About Us

The Rider Online is a daily updated publication from students at Mansfield Legacy High School. Legacy High School opened in 2007 as Mansfield ISD’s fourth high school. We’re located on the former Kowbell rodeo arena near downtown Mansfield, Texas- just south of Arlington. We currently have 2,550 students. therideronline.com has earned top ratings from UIL and won Crown Awards from CSPA and Pacemakers from NSPA. During the last fifteen years, The Rider has been nominated for a Star Award from the Interscholastic League Press Conference.  Legacy High School won the district UIL team points for UIL’s four journalism writing events in 2008-2014, 2017-2020. Our goal and number one mission is to tell the stories within Legacy High School and give information to our students, parents, community and whoever else cares.

therideronline.com became real in 2009 after a year of studies, tests and many failures!

 

With the teamwork of journalism adviser Leland Mallett, broadcast teacher Jim Cockrell, former Southwest Airlines web designer Melanie Stillings and 12 lost, dazed and confused students began drawing up ideas for the site in August of 2008. After knowing what the site needed to look like, the content that would drive the site and the tone of the content, design began. Call us for a list of software and CMSs that didn’t work out for us. There were a lot. We finally fell in love with WordPress and marched forward. However, we realized it was easy to get out of step. We contacted Tom and Jason from www.schoolnewspapersonline.com and asked for help. We really didn’t want any outside help. We wanted it to be all us. But we realized that back-in-the-day student journalists didn’t create the Apple computer or Aldus PageMaker. It’s the content that really matters. So it’s been great to have help from Tom and Jason. We worry more about the stories we tell than the PHP aligning with the JavaScript. (We’re not even sure what that means.)

 

We then won an MISD Foundation Grant for $10,000 to build a video studio in 2009 and LBTV was born. Opening all those boxes in March was better than Christmas. HD cameras, teleprompters, cords, mics, buttons to push, lights, backdrops. We gained the help of our Tech Theatre class to build a sweet set for weekly news podcast for LBTV.

 

In 2011, Jim Cockrell retired and Rachel Dearinger joined our team as the LBTV adviser and assistant online adviser. Dearinger had an award-winning journalism program in Burleson, Texas and worked for the Amarillo Globe-News before teaching.

 

Today we are viewed around the United States weekly and have over 2,500 “hits” a week. We’re proud of our accomplishments and proud to tell the stories of Legacy High School and the Bronco Nation.

 

Follow us on YouTube: therideronline

www.twitter.com/therideronline |  http://vimeo.com/user1533963 |  www.facebook.com/legacyjournalism

FACTS ABOUT US

-Legacy’s online newspaper is student-run and operated by Legacy journalism students with assistance from advisers Leland Mallett and Rachel Dearinger

-Melanie Stillings, formerly at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, and Jim Cockrell also helped in the launch of the site in April of 2009.

-Students working on the online edition also write and produce the school’s yearbook and print edition of The Rider

-The site is updated every day. Check the recent posts on our home page for a quick link to the latest postings.

-During the summer we post personality features and news updates.

-During its first two weeks of activity, therideronline had over 2,500 hits.

-There are currently 2,800 Twitter followers.

-Content on therideronline is managed by WordPress

-The site design is by Legacy Student Media students coding and other technical assistance is provided by schoolnewspapersonline.com

Former Editors-in-Chief

2024: Blake Hinerman
2023: Leilani Fierro
2022: McKenzie Canton
2021: Jordyn Folsom
2020: Brinley Koenig, Ryland Mallett
2019: Jazmine Necessary, Kathryn Pedroza
2018: Grant Baker, Lauren Hargrove
2017: Hannah Garcia
2016: Sarah Pearson, Alanna Zaskoda
2015: Sarah Pearson, Alanna Zaskoda
2014: Maria Castillo, Brynnon Walker
2013: Amanda Granato, Jesse Wright
2012: Julianna DiNapoli
2011: Brett Walker, Russell Kirby
2010: Greg Uribe
2009: Will Ritchie