Blend | Spring 2010

THE FIG H AGAINS T T PRIOR R EVIEW

Going to school at Mill Valley Social networking Who owns my photos?

UH OH! They’re talking...

Superlatives

Printed In Canada

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welcome l brian hayes As a high school student, you will soon be confronted with some big decisions regarding your future. What college should you attend? What should you study?

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? These are all tough questions, but questions you will nonetheless need to start thinking about if you haven’t already.

Spring 2010 Issue 2 Volume 4 Blend Magazine c/o Department of Journalism Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306 SES DIRECTOR Brian Hayes EDITOR Tom Gayda MANAGING EDITOR Kim Green BUSINESS MANAGER Megan McNames CONTRIBUTORS Jimmy Hibsch Michael Majchrowicz Sarah Nichols OFFICE STAFF Sarah Bergsieker Stephanie Cope Anna Kaiser Becky Rother

Brian Hayes is the director of Secondary Education at Ball State University. He is a former adviser of student publications at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Hayes has worked professionally for several newspapers.

Blend Magazine is published by the Secondary Education Services office at Ball State University. Call 765-285-8900 for advertising information. You can always e-mail the staff at blend.mag@gmail.com.

FOR NSPA Logan Aimone executive director

Kathy Huting contest/critique coordinator Marc Wood communications director Suzanne Taber administrative assistant

FIRST AMENDMENT Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

While these are all fine reasons to choose a school and/or major, I encourage you to think critically about your life goals. Think hard about your ambitions. Make the decision based on what YOU want to do, not what your friends, parents or boyfriend/girlfriend want you to do. Don’t be afraid of choosing a college or university that will better suit your needs and desires over your friends’ needs or desires.

I probably talk to a dozen students each semester (mostly college freshmen) who question whether or not they are in the right major. Believe it or not, this is a common concern among firstyear students — and it is natural for them to question their choices. However, the advice I give may be helpful to you as you begin to

Emily Griesser member services director

Tahera Mamdani accountant

Colleges and universities alike present a cornucopia of options. In a time when obtaining a college education is becoming more of a necessity than an option, you will really need to think hard about your future goals. Alltoo-often, students are drawn to schools and majors that are comfortable to them — schools that a sibling or friend attends and subject areas that they enjoyed while in high school.

visit schools and choose a preliminary major.

First of all, there is no rush. You have at least four years of classes ahead of you. If it takes you a year to figure out your major, that’s OK, you have plenty of core courses you can take while you figure things out. Secondly, I simply ask “What interests you? What kind of jobs are out there that would allow you get paid to do it?” If you don’t know, I might encourage you to take a career assessment test at the university advising center. This may help you identify subjects that you have the potential to excel at.

And lastly, I would obviously inform you about the variety of careers a person could pursue with a degree in journalism or communications outside of the news media. With this degree, the career opportunities are endless. What field doesn’t need interpersonal communicators who can write well? What field doesn’t need technologically savvy critical thinkers who can investigate and solve problems?

With a degree in journalism or communications, you can reasonably expect to find employment working in a communication position for a not-for-profit organization, a professional sports team, a small business, a major corporation, a K-12 school district, parks and recreation or in media sales.

Think about it — every company needs someone to handle their communication, advertising and marking needs. And that someone could be YOU!

table l of contents 3 nspa

6 social media q&a

24 courage

4 journalism etiquette

10 welcome to... mill valley

28 my story

5 ask kim

16 superlatives

nspa l logan aimone

Students own photo rights Imagine this situation: A teacher, holding a student’s recent assignment, approaches the writer. It’s really good, the teacher says, praising the student.

The student beams with pride and asks whether it might be good enough to get published.

“Oh, definitely,” the teacher replies. “And that’s exactly what our school plans to do since we own this piece of writing.”

The student, astonished, sputters out a response.

“But why would you say you own this?” the student says. “I’m the one who wrote it!”

Logan Aimone is the executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association.

The teacher simply smiles and says, “Yes, but you used a school computer and printed it on our printer, so we own it.”

“But what about copyright?” the student asks.

“Yeah, well you did the work in my class, so I’m like your boss,” the teacher answered.

Fuming, the student ponders the law and situation until the end of school, when he darts out of class to check his rights.

Does this situation sound ridiculous? Most people would say yes. Yet that’s exactly the explanation student journalists hear when they’re told the publication, Web site or broadcast owns their photos, videos or stories. The fact is the creator owns the copyright. Unless the students are getting paid for their work — and neither course credit or even cookies count as payment — the individual maintains the ownership. So, if the president comes to town, a student takes an amazing photo of him, and the Associated Press wants to buy it, the student can make money, even if he or she used a school camera to take the photo.

