 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
Top Ideas from 2008 ASNE Fellows | Download the PDF
School – Curricular • First Amendment in high school. Angle: What is the First Amendment with regards to publication and public speaking? What are its privileges, and what are its blessings? Does it have any limitations? What is it? Who is involved? 5-day seminar in Long Beach, CA for both educators and students (only 1 day for educators) http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/ Sources: Our social studies teacher, Mr. Danklef should be interviewed - he is very vocal about our freedoms. All of our 10th graders passed the OGT for the first time since the inception of the school 5 years ago. It would be good to also interview the head of the Language Arts department to ask how she incorporates freedom of speech into her creative writing class.
• Academics in Action. Classroom events/projects, etc. Photos with captions, article with quotes, purpose of activity, etc.
• How many languages are spoken at our school? How many students do we have whose native languages aren’t English? What happens when a student enrolls from another country? What are our ESL classes like? Sources: ESL teachers, students in ESL programs, non-ESL students who have befriended them VISUAL: Graphic showing languages spoken and student numbers, photos in ESL classes SIDEBAR: How does it feel to be a student who is new to America? With the help of ESL teachers, find a student to profile about his or her experiences. May need to find a translator in the community – maybe a parent from the same country. Sources: ESL teachers, ESL students, community members VISUAL: Photo of subject
• New senior laptops. Do the seniors use the laptops for school or personal use more? More time on Facebook and chatting or actually working on academic assignments. Could do a survey of all the seniors and make an infograph. Ask what admin expects from the seniors • Oh, Baby! Experience of caring for “baby” assigned in family dynamics class with photos, sidebars with statistics about teen pregnancy.
• The great class debate: Editorial and counter-point about taking tougher, more challenging advanced classes and sacrificing the A or taking an easier, more basic class in order to keep a 4.0. Which would colleges prefer to see on your transcript? How important is your GPA compared to your class load? Is it more satisfying to earn an “easy A” or work hard for something less than an A. Sources: a variety of colleges (local CC, local UC, popular private schools, etc…)
• New civics curriculum for freshmen. Incoming freshman class has new curriculum, materials and requirement for service hours for graduation (was 24 hours which will remain in place for grades 10-12) Angle: coverage/discussion of new class format, description of new civics requirements, purpose of change/frequency of curriculum changes Sources: freshman/senior students, school and district soc stud dept chairs, student advisers, freshman and senior students, frequented area volunteer orgs/reps
• Shakespeare: To be or not to be in the curriculum? Shakespeare taken off many high school curriculums in London, according the Web site below. This news peg begs the question, should Shakespeare be a major part of the American high school English curriculum? Why or why not?
• Summer school has the highest enrollment in the district. Find out why. Students are mostly primary level. Is it a summer camp or a school? Sources: students, summer school principal, parents
• What are AP courses and highlight the new AP History course offered this year (the first one at DCHS). Our school community is not knowledgeable about advanced placement courses. Sources: AP history teacher, principal, director of schools (is this a trend – will there be others – why?), other teachers, students who are enrolled, what do students think about that type of course being offered at DCHS, school guidance counselor, college admissions counselor, college student who took AP course(s) in high school (would have to be from another district, but nearby). Inclusion of good anecdotes important.
• Virtual enterprise course offered for the first time this fall through the business department (or indepth look at any newcourse). What is it and who should take it? What skills are developed? What jobs are possible as a result of this knowledge? Sources: business teacher for interview and to find out about other sources, and an Internet search to find other schools that offer this course and contact them.
