Today, in Room C-24 at Wall High School (N.J.), Patti Martin, Staff Writer at the Asbury Park Press, was a guest speaker for my Print Journalism class. Ms. Martin, who grew up as an editor of her school newspaper in Manasquan, N.J., spoke about her experiences as a journalist, gave tips on how to become a better journalist, and gave advice to the Print Journalism students about their options for the future.
Ms. Martin explained that newspapers are slowly, but surely, becoming extinct and the world's current economic recession is only helping to decrease their livelihood. She cautioned the Print Journalism students not to major in Journalism while attending college but rather in a subject like English, and then perhaps work toward receiving a Master's Degree in Journalism afterward while attending graduate school. As print journalism continues to make its descent, blogging on soical networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter is overtaking its role to become the future dominant form of journalism.
"You need to do it [post blog entries] often to gain a readership," Ms. Martin said about blogging. She explained that, as a blogger, a journalist does not always have to post full-length stories though. "You make yourself the 'go-to' person by providing content no one has or by showing it in a different way," she described.
"Newspapers that will survive are ones providing local content," Ms. Martin further explained. With that in mind, The Crimson Courier still appears to be in good shape despite how the journalism front, as a whole, continues to dwindle in these times of economic hardships. By providing local content about Wall High School and its surrounding community activities, The Crimson Courier continues to attract buyers and subscribers for its eight issues released during the course of each school year. The students in my Print Journalism class are always working toward writing new story ideas that readers will enjoy, and the next issue is expected to be scheduled for release in mid-to-late April.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Human Relations Club Sets Up Teams
Wall High School's Human Relations Club held a meeting, Wed., Feb. 25, in Room C-16. The club only began holding meetings after the first semester of the school year ended. Yet, despite the club's tardy start, the room was swiftly crammed with students on a first-come, first-served basis, which left no empty seats for any last incoming students and caused several of them to opt for the only available and feasible choice of standing. In total, the club featured more than 30 members, calling to attention its popularity.
The members of the Human Relations Club are eager to be involved in Relay For Life, which is an event aimed at fundrasing money for the American Cancer Society and cancer patients. The event flourishes with many new and old student participants becoming involved each year. Mathematics teacher, Ms. Power, is the brand new advisor of the Human Relations Club and is more than obliged to help students feel welcomed to the club.
“There’s just raising awareness of culture, race, gender, equality -- but our main thing is Relay for Life -- that’s really a unity, togetherness thing for the cure for cancer” said Ms. Power about the Human Relations Club.
Wall High School seniors Deanna Lapp and Mary Ragan are both the presidents of the club, appearing as they did beforehand when they represented high schoolers at the Relay for Life town meeting in the Wall Township Public Library on Wed., Feb. 18. As papers detailing the circumstances of Relay for Life were passed onto students, Lapp and Ragan stood at the front of the classroom and spoke about the required duties of this year's event to inform all participants. Responsibility is a major factor involved into the planning of the event.
The students are to create teams of up to 10 dedicated members, which will be chaperoned by a Wall High School teacher or other adult that is over the age of 29. Also, the students are to pledge to raise money and awareness about cancer. Individually, students must raise $125.00 and pay $10.00 for registration and as an additional donation. Means of raising money range from selling items and soliciting donations from local businesses to canning and receiving donations from family, friends, and neighbors.
Another commitment that the Human Relations Club is invovled with is Locks of Love, which is described as "a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis," according to http://www.locksoflove.org.
"[Locks of Love involves] donating your hair for cancer kids -- it’s not just an HRC [Human Relations Club] thing -- but we have quite a few [members] participating," Ms. Power described in her own terms.
The Human Relations Club remains open all the time. “We would never turn somebody away," Ms. Power stated. However, if a student is interested in being involved in Relay for Life, he or she must become a member of a team soon. For the next Human Relations Club meeting, students are required to have saved a word document file of a typed list of each team's members under the HRC [Human Relations Club] folder on the shared drive. Students are also required to have paid and registered on the Wall High School team list on the Relay website, http://www.relayforlife.org/wallnj. So, if any student wants to become involved in this event, he or she is advised to make a quick decision before it's too late.
The members of the Human Relations Club are eager to be involved in Relay For Life, which is an event aimed at fundrasing money for the American Cancer Society and cancer patients. The event flourishes with many new and old student participants becoming involved each year. Mathematics teacher, Ms. Power, is the brand new advisor of the Human Relations Club and is more than obliged to help students feel welcomed to the club.
“There’s just raising awareness of culture, race, gender, equality -- but our main thing is Relay for Life -- that’s really a unity, togetherness thing for the cure for cancer” said Ms. Power about the Human Relations Club.
