“At first I chose it because it seemed similar to Yearbook… and Pearleen (a sports reporter) was here,” explains Jessica Deleon Guerrero, a member of the paper’s marketing team. “But I’m glad I chose to come here because I actually learn a lot, especially when we do research outside the classroom. It’s very hands-on.”
The other members of the newspaper staff nod in agreement. From day one, journalism advisor Ms. Irene Park stressed to her students that despite their classroom setting, the running of the Times will be treated as a business: stories will be relevant and well-written, deadlines will be met, and money will be made, else bad grades would ensue. Students immediately caught Ms. Park’s drift and were soon hitting the keyboards with their first stories…
But not without some difficulty, of course. “It’s hard to find good stories,” says sports reporter Ben Lizama. Again the entire staff concurs, and then continues to list more obstacles they have faced as writers: attracting readers, handling overly wordy interviewees, and — the biggest problem — meeting deadlines. “I tend to forget [about journalism] because time flies so quickly,” editor-in-chief Angela Prado admits. “You feel like there’s enough time, but there really isn’t.”
The stress of running a student publication is pervasive throughout the entire class. Needless to say, however, that stress appears to be worth it: the Times was able to sell roughly 80 percent of its available copies of their September issue. The opening issue’s clever stories and eye-catching graphics seemed to win the approval of students and teachers alike, a feat in which the staff of the Times takes much pride. Features writer Keisha Marron sums it up perfectly: “It’s an accomplishment that everyone else is going to see…. No one else can say they did it.”
If Ms. Park’s student journalists have learned one thing, it is that maintaining a solid public voice is tough. At the end of the day, however, the staff members of the Times can say that the pros of their journalistic experience outweigh the cons. Not only do they find satisfaction in having their work published, but they also get to enhance their writing skills using methods suitable to them, as well as improve their readership and personal knowledge of world news.
Journalism may initially have been just another elective to choose from, but so far it has proven to be much more than just that. It’s a part-time job, a business, and sometimes a pain in the you-know-where. But above all, high school journalism is a fun and rewarding learning experience that would be of value to any student body. Just ask Times reporter Erbert Santiago: “[Journalism] is hard work, but if you enjoy something, then it wouldn’t seem like work.”
Now that’s newsworthy stuff.