School – Extra-curricular • Possible indoor sports facility in Sussex - how will it affect students/athletics/classes at the high school? Will classes be cancelled/added? Will a partnership form or competition? Sources: private developer, gym teacher, student-athletes (volleyball, basketball, track) or respective coaches
• Fall pre-season. Angle - Which sports team has the most difficult pre-season? Is there one sport that students get more injured playing than others? Sources: Student athletes, coaches, athletic trainer
• Pain for glory. A recent NPR report, “Female Athletes Suffer Pain for Glory,” discussed how teenage girls’ bodies are more prone to injuries than their male counterparts, and cited a book that described the discrepancies in injuries amongst teen athletes. Are girls more likely to suffer injuries at our school? Sources could include an in-house survey, the NPR report, male and female athletes and their coaches, our school’s trainer, and a sports medicine doctor.
School – Misc. • Friend of the Pirate (or whatever the mascot) features a volunteer who contributes to school (cooks, collects tickets, repairs….) with photos in action., pull quote Sources: students, teachers, the volunteer.
• New principal arrives – strong interview about his goals, ideas, changes, expectations, etc. Sources: the principal, staff who know him who are already in the school, staff from the school he left, students and parents from his last school
• New Teachers in the building – a classic article but there is an unusual amount of turnover this year – about 20 new staff members coming in. I would send out an initial contact of each them and ask who would be willing for a more in-depth interview. Then I would assign the students the article. I would prefer to do a little happy mug shot and some factoids in almost a yearbook spread. It could be the center spread if I have enough. Source: teachers, administration
• Students who are homeschooled but take one or more classes at the high school. Sources: student, teaching parent, friend at the high school, principal (reaction to having a homeschooled student enrolled part-time), school counselor
• Why do T-shirt designs have to be approved? It seems like students are constantly printing their own school T-shirts for various events (esp. homecoming and prom). What’s the process for approval and why does it exist? What happens if your shirt isn’t approved and you wear it to school anyway? Sources: Administration, students, ACLU/First Amendment organization(s) VISUAL: Photos of students in homecoming shirts SIDEBAR: What’s the process for designing/printing a shirt? Who are the most commonly used printers? What’s the typical cost? Where can you get the best value? Sources: Students, T-shirt printers VISUAL: Photos inside a T-shirt printing shop
• Which school fundraisers are most successful? At various points in the year, students from different organizations are selling T-shirts, candy, candles, cookie dough and other items as fundraisers for their groups. Which kind of fundraiser gives an organization the most bang for the buck? Sources: Students and sponsors, finance secretary, the Association of Fund-raising Distributors and Suppliers (http://www.afrds.org/) VISUAL: Photos of sales going on in the cafeteria and/or in classrooms. Chart showing how much can be/is raised with each type of fundraiser.
• Where does the cell phone money go? Whenever students use their cell phones during school hours, teachers and administrators are supposed to take them up and turn them into the finance office. The students or their parents have to pay $15 to pick it up. Where does that money go? How much has been raised? (Get 2007-08 statistics) Sources: Finance secretary, assistant principal or principal, students who have had their phones taken up. VISUAL: Photo of drawer full of phones, possible chart
• Why is the school requiring agendas this year? (for 1st day issue) All students must purchase a district-printed agenda book this year. It is designed to help them keep track of their assignments and will even be used as a hall pass. How much does it cost? How much did it cost to print them? Is anyone making money off of them? Why did the administration decide to implement this? Is it a districtwide thing for all 10 high schools or an initiative for our school only? Try to find a local school that has done this and find out whether it was successful. Sources: Administration, teachers, students, teachers/students/admin from a school where this has been done before VISUAL: Photo of students buying their agendas during registration.