There’s a solution that can preserve the rights of student journalists while also allowing the publication, Web site or broadcast the opportunity to be the first to publish the work and to do so for a period of time — even after the student has moved or graduated. Each adviser should work with his or her editor or producer to create a contract that spells out the rights and terms of using the student’s work for publication or broadcast. Conveniently, the Student Press Law Center has developed just such a model contract to use as-is or as a guideline for your own. Even more conveniently, the model contract is available as a PDF to download

at the NSPA Web site under the portion labeled The Wheel, resources you don’t want to reinvent: http://studentpress.org/nspa/wheel.html At the beginning of each term, review the contract with new staff members and have them sign your contract. A parent will have to sign for a student who is a minor. This practice solves the problem of what to do when a student takes a photo for the yearbook but wants to post it first on his or her Facebook page. You can mandate that when working for student media, right of first publication belongs to the publication or broadcast. An added benefit is that students and their parents know the student’s rights, and everyone models the appropriate use of copyrighted images, video and text. And that’s a good lesson for everyone.

One final suggestion: If students can borrow school equipment like cameras for personal use (taking a senior portrait, a weekend trip, or to a friend’s birthday party), consider a user agreement between student/parents and the equipment owner that spells out procedures for check-out and check-in. Remember to be clear about the condition the equipment should be in upon return (cleaned, charged, etc.) and what happens if damage occurs. It’s better to have a policy in place before something occurs than to get stuck with missing or broken equipment. The Wheel at NSPA has a few samples to get you started.

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journalism l etiquette

Bad Reporter/Good Reporter Beware text or IM interviews! They often result in lazy reporting and lazy interviewing: Can you give me a quote about the game?

Yeah. Just make something up for me.

Are you sure? We get in trouble for making stuff up.

It’s OK, I’m telling you to make something up.

OK. I’ll say something about how you thought it was a great game.

OK that’s fine.

Texting not best option Sure, it’s easy, but conducting an interview via text or instant message can easily lead to lazy reporting. Worse, a reporter might fall into the trap of only interviewing his friends, which is always a problem.

A cell phone can be a great tool when reporting, but must be used carefully. A re-

porter must not allow technology to create an environment where reporting gets sloppy and an honest-to-goodness face-to-face interview is sacrificed.

Take time to create an interviewing policy.

Perhaps an impersonal interview should be the final option?

A good reporter uses the text to get the interview subject on the phone or in person.

I am writing an article about the game. Can we talk about it for my story?

Why don’t you just make up a quote in it from me?

I think our audience would really like to hear your thoughts about it. Can I call you, or can we meet up?

ask l kim

Expectations top mailbag Wow! Four great questions came in the mailbag this issue! Let’s get started!

What are the expectations you have for your students who attend JEA/NSPA conventions?

We attend each fall and spring. In fact, we have 16 in Portland, a record for spring attendance!

Kim Green directs the student publications at Columbus (Ind.) North High School. A 2006 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Distinguished Adviser of the Year and 2009 JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser of the Year, the publications Green’s students create are consistent award winners.

Our program’s expectations are simple and are the same expectations we have not only at conventions or workshops but also when they are interviewing, photographing, videotaping, editing, etc.

Students are ethical and professional representatives of their respective media everywhere they go.

Prior to each convention “season,” we meet with students even before we sign them up and accept deposits. We go over all expectations and consequences. We ask students who have attended in the past to help with this meeting as they naturally emphasize the privilege of going as a representative of our program. We have a rules sheet that must be signed by both the student attendees and parents as part of the permission process.

Students attend the Thursday Keynote, all sessions Friday and all sessions Saturday with one session set aside for lunch each day, and they fill out and turn in a “Top 10 Things I Want to Share with the Staff” sheet for each session. They also compete in Write-offs.

We expect our kids to be polite and serious in the hallways and in the session rooms. (Cell phones off, indoor voices only!) We dress up on Saturday and stay for the entire awards ceremony, supporting the program as well as all students who are honored. Soapbox Time: Truthfully, the only time I get negative about other programs is during the exodus of those who were in attendance at the awards ceremony for

themselves; this adviser thinks kids and adults who talk, text and walk out are rude and doesn’t hesitate to use them as examples. Enough of that sore spot!

Attending a convention is a responsibility to our school’s student media and to the audience they serve, not a personal vacation for attendees. I am proud to say our kids have lived up to that expectation.

Do you have any favorite games/ activities you play with your class when times are stressful?

This is an area I let editors handle most of the time. Every staff LOVES Catchphrase the day after a deadline. I watched beginning journalism kids unwind to Mad Gab and laughed my abs sore! Sometimes, though, even the editors are so stressed that everyone needs to step off and regroup. I tell everyone to bring a pillow the next day.

Someone new to staff always asks “Why? Are we going to take a nap?”