Wall High School seniors Deanna Lapp and Mary Ragan are both the presidents of the club, appearing as they did beforehand when they represented high schoolers at the Relay for Life town meeting in the Wall Township Public Library on Wed., Feb. 18. As papers detailing the circumstances of Relay for Life were passed onto students, Lapp and Ragan stood at the front of the classroom and spoke about the required duties of this year's event to inform all participants. Responsibility is a major factor involved into the planning of the event.
The students are to create teams of up to 10 dedicated members, which will be chaperoned by a Wall High School teacher or other adult that is over the age of 29. Also, the students are to pledge to raise money and awareness about cancer. Individually, students must raise $125.00 and pay $10.00 for registration and as an additional donation. Means of raising money range from selling items and soliciting donations from local businesses to canning and receiving donations from family, friends, and neighbors.
Another commitment that the Human Relations Club is invovled with is Locks of Love, which is described as "a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis," according to http://www.locksoflove.org.
"[Locks of Love involves] donating your hair for cancer kids -- it’s not just an HRC [Human Relations Club] thing -- but we have quite a few [members] participating," Ms. Power described in her own terms.
The Human Relations Club remains open all the time. “We would never turn somebody away," Ms. Power stated. However, if a student is interested in being involved in Relay for Life, he or she must become a member of a team soon. For the next Human Relations Club meeting, students are required to have saved a word document file of a typed list of each team's members under the HRC [Human Relations Club] folder on the shared drive. Students are also required to have paid and registered on the Wall High School team list on the Relay website, http://www.relayforlife.org/wallnj. So, if any student wants to become involved in this event, he or she is advised to make a quick decision before it's too late.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Computer Club is Sluggish for the Day
At the end of another completed school day in Wall High School, today, the Computer Club held a meeting in Room A-10. Mrs. Parsons, a Technology Department teacher, patiently waited for her students to arrive while having a conversation with Mrs. Badecker, a Business teacher, to fill in the time void. One student appeared and took a moment to examine the room, then stepped outside into the hallway to use his cellphone. He returned only to explain to Mrs. Parsons that he has no means of transportation for going back home if he were to stay for the meeting, so he must leave pronto. After he had left, the computer lab returned to its original state and became devoid of any club members, once again.
Such occurrences are the normal routine for several after-school activities, and the Computer Club is no exception. In actuality, the Computer Club is probably more prone to such tendencies. The club, being small in size, only comprises of four members. The quartet meets together only twice a month. Although diminutive, the club provides a window of opportunity for its members, who demonstrate their enthusiasm toward the functioning of 21st Century technology.
“We discuss new technologies like operating systems, gadgets [and] work on websites,” Mrs. Parsons explained. Students often research some type of technology to increase their knowledge in what may become a future field of study for them. “Essentially anything they want to do with technology -- this is their time,” she said about the club members.
Following in the same trend that the majority of school clubs share, the Computer Club is always open to accepting new members at any time during the school year. Any student that is interested in technology should be encouraged to keep his or her options open and be susceptible to feeling an inclination toward joining the club.
Such occurrences are the normal routine for several after-school activities, and the Computer Club is no exception. In actuality, the Computer Club is probably more prone to such tendencies. The club, being small in size, only comprises of four members. The quartet meets together only twice a month. Although diminutive, the club provides a window of opportunity for its members, who demonstrate their enthusiasm toward the functioning of 21st Century technology.
“We discuss new technologies like operating systems, gadgets [and] work on websites,” Mrs. Parsons explained. Students often research some type of technology to increase their knowledge in what may become a future field of study for them. “Essentially anything they want to do with technology -- this is their time,” she said about the club members.
Following in the same trend that the majority of school clubs share, the Computer Club is always open to accepting new members at any time during the school year. Any student that is interested in technology should be encouraged to keep his or her options open and be susceptible to feeling an inclination toward joining the club.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Relay for Life Resurfaces Once Again
I've recently received an event invitation on Facebook. The event is a kickoff party for Relay for Life -- a fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. I personally can't say that I'm really familiar with this event, but I guess that it may be worth checking out. Maybe -- just maybe -- I will be able to attend the event and write another article. Apparently, it's headed by Wall High School senior Deanna Lapp and, if you want to attend, you have to contact her and let her know that you will be present and want to sign up. Below is descriptive information which I copied from my invitation and pasted here:
Relay for Life: Kickoff Party! Come join our tribe!
Date: Wed., Feb. 18, 2009
Time: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Wall Community Center (Next to the Library)
Only a few days left until Kickoff! To RSVP call 1-800-ACS-2345. Get prepared for our Kickoff Party! Mark your calendars for Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Join us in the Library next to the Wall Community Center to find out how you can be a part of 25 years of Hope! It's really important to get as many people (especially Team Capts.) out to this meeting! Let's make this year even better than the last!
Relay for Life: Kickoff Party! Come join our tribe!