• Spotlight on Special Olympics. This would tell about the students who participate in the Special Olympics, why they participate, and what they get out of it. Our school is the host for the entire county, so the story can tell what goes on, since many students don’t get to see them. This would give these students the spotlight and could even give some game analysis. Sources: Special Olympic athletes, sponsoring teachers, students who help with the event, local Special Olympic office
• Old Library murals (could be any school artifact) Our high school is the oldest in the area, and the original library includes four large murals painted in a classical manner, featuring several past students of West; there are also stained glass pieces showcased outside the auditorium representing the history of the Green Bay area. Angle: How has the historical record of the school (or geographical area) been preserved through art? Sources: archives of school newspaper/yearbooks, archived city newspaper, living models for paintings (research needed!), school principal, school art teacher
• Buses, Trains, and Automobiles. Angle: What percentages of our students need to use public transportation on a regular basis to attend John Hay Campus? What percentages of our students must either transfer or take more than one vehicle to travel to and from John Hay Campus? Does it impact study time? Do the students using public transportation spend less time doing homework? Do G.P.A.’s of students not needing public transportation appear to be higher than those who use public transportation regularly? Sources: surveys with statistics illustrated in various graph forms, Cleveland RTA, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Follow-up for change. Last year we did a story about vandals in the bathroom, and since then some changes have been made, but more changes are in the works. Do a follow-up story to this. Have the bathrooms really improved for the better? (Your school may not have vandals littering the halls and stalls, but you could look through any previously published story that dealt with a similar issue and do a follow-up piece on it. Does your publication act as a catalyst for positive changes in your school?)
• A new routine. Finding “your place” in the scheme of the student body. Give students a primer about class-specific hangouts and traditions at your school Who do you go to and where do you go for specific questions, problems? Top 10 questions/answers. Provide a map. Provide school Web site info, phone numbers, photo guide to principals, secretaries, staff. Sources: Talk to incoming freshmen. Talk to students who have transferred from other schools. Talk to first-year teachers or principals or superintendents. Talk to students who are not freshmen.
• Summer renovations to building, compare to other area schools Sources: summer custodian staff, contractors, summer school teachers/students, principal, summer sports camp athletes, athletics director, head custodian
• Cell phone ban – Is it fair? Who made the decision? Is the school board involved? What was the rationale? Sources: Interviews with principal, assistant principal (disciplinarian), students who have had their phones taken up, parents of students who have had to come to school to retrieve their child’s phone, teachers, school board members, and handbook committee members.
• Dress code and freedom of expression – where is the line? Focus on what students want and why they care. Include what the administration’s considerations are to improve a code. May include what our school does vs. what other schools both in Tennessee and around the country are doing, both public and private. Sources: student interviews, what the handbook says, administration, handbook committee members, students and administration from other schools in both Tennessee and elsewhere (students usually have cousins in other states), and the ACLU.
• Uniform, Not Uniformity. Angle: Ways to make the uniform make a fashion statement Possible Sources: Education World School Issues Article http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues060.shtml Students chosen by the newspaper staff who are considered to have “fashion skills” should be photographed and interviewed. It would be fun to have a small group fashion show in school uniform that fits the parameters. Journalists could give a REVIEW of the fashion show.
• Senior Dues. Angle: Why are the dues so costly? What do they cover? This needs to be broken into a series of articles. One might cover the Senior Prom. Sources: the senior adviser, the senior class officers, one of the math teachers. For this project, lists of anticipated costs need to be obtained. A chart can simplify the relationship between the fees being required and the percentage of senior activities these fees will cover.
• Unity in Diversity. Angle: How does the new “Campus” movement answer questions about school pride? About loyalty to one’s alma mater? If each school is separate in uniform, staff, and mission statement, how does that rationalize into the “unity” expected from the entire campus? Is it possible to have just one campus, yet several schools and keep harmony within the student body(ies)? The staff might profit from some insight into how other schools in the same situation are handling the question. Sources: There are two other teachers in our Maestro Team who are in this same situation. It would be great if our staff could do some email interviews with the newspaper staff from each of those other schools. This could be an introduction into an exceptional form of social networking. Perhaps this could even be done in the form of blog questioning and the posting of students’ answers. Additional Possible Sources: faculty surveys (all schools), interviews of students by the newspaper staff – with an equal number of students represented from each school and an equal gender percentage per each school Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio ACT and the Diversity Center high school clubs
Jobs and Finance • Employers looking at online accounts before hiring. This would focus on how the decisions to put pictures and information online can affect you later in life with employers, colleges, etc. It would be a feature with an assessment of how much students are aware of the consequences of posting things online. Sources: Various college newspapers with similar stories, Facebook and MySpace for privacy policies, employers who do use this information, students
• Interviewing Tips/Skills (What to expect, how to prepare…) Background: Many high school students need help going on job, college, and internship interviews (such as what to wear, what to expect). At my high school we specifically stress the importance of interviewing skills due to the fact that the idea of an interview is almost foreign to many of my students and not something they have ever prepared for before high school. Article Overview: This article will prepare students for an interview. It will give the students tips and techniques for interviewing. It will also go over what to expect and how to do interview follow up. Sources: Students (who have and have not been on an interview), teachers and parents. I will provide the students will handouts and books on interviewing skills. The reporter may also want to visit the local community center that helps our students get jobs and internships to obtain information on interviewing skills.
