February 20, 2002
Journalism class: More to the story
School papers celebrate Scholastic Journalism Week
By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer
There is more to a high school journalism class than learning to write a good story. Students at Traverse City West and Central High School as well as East and West Junior High come away with skills that will help them in whatever field they choose to pursue. That is what is being celebrated this week during national Scholastic Journalism Week.
"It's a class that teaches you to do so much more than journalism," said Kandy Chapple, journalism teacher at Central High School.
"Interpersonal skills are what they walk away with. They have to work with adults in the community. They start to understand what a business is and how it runs. It is such a well-rounded class, even if they don't like to write," she said.
Central High School senior and news editor Kelly Ferguson finds her work on "The Black and Gold" as rewarding as it is educational.
"You will use writing in whatever you do, if you want to be a doctor, a scientist, whatever. It's nice to see your name in print, too," she said.
Lana Crandall, journalism teacher at West Junior High, thinks writing on a school newspaper can give students tremendous experience.
"As someone who has been teaching writing for 20 years, I know that if you can write well it will help you in everything you do. Writing about things that are going on in your school gives hands on experience to build expertise," she said.
April Wooster, a graduate of Central High School in 2000, and current editor of the college newspaper at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minn. credits her high school journalism classes with giving her a good start.
"My journalism experience at Central was challenging enough to keep me interested and has given me the edge over fellow journalism students in knowing how to interview, write and edit in a professional manner," she said.
Wooster's adviser, John Wirtz, a professor at NCU agrees that she definitely has what it takes.
"Since the time she has taken editorship of the school newspaper, April has raised the quality of the paper to its highest point in the three years I have been adviser," he said.
Wirtz is not alone in his opinion of Wooster as she was recently named Journalist of the Year by the Association of Christian Collegiate Media.
Wooster, a global mass communications and journalism major, sees the role of the high school newspaper as more than just a way to spread the news.
"I truly believe that a good newspaper is an indicator of a successful, quality community and school. I was fortunate enough to be part of one at Traverse City Central."