Date: Wed., Feb. 18, 2009
Time: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Wall Community Center (Next to the Library)
Only a few days left until Kickoff! To RSVP call 1-800-ACS-2345. Get prepared for our Kickoff Party! Mark your calendars for Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Join us in the Library next to the Wall Community Center to find out how you can be a part of 25 years of Hope! It's really important to get as many people (especially Team Capts.) out to this meeting! Let's make this year even better than the last!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Much Needed Blog Update
Happy Valentine's Day!
I want to apologize for the lack of recent posts on my blog. I know that I haven't been a very good blogger this past week. In my defense, though, school has not been in session since Fri., Feb. 6. Evidently, my "beat" centers itself around school clubs and organizations, which have not been holding new meetings due to the current break that Wall Township public schools are on. Therefore, due to the circumstances, it was really just out of my hands to write a new blog entry for the past few days. I think that I now am beginning to understand the difficulty that Marissa Block endured for her blog last year, which other students and Mr. Ketelaar described to me, since she had a "beat" similar to mine.
I did not forget about my blog and kept it mind while I was going about my activities on break. It was just difficult for me to access and use a computer to log into my blog account and compose a new entry because I've been busy during this break. Not to mention, is the fact that my family keeps interrupting me when I want to have some time to be alone and concentrate on my work.
Anyway, I went to another Teen Action Group (TAG) meeting on Sun., Feb. 8. I already have written an article on TAG, so I thought it would be too soon to write another article on the organization. I also went to Montclair State University on Wed., Feb. 11, to visit a friend for a few days. I thought about writing an article comparing and contrasting the extracurricular activities of both Wall High School and Montclair State University, but that plan never quite came through. Basically, Montclair State University boasts more activities than Wall High School could ever muster is all I can say for now, being that it is much larger in size than our high school. My experience at Montclair State University was quite fun and enjoyable.
I want to apologize for the lack of recent posts on my blog. I know that I haven't been a very good blogger this past week. In my defense, though, school has not been in session since Fri., Feb. 6. Evidently, my "beat" centers itself around school clubs and organizations, which have not been holding new meetings due to the current break that Wall Township public schools are on. Therefore, due to the circumstances, it was really just out of my hands to write a new blog entry for the past few days. I think that I now am beginning to understand the difficulty that Marissa Block endured for her blog last year, which other students and Mr. Ketelaar described to me, since she had a "beat" similar to mine.
I did not forget about my blog and kept it mind while I was going about my activities on break. It was just difficult for me to access and use a computer to log into my blog account and compose a new entry because I've been busy during this break. Not to mention, is the fact that my family keeps interrupting me when I want to have some time to be alone and concentrate on my work.
Anyway, I went to another Teen Action Group (TAG) meeting on Sun., Feb. 8. I already have written an article on TAG, so I thought it would be too soon to write another article on the organization. I also went to Montclair State University on Wed., Feb. 11, to visit a friend for a few days. I thought about writing an article comparing and contrasting the extracurricular activities of both Wall High School and Montclair State University, but that plan never quite came through. Basically, Montclair State University boasts more activities than Wall High School could ever muster is all I can say for now, being that it is much larger in size than our high school. My experience at Montclair State University was quite fun and enjoyable.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Potential Teen Issue Feature
This may not be related to my "beat," per se, but it is a homework assignment for my Print Journalism I class, after all. The assignment is to select a teen issue for feature writing. I'm choosing to write about bullying, as overdone as that may already appear. I, however, still think that it's an important issue that most teens will probably have to face and deal with at least once in their lifetimes. I'm sure that there are plenty of personal stories concerning this issue that I can draw from when writing my feature which can enhance the issue's significance and highlight its potential harmful effects to the readers.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Meetings Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather
I orignally wanted to post another article today, but recent inclement weather has caused school club and organization meetings to be cancelled for the past two days. I can understand that since the snow began to fall from the sky, yesterday, all after-school activities had to be dismissed so that students and faculty alike could leave the building and head back home as soon and safely as possible. Snowfall continued into the night and accumulated on the ground, resulting in all Wall Township public schools to run on a two-hour delay this morning. I really cannot fathom why school club and organization meetings had to be cancelled again today, since the weather had already cleared up hours before all scheduled classes ended. I was planning on staying after school to attend a meeting for either the Human Relations Club or the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), but both were cancelled. Perhaps, other school clubs and organizations had meetings today which I am unaware of and totally oblivious to, but I didn't hear about any scheduled meetings over the intercom.
Anyway, I will see if I can try to post one more article by Fri., Feb. 6, although I can make no guarantee. What I can promise is to keep on the lookout for news during the upcoming weeks. I believe that I can muster a couple more articles to be written before the month of February ends, even if they may not be used for the school newspaper, The Crimson Courier.
Anyway, I will see if I can try to post one more article by Fri., Feb. 6, although I can make no guarantee. What I can promise is to keep on the lookout for news during the upcoming weeks. I believe that I can muster a couple more articles to be written before the month of February ends, even if they may not be used for the school newspaper, The Crimson Courier.
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