• What’s in Your Wallet? Personal property/money theft at school and ways to prevent loss with photos, article, sidebar survey results (% of students who had items stolen from them at school) Sources: student survey, student interviews, student resource officer
• Personal finance is being added as a new graduation requirement for SHS students. So, what do students need to know about modern economics? This would do well as a series of stories focusing on using credit cards, establishing savings, balancing checkbooks, doing taxes, filling out the FAFSA and other financial aid forms. Could also research how teens are spending their money.
• Decline in Teen Employment Rate. Teen employment rates have dropped over the summer to 40% (based on a Northeastern University study). This story would ask students if they noticed a lack of employment in the area and asking the local chamber of commerce if there has been a drop in the area. There could also be a sidebar explaining in detail how a recession could affect teenagers. Sources: Students, local businesses where many teens work, Chamber of Commerce, Dept. of Labor website and studies
• Teen Jobs (news feature). How is the low economic situation affecting students? Can they get jobs? Fundraise for trips, etc? Sources: local business owners, students, parents, some sort of economic adviser, etc. • Career Center Student Shadow (general feature/narrative feature). Shadow a different career center student each month (most of the student do not know anything about the programs offered there). Questions to ask - What is their typical day like? How is it different than a “normal” high school experience? What are the positives and negatives to participating in the program? etc. Sources: Current students, former students in that specific program (what have they done with their education?), Career center staff members, Administration (why do they think the program is useful?), Parents
• Best places for teenagers to work. Considering factors such as scheduling, wages, treatment.)
• The best and worst jobs. Talk to a variety of students about their jobs. After-school versus summer jobs. What do they look for in a job? Can they make enough money to make it worthwhile? What is the law about students working? What dangerous jobs are students doing? How many hours are students working per day? Per week? Consult state law on these subjects. Sources: Many teens, their teachers and parents. Consult a governmental source for state law, statistics on the subject. (OHSA)
• Where does our money go. With all the talk about our economy and a recession, it would be interesting to have teenagers respond to a questionnaire about how they spend their money. Perhaps keeping a money spending log for a week would be a neat idea. Students (as well as adults) spend money mindlessly on fast food, entertainment, shoes, etc…I bet it would be startling to watch the amount of money spent add up. Would be neat to compare to how their parents spent money while growing up and look at economy/price difference. Sources: survey their parents. Infographics would be a nice inclusion to show ways to save money!
• Bargains in a tumultuous economy Sources: business owners, teachers (bargains they’ve found), students (bargains they’ve found), an economist
• MTA Fare Hikes. Background/Angle: Mass transportation is the primary source of transportation in NYC and recent MTA fare hikes have left local teenagers broke and in an angry uproar. Article Overview: This article will discuss the MTA hikes that have been implemented throughout NYC. It will not only just discuss the hikes but also touch upon the decline in the NYC economy that is causing these hikes. The reporter will discuss the impact these hikes are having on our students at C.H.C.P. (especially after a whole summer without their school Metro card). Sources: The piece will also include statistics taken from a variety of different Web sites such as the MTA Web site and other news articles on the web. Sources will include student interviews, MTA employee interviews, and web based statistical research. The reporter may also want to travel to another local high school to hear what those teenagers have to say as well. ***A follow up to this story could be a human interest story where the reporter would pick one specific family to interview and discuss the impact the MTA fare hikes are having on their family. My goal would be to show the readers how these hikes are truly hurting a low-income family struggling to survive.
