U-T for Free for a Year? Helix Charter High School Touts Nickel Subscriptions

Helix Charter High School hopes to make $10,000 via a subscription drive with U-T San Diego—which is offering the paper five days a week for a year essentially for free.

According to the Helix website, new adult subscribers can get Wednesday-through-Sunday delivery for 52 weeks—for 5 cents. Deadline to sign up is Oct. 24—extended from the original Oct. 17* deadline.

The school said the U-T would donate $10 for every qualified subscriber, and the school’s goal is 1,000 subscribers. Helix’s College For Me program would be the beneficiary.

Cathy Singer, a student guidance counselor at Helix, “will buy a sweatshirt from the college of your choice for the student who brings in the most valid subscriptions,” the site says.

Among other things, College For Me takes dozens of students on campus tours.

In March, according to the school, 50 boys and 50 girls and staff were to take “a 6-day trip to tour colleges/universities throughout California. This activity supports Helix’s mission to prepare all students for the opportunity to attend college following graduation.”

Amanda Ecoff, business developoment coordinator in U-T San Diego’s Newspaper in Education program, said more than 50 schools and nonprofits in San Diego County have either joined the nickle-subscription program, taken part in the program or are about to be involved in the program.

Ecoff declined to give a list of schools and nonprofits taking part, and said participants were told not to promote the drive via social media, such as Twitter and Facebook.

The U-T normally offers Thursday-through-Sunday subscriptions for $4.99 a week on the automatic monthly payment plan, according to a phone representative. The daily U-T newsstand price is $1, but $2 on Sundays.

Helix’s 5-cent subscription form is attached to this article.

The U-T’s Ecoff says schools or nonprofits that want more information on the subscription program can reach her at amanda.ecoff@utsandiego.com.

*Editor's note: The original deadline was mistyped in an earlier version of this report.