Going into the third quarter can be hard considering it is the halfway point to finishing school, but it is also course selection season. Remember: selecting courses is not only about making sure you have your favorite teachers, but also picking classes that you enjoy and might impact your lifelong career.
For anyone who does not know or is curious about Woodgrove Journalism, it offers student-led classes, which means there is a teacher/advisor who helps students with tasks and supervises the class, but the students and the editors are truly the ones who lead it.
Students have the opportunity to take Introduction to Journalism, which is a course of the history, laws, and ethics of journalism, as well as writing, photography, design, and audio+video. Freshmen should take Intro to learn the basics of Journalism. Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders do not need to take Intro before diving into a specific journalism branch. After Intro, students have the chance to take Photojournalism, Newspaper Journalism, or Broadcast Journalism.
Students learn Photojournalism through writing, photography, and design while creating the yearbook. They also develop marketing skills and distribute the yearbook to students. The Newspaper Journalism class has its own online news site and publishes a 12-page print newspaper, called The Woodgrove Outlander five times a year. Both Photojournalism and Newspaper use a software called Adobe to format their products, edit photos, and edit media files.
In addition to Newspaper and Photojournalism classes, Woodgrove has a brand new course called Broadcast Journalism. In Broadcast class, students will produce multimedia products to be published on the school news site and social media platforms that cover school activities, sporting events, and community events. Broadcasting Journalism will feature podcasting, audio and video editing, video recording, promotional videos or documentaries, sports announcing, social media, and graphic design. Journalism advisor, Mrs. Chelsea Dyke, is expecting Broadcasting Journalism to debut for next school year.
Taking any of the journalism classes also could mean fun opportunities such as overnight and day trips to conventions, camps, and field trips. Yearbook students will get the opportunity to experience visiting James Madison University for an overnight yearbook camp with our publishing company. This past fall, 11 Newspaper Journalism students attended a national journalism convention in Boston, Massachusetts. “Future convention locations could include: New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Nashville, and Orlando. We also have the goal to take students on local field trips and bring in guest speakers from the field,” Dyke shares.
If you are interested in taking a Journalism class, talk to your guidance counselor or go on StudentVue under Course Request. Do not forget that course selections are open from February 9th to March 8th.