• Transportation...how to get around without a car: A surprising number of teens don’t even pursue a license because of all the hoops they have to jump through with the DMV and the high price of insurance, gas, and a vehicle. Therefore as teenagers hit the ages of 16, 17, and 18 and still aren’t driving, yet are becoming more independent, they are looking for easy ways to get around. The Bay Area is lucky to have fabulous public transit with BART (Bay Area Rail Transit) and organized county buses. Sources: Research where stops are, how to get to them, what the schedule is like, the frequency, the price, the usability, etc…Of course, this idea could be altered for any city.
• Chasing the Dream - A stunning number of HF students expect to become either superstar athletes or musical artists. Hell, some expect to be both. The Voyager profiles some students doing something about those dreams, and talk with guidance councilors and other career experts to find out the reality behind the dreams. Perhaps a sidebar about the kid with the very practical career outlook (think accountant). Good story for graphics, too. Source: Counselor or career consultant to help put this into perspective • Recycling hits YOUR High School. The Interact Club has brought recycling (cans, bottles, paper) to the school. Are students taking it seriously? What are the benefits of such a program that might make students more apt to recycle? (If your school is heading this way. If not, you could run a story on why recycling should come to your school, being sure to research the different companies that recycle paper as a fund raiser. If your school does this, you could run a story as to how it is benefiting—or not benefiting—your school.)
• Biofuel development at DCHS – Our agricultural department has received a grant to implement a biofuel development program. I don’t know much about it, but I do know it is a big deal for our school to get a grant of this nature. What is it? What will the students be doing? How is it funded? What equipment/facilities will be coming to campus? Will the school community be able to use the final biofuel product? For how long is the grant? Sources: the agriculture teacher, the Internet for background information, and the biofuel teacher at MTSU, the college partner involved with this grant.
Health • Let’s Stay Healthy, PHS (series) Seasonal or relative health issues; what it is, how it is spread, symptoms, preventions, etc. with graphics, sidebars, article Sources: school nurse, students, Web sites
• Teens and sleep – “A poll from the National Sleep Foundation said teens with four or more electronic items in their bedrooms were twice as likely to fall asleep in school,” according to the AP. Besides poor performance in school, lack of sleep can cause health problems. Sources: Poll students to see on average how many hours sleep they get a night, whether they feel tired at school, and whether or not they have a computer/tv/cell phone/video game system in their room. Talk with an expert in sleep and teen health, too. Surely teachers have thoughts on the subject, too. Sources: Talk with sex educator, teen psychologist, medical officials, etc. to see if this is just a blip or a sign of things to come. • Nutrition Facts in Energy Drinks. This would assess the amount and type of energy drinks students drink and the nutrition facts of each. It would see how aware students are of the sugar content and whether the school should sell them or not. Sources: Websites for each energy drink, students, person behind school purchases
• Eating healthy. With the temptation of snack machines and the less than savory quality of many cafeteria options, how can you eat healthy at school? Students would probably have to work as a team on this one to do research on the foods the cafeteria has to offer vs. the snack machine food that many students eat vs. the lunches that many students bring. Students would also have to research the legal restrictions and federal laws relating to school food offerings.
• After-school food What are some foods that students make? Do they only make after-school snacks, or do they cook for the family? Compile a recipe collection of contributions from students or start a column with (quick, easy, healthy) recipes students can use. Offer links to nutrition sites, recipe sites. Sources: students, family members, home ec teacher, school nutritionist
• Organ donations. As students get their driver’s licenses, do they sign up to become organ donors? Are there other steps a teen should take to ensure she is on the donation list? Sources: student drivers, parents, health teacher, ER or transplant doctor, students/parents/teachers who have received or been touched by organ donation.
