Imagine a school newspaper without images and investigative stories! Our school newspaper's student staff relies on begging and borrowing to get published bi-monthly. Our teacher sponsor volunteers, we have to borrow a camera, a PC with Publisher & we still take notes with paper and pencil!
Our high school is a 600 student, "highly impoverished" urban neighborhood high school in PA.
There are no admission requirements. We are ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse. Our ethnic demographics are: 45% Asian American, 35% African American, 10% Latino/a, and 10% Euro-American. Over 36% of our students are English Language Learners; more than 18 languages are spoken in our school. We were 1 or 2 neighborhood high schools that made "Adequate Yearly Progress" in 2011 in our very large school district.
While our school is diverse, it is also old. The 100 year old building has a small gym with no bleachers, no elevator and no adjacent athletic fields. It is in a neighborhood know for ethnic strife rather than cooperation. It is also a neighborhood known for being a "first destination" for many immigrants as well as families who have lived in the community for many generations. Therefore, our students' stories are varied and unique while "typical" for urban teenagers.
My Project
The school newspaper was started in 2010-2011. It became the source of school news and a place for students to publish their artistic and creative work. We would like to expand our coverage by including photos from more school events and "candid" school shots. This will provide students with more positive images of themselves and their peers by compiling the variety of activities and creative work of our students.
We would also like to begin investigative reporting. Like many other school districts, budget cuts have hurt. We would like to cover the impact of budget cuts and other school and community stories which affect our school. A digital tape recorder would give our reporters a tool to conduct more interviews and save time.
The newspaper offers an opportunity for students to improve literacy skills and gain positive attention for their participation in school activities and learn basic tools of a journalist. While our school may be old, our tools can be current.
Our school newspaper is our only public document, other than an annual yearbook for seniors, which publishes a record of what has happened at our school.
It is also a forum for students to get positive recognition for their work and voice their opinions. By increasing photos and investigative reporting, the newspaper will become more professional and provide more affirmation of our students' abilities and dedication. We need a digital tape recorder and camera; the basic tools used by journalist.
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