Stevenson's Minuteman magazine folding

Stevenson High School's Minuteman magazine is set to cease publication this fall after 15 years.

Content that normally would appear in the award-winning monthly will instead be featured on the Lincolnshire school's Web site, d125.org, which is set to be redesigned this summer, Stevenson spokesman Jim Conrey said Thursday.

Unlike the many professional newspapers and magazines that have silenced their presses in recent years, the Minuteman's demise isn't prompted by bankruptcy, corporate malfeasance or slipping ad revenues.

The move is designed to save the district money, make the school more environmentally friendly and increase the public focus on the Web site, Conrey said.

"This is a way to further drive people to the Web site (and) to make that the primary source for Stevenson news and information," said Conrey, who produces the Minuteman now and will oversee the Web site after it's redesigned.

The Minuteman is sent to the parents of all current Stevenson High students and the parents of eighth-graders in the seven junior high schools that feed into Stevenson. Subscriptions are free.

Some alumni and former staffers receive it, too.

About 5,200 copies of each issue go out. The full-color magazine costs $80,000 to $90,000 a year to print and distribute.

Eliminating the print edition could save the district $40,000 to $50,000 a year, said Conrey, who transformed the Minuteman from a four-page, quarterly newsletter into a magazine in 1994.

Publishing the content that normally appears in the Minuteman on the Web site also is more efficient and timely, Conrey said. The magazine generally takes a month to produce, so content is relatively old by the time it arrives at homes.

"Why make people wait for that information?" he said. "Why not make it readily available on the Web as soon as possible?"

The environmental factor is an important one for Conrey and the school, too. Stevenson already has taken several steps to be more earth friendly, such as installing a rooftop garden to reduce energy use, he said, and this move follows that trend.

Ending the Minuteman will save an estimated 3.5 million pages of paper annually, Conrey said.

"That's a lot of paper," Conrey said. "That's an obvious cost savings right there, and an obvious benefit to the environment."

School board President Bruce Lubin expects the transition will be received favorably in the community. Many parents and students already are Internet savvy and use the school Web site, he said, and this move will help get more people to the site.

Three more issues of the Minuteman are planned, Conrey said. One will go to parents next week; the next will be released in June or July; the final issue will go out in August before the 2009-10 term begins.