Safety • Texting while driving: In light of new driving laws (hands free phones in CA and other states), students could look into texting and driving. Is it more dangerous to text while driving than to be on the phone? Is it illegal in some states? Why would some states pass a law to say driving while talking on your phone (without hands free) is illegal, but not texting while driving? Should it be illegal to text and drive? What does the law state exactly? Perhaps students could create an anonymous survey for the student body or a sample of students to find out how many high school students frequently text while driving. (NOTE: Anonymous sources should be used sparingly because they hurt a publication’s credibility.)
• Hate Text – We’ve covered bullying in school. We’ve covered bullying online. But according to an AP article from July 8 a growing number of teens are using text messages to bully peers. About 25 percent of teens say they have been bullied through text messages. Sources: students, teen psychiatrist, police and administrators.
• New bullying policy. Angle: What is it and why was it passed. Need to look at the point-of-view of students, parents, and administration. (slippery slope for policy) • Youth and domestic abuse. “One in five young teenagers knows a friend who has been physically abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend, and 40 percent of children ages 11 and 12 say a friend has suffered verbal abuse in a relationship, according to the results of a national survey released last week,” according AP article. Sources: Talk with students, counselor, domestic violence expert to see if we are doing enough to educate young people about domestic violence.
• A series of thefts in the locker rooms, particularly after school. No student was officially charged. The locker rooms do not have any lockers or any way for students to lock up their possessions – coaches lock the room once everyone leaves for practice. Article about the thefts and what the administration in doing. Focus will be on the fact that we don’t have lockers in a locker room, even though the school was remodeled five years ago. Sources: School administration, athletic director, fall sport coaches, head custodian, students who have been affected
Entertainment, Trends & Fads • Student bands. Last year our newspaper sponsored a very successful Battle of the Bands in conjunction with a concert of four local bands and now plan to make it an annual event. Highlighting this early in the year will inform incoming freshmen and start the preparations for student performances. Angle: get involved in the local music scene! (package idea?) Sources: local musicians, student musicians, booster club (helped to sponsor last year), manager of local music stores, head of local nonprofit for music, students, parents, band teacher
• Training camp for the Ravens was in the neighboring town, the county seat. How does that affect students at school? Who went to camp but who had a bigger connection than just a visitor (temp. hire by the college or Ravens staff, etc.)? I already set up an interview with a Raven player 10 years ago at the middle school and think I could do it again. Source: students, Raven Front Office, our AD
• Virtual Gaming (feature with a corresponding column) What is the virtual world phenomenon doing to individuals? Is gaming a simple hobby or a serious addiction? Find out how many hours students spend playing games. Does it affect their school work? What games are they playing?
• Tattoos. Angle: Why are tattoos so popular with teens?
• Nesting teens. The New York Times ran a story describing steps parents take to keep track of their children. Some have built recreational or party rooms designed to motivate kids to stay at home and invite friends over. The story is here. Does this happen in our community? Sources could include students and parents who have created this sort of environment, counselors, and child development experts/child psychologists.
• Giving up gadgets. What would it be like to go without cell phones, iPods,. and TV? Challenge several students to hand over these items for one week and journal about it. Sources would include the students and their friends and families. Experts could be included, as well, depending on how the students respond.
• Campaign Fashion. With so many fashion options to show your support for your desired candidate (from vintage-inspired tees to underwear), this article would see what the most popular options are with students and the most bizarre items. Sources: online stores that sell campaign clothing, students.