I don’t answer; the kids who’ve done it before stay mum, too. I keep a couple of spare pillows in the cabinet for those who forget the next day; few do. After attendance and announcements, I tell kids to get their pillows – yes, I bring one, too, because this activity helps me a bunch! – and we head to a relatively deserted place in the school. We get in a huge circle so we can see each other and only then do I explain the theory of Primal Scream – Media Version. I go over the process: (1) At the count of three we’ll put our faces in our pillows and scream, shout, growl, stomp until we wear out. (2) Because everyone is buried in pillows participating, no one has to worry about what this will look like to others; in fact, once they get into it, they discover they don’t care! (3) When they finish, they need to look at each other for the magic results.

I count to three, bury my face and scream and stomp, as does everyone else. When we look up at each other, we’re smiling and laughing and panting; we’re loose and easy as

we head back in to get back to work.

Silly? Yes. Doable? Yes. Results? Absolutely worth every minute.

Do you think a knowledge of AP Style is important for a high school journalist?

Absolutely. Our kids get an AP Stylebook as part of their textbooks when they sign up for beginning journalism, and we expect them to use it. Once on staff, they take weekly quizzes the first quarter to keep it fresh in their minds.

We deviate from it in two rules, however: we use courtesy titles for adults, and we use men’s and women’s when referring to our sports teams. This is a point of contention among some of my adviser friends, and I support their arguments.

That is why we make sure our media kids know that AP Style omits courtesy titles and uses boys and girls (apostrophes always seem to bring up discussion points so I’ve omitted them). Those students who go on to study journalism in college know to follow the style determined by the medium for which they write, regardless of the fact that in our program we remain consistently steadfast in using courtesy titles and distinguishing men’s from women’s sports.

Any tips for how to stay ahead of the game during the summer?

Yes! First, attend a summer workshop and encourage your classmates to join you. There is no better time to learn, grow and bond.

Also, keep a clip file of great stories and designs you see. Use this file next fall when you are struggling to come up with an idea.

Finally, read and write. Reading makes you write better, so naturally, you should also write. If you haven’t started your own blog, perhaps this is the best time to begin!

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a

little bird told me

how social networking sites can help your publication

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We asked Ball State Instructor

John Girton

of Telecommunications about the powers of social media

By now, we have all at least heard about twitter and facebook. But beyond tweets and status updates, what is social media?

Social media is really a set of tools and

used to advance relationships and

techniques that are used by individuals

connections with others. There are

to engage in “community-like” activities.

certainly additional ways to maintain

Tweets and status updates are simply

and grow relationships using online

ways that social media tools can be

tools that are evolving at this very moment. Each tool evolves out of our community’s obsession with being personal and always “on.”

Find out more...

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Ball State Instructor

John Girton

of Telecommunications explains the powers of social media

Why should journalists be concerned with social media?

The tools being used to increase communal connections and express creativity have as much potential to relay journalistic content.

The question is how will the journalistic discipline come to use these tools and will the discipline mature along with the changes in technology and the reach of global coverage of information. If the discipline doesn’t go with the flow, then I believe that users will put on their “backpacks” and take the flow into their own hands.

How can students use social media to generate story ideas

How can the media industry use social media to connect with

What are some ways in which the professional press is using social media as an interviewing

readers?

or research tool?

Media involves more than what is being read.

That’s the beauty of social media. People can get involved in the creation, translation and distribution of each bit of information that is being shared industry wide. At the end of the day the media industry has to get comfortable with the speed with which information can flow from creator to reader and the problems

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that such fast consumption can create. Ultimately, the media industry has a great opportunity to allow readers and watchers alike to become fully engaged participants in the information that is consumed.

for high school publications?

Search, search, search. Verify, verify, verify.

Compile, compile, compile. Produce, produce, produce. Archive, archive, archive.

Connections made through social media sites allow professionals to meet and engage real people each day. Some are using these connections to pitch story ideas, find subject matter experts, and even gain product or service feedback for research.

How can schools take advantage of smart phones and the ipod touch to support their publications?

What tips do you have for students interested in pursuing a career in this area of communication?

Depending on who you ask, smart phones are either a savior (financially) or a threat. I believe they are only as powerful of a tool as we make them for educational purposes.

Education isn’t getting any cheaper anytime soon. That said, I believe that schools can use the ubiquitous nature of smart phones and iPods along with the innovation of educational apps to expand opportunities to evaluate and increase educational effectiveness. Smart phones are as close as it gets to carrying a book bag around with you 24/7. Think about it, what if these tools could also take a critical seat at the reading, math, or science achievement goals, by utilizing iPod apps as evaluation and measurement tools. Imagine positively impacting the school resource gaps between cash strapped schools who have difficulties with students being able to afford quality publications by offering a device that cuts down on paper, cost, