Newspapers everywhere are suffering, but journalism - the important act of informing, inspiring discussion, and keeping power in check - is far from dead. In fact, students everywhere are consuming more media than ever before.
The empowered student editors at this rural high school believe that LOCAL-LEVEL reporting and commentary is the key to journalism's future. Readers crave information today. And while there are countless forums for national-level entertainment, news, sports, and the like, the community-level offerings of a high school paper are usually lackluster.
Our dedicated students have sought to change that. In less than a year, they've overhauled the student newspaper's writing and reporting. In its effective writing and reporting, it is on-par with a college or even small town newspaper. However, we remain bound by our tax base, and there's simply no money to get the type of photo equipment we need to be taken seriously by a media-inundated, instant-gratification generation. It's hard to get the average reader to read an outstanding story on the girls' basketball team when there is a wholly unimpressive photo to draw the reader into the story.
My students need a DSLR digital camera because this is the only type of camera that can capture photos rapidly - as you need to do for everything from a football game to a principal getting a pie in the face for charity. Without effective photojournalism, the hard work of our student editors will be ignored. But with the high-quality photos this equipment can provide, these students can receive the full benefit of writing for an engaged audience.
You have the opportunity to ensure that these dedicated students are able to continue to grow their readership and their skill set. The benefits for community-building, civic engagement, literacy, and communications skills are too many to list here - but rest assured that your contribution will be enabling to not only a group of 30 dedicated student journalists, but also to an entire school community.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Hartman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.