• Fall Fashion: What’s hot and what’s not? Background/Angle: Fall fashion is very important to high school kids. Each fall students come back with a new wardrobe to show off to their new friends. Most importantly for high school students are their first day of school new outfits that are a must have. Article Overview: The reporter will discuss the latest trends in fashion for the fall 2008 school year. The reporter will also discuss how the trends in fashion have changed and transformed since last school year. Sources: the reporter will use are fashion magazines, peer interviews, and web resources. The reporter will also go to the mall and the local retailers. He or she will interview salespeople as well as managers and corporate offices to further their research. This article will require a vast array of photographs that add visuals to the story. Sidebar: Fall TV Forecast. Each fall new television shows come on and the old ones come back for a new season. After a summer without new television shows, this is a very important time for avid tv-watchers. This side bar will highlight the new fall line- up. (Just so it gives the reader something different than the local paper…. Sidebar: The Apple iPhone is one of the most popular phones on the market and many of my students have been anxiously anticipating when Apple would break free from its AT&T contract. Since it is now available to all cell phone carriers, many of my students will now be purchasing the Apple iPhone. This sidebar will highlight the iPhone trend as one of fall’s hottest electronic devices. (Just so it isn’t like a free ad!)
• How much do NYC teenagers spend a year on ‘sneakers’? Background/Angle: NYC teenagers are addicted to sneakers. They have sneakers for every outfit they wear and live for sneakers. Students are constantly talking about their ‘sneaker funds’ and what new ‘kicks’ are coming out. It blows my mind where they get the money to afford these sneaks, but they always seem to come through! (Maybe because they ask me to donate a dollar all the time J) Article Overview: This article will bring light to the sneaker craze among high school teenagers (specifically ones in the Brooklyn area). There will be a tremendous amount of research that will take place in order to write this article. This article has a lot of potential because the writer could add fantastic infographics created from student polls based on the amount of money they spent on sneakers in 2008. Sources: The reporter could use to write this article would be interviews with local shoe store owners, teachers, parents, and friends. The reporter may also want to do web-based research to look up the sales profits from huge companies such as Nike and Converse- where they purchase most of their shoes from.
The World Around Us • Town curfew. Angle: Why does the state have curfews for teens? Do other states have a teen curfew? How can it be enforced in larger cities? History, legality
• Voting 2008 Cover mock campaign and election at the high school. Talk to older voters and recent grads about their first or recent voting experiences. Discover other countries’ procedures for selecting a leader. Talk to foreign exchange students, students, older voters, consult source for other countries procedures. Do an exit survey from the mock election. Make a chart/graph or some sort of visual from the information.
• McCain and Obama Attempt to Win the Latino Vote in the 2007 Election. Background: I teach in a predominately Latino American community and school. One of my school’s main focuses is Latino-Caribbean students and we have a partnership and are funded by the National Council of La Raza. La Raza recently just gave us $200,000 grant for the 2008-2009 school. In today’s newspaper you will notice that there is an article discussing the election and how both Obama and McCain are fighting to win the Latino vote. Obviously, by the time my students write this article the election will have developed tremendously. However, I think writing an article on the election based on the Latino American perspective in the Cypress Hills community would be a great piece. It would give the students/community a chance to voice their opinion on the election and express how they feel about Obama and McCain’s attempt to ‘woo’ them. Sources: The students would have a vast amount of articles from past newspapers to use as sources and have concrete election statistics to work with. The students could also contact La Raza to get feedback on the press conference that is taking place in San Diego this weekend and compare it to how they feel in September,. They could also call up local delegates and public officials in the community to hear what they have to say.
• A school volunteer group worked in the summer building a “community garden” for two nearby nursing homes. This story will bridge a generation gap by showing students working together with residents of two nearby nursing homes. How is the fruit of the garden used? What problems were encountered? What relationships were formed? Talk to the group’s adviser, group members, officials of the nursing homes, residents of the nursing homes, neighbors of the nursing home, doctors/nurses at the nursing home. Lends itself well to photos. Could be adapted to any summer volunteer activity.
