On Tuesday, Feb. 24, seventh and eighth grade journalism students took a trip to the high school to join the Print Media Workshop students for a mentor day. Journalism/Print Media Workshop includes the yearbook staff and newspaper staff of each school. The high school students had many games, activities, and presentations planned. The students presented slideshows on photography and body-copy writing and had activities for headline writing, a photography scavenger hunt, and an interview mystery game.
Being in journalism allows the writers to be a voice for their student body and take a lead on sharing opinions throughout the school.
“I think journalism contains so many useful skills no matter what students end up doing with their academic career and their future beyond school,” Mr. Aaron Fitzpatrick, FHS Press and Shawnee Yearbook advisor, said. “I think learning how to collaborate with people, improve communication, and have an eye for detail are skills that apply no matter what people decide to do.”
In journalism, you get just that. You learn so many life lessons and lessons that will set you up for success in your future.
Print Media Workshop is a course in high school that is open to sophomores (10), juniors (11), and seniors (12). Colton Blank (12) is a member of FHS Press and Shawnee Yearbook; he interviewed some of the officers of the Bulldog Barker and Reflections Yearbook staff during mentor day.
Middle school students learned many helpful tips for writing articles and taking photos.
“I think it’s important to be in journalism early so you can learn about what’s happening in the world and your school/community around you. My favorite thing that we did at mentor day was the photography scavenger hunt. The most useful thing I learned was how to use different settings on the camera to be able to take better pictures,” Eli Bruce (8), Clubs Section Editor of the Reflections Yearbook, said.
“I hope the middle school students get a chance to see what they will be able to do when they get to the high school level,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “When the high school students model their publications, I think it gives the middle schoolers something to aspire to.”
