Journalism is an elective that teaches students how to write articles for the school newspaper. The class enables students to improve their writing as well as their confidence to socialize with new people to get context about events and people to write on.
Victoria De La Torre (12) joined the class to learn how to write more efficiently in an easygoing and supportive atmosphere.
“Journalism has improved my writing technique and vocabulary, which has furthermore helped me when writing personal statements and essays for college and scholarship applications,” De La Torre stated.
Journalism is not only about writing articles for the school paper. The elective gives an opportunity for students to learn how to take photos and make photo captions for the articles. It strengthens the ability to think critically and build confidence through interviewing new people. In addition to writing for the newspaper, students are responsible for promoting it by making posters and a monthly bulletin-board.
“When writing an article from the notes taken during the interview, the hardest part is to not include my own opinions. At this point of the school year, after having written nine articles, I have gotten better at writing a text with smooth transitions, without including my own opinions,” De La Torre stated.
De La Torre has learned many new things from the journalism class with our journalism teacher Mrs. Kimebrley McCullough teaches us new things everyday and gives us new ideas to write about. “She encourages us to get out of our comfort zone and interview people we haven’t even met,” De La Torre emphasized.
De La Torre promotes people to join journalism for next year because it is a great way to meet new people and get more comfortable talking to people you don’t normally socialize with.
McCullough has been the PawPrint advisor for ten years. Her love for newspapers came at an early age where she was writing for her junior high school newspaper, continuing into high school where she took on the role of editor for her school newspaper. She has worked at local newspapers, such as The Modesto Bee newspaper and The Fresno Bee newspaper during her college years.
“I have always loved the printed world from the production to the final product. So when the opportunity came to teach Journalism and bring the school newspaper back to campus, I was excited because I could join the two careers together and do what I love.”
Students have a two week time window to produce a new article. The process consists of brainstorming, interviewing, writing, taking a picture and finalizing the article. The finished article is submitted into Student Newspaper Online (SNO), the online platform alongside the picture for a final review by McCullough, before it gets published into PawPrint.
“Journalism isn’t just about writing articles — it’s about learning how to think, question, create, and communicate in the real world. When students join journalism, they build skills that apply to any career path,” McCullough stated.
Besides the weekly updated digital PawPrint, the class aims to produce three to four printed versions of the newspaper that get inserted in the local newspaper, The Westside Express.
“I would love to see more students join the class and take part in documenting events and connect with others. Journalism teaches students how to ask better questions, notice what others overlook, and tell stories that matter. It helps them find their voice — and use it responsibly,” McCullough stated encouragingly. If you have any questions regarding the school newspaper or the Journalism class, see Mrs. McCullough in room T-7.
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