• The easy guide to giving back: In today’s Contra Costa Times (the local East Bay paper) there is an article called, Trash to Treasure. This article is about an art project at the Pleasant Hill Juvenile Hall (Pleasant Hill is where the high school is). It discusses volunteers and the outcome of their work. It would be neat to have a few staff writers find some lesser known, local volunteer options and go “get their hands dirty.” Sources: the people behind the organization as their experts and interview as they volunteer. The article could look in depth at a few volunteer options and then create a guide to other places to volunteer and how to do it. The article could also include a splash of information in a side bar as to why students should volunteer. Of course there are several reasons, but one students discuss is the desire to build their resume.
• Cover Undie Sunday, a local church donation looking specifically for underwear, tampons, sanitary napkins, laundry detergent, toothpaste, soap, toiletries, etc Sources: student council, students, Sussex Area Outreach Services
• Local election coverage. Many seniors will be voting in the upcoming presidential election; so much focus is put on the national races, the local races lack advertising and information geared toward teens. Angle: What are the goals/platforms of local candidates? How do these issues affect our students and our community on a daily basis? Sources: local nominees, students, parents, administration, published platforms, advertisements
• Life as a teen now compared to 55-60 years ago. Angle: School, work, entertainment Sources: Need to interview other teen than self for the comparison. Contact Tieszen Memorial Home.
• Teachers who moonlight – working nights or weekends (and the summer) to make extra money Sources: teachers who are moonlighting, their employers, the principal (how does he feel about them working outside of school), students who have seen their teachers at a business working
• Supreme Court decisions, Angle: what are the most important Supreme Court decisions to affect high schoolers? Sources: students, reputable law sources, lawyers
• Local impact of the war in Iraq Sources: teachers/administrators who have been deployed, students who have a parent and/or sibling who has been or is currently deployed, a local recruiter, parents, principal
Wild Card • What’s on your desk? A fun look at the toys, photos, knick-knacks, tools, containers, etc. on teachers’ desks. Angle: take a look at your teachers from a new angle…what do their desks tell you about them? Sources: teachers from every department in school, school regulations about classroom décor dos and don’ts (print?), students for their favorites…
• Dictionary Additions (trend story) What are the new words in dictionary, what they are, why they were added, etc? How do these words “define” society?
• Students who have graduated and entered the military. We have a scholarship for a deceased soldier/graduated student and a display case with photos and the dress blues uniform of this graduated student in the hallway near the main entrance of our school; military representatives are a consistent and constant presence in our school. Angle: number of students who enter the military, support offered through school organizations; making the decision to enter the military while still in high school Sources: advisers or orgs offering support, parents of military personnel, student soldiers, juniors and seniors, students with family or friends in military, military reps
• A student who just graduated is spending her third summer independently in Africa working with Jane Goodall as a photographer for five weeks through National Geographic Foundation. The question is relevance – the student is gone but the article is SO cool it seems print-worthy. Sources: student, Jane Goodall Foundation, NGF, student’s parents, former employer in Africa – the Save the Elephants Foundation
• Feature of a who studenthas overcome the restraints of a disability Sources: student with disability, parents or guardians, friends of the student, teachers, doctor
• Turning 18. How do students celebrate this milestone birthday? Is it all they anticipated or is it a letdown? This could lead to a series or a package of stories.Sources can include politically active students, students in foster care, students with older siblings who have already experienced the milestone, parents, guidance counselors, a pediatrician and a child psychologist.
• Habits. Angle: What are some people’s weird habits? What is the most popular bad habit? What are some good habits? What do our habits say about us? Sources: students, teachers, psychologist
• Running of the Brides/Running of the students. Angle: We see these crazy videos of brides running and beating each other up to get designer dresses at sales. What would students be willing to do that for? Sources: students, articles about “Running of the brides” from reputable news sources
• What would you pass on? Angle: Collectors actually pay a lot of money to buy famous people’s hair. What would students want to pass on to future generations after they pass on? Sources: July 13 NY Times article, “A little off the top for history,” Jerry Guo; students |
 |
|
|