just kind of shows how we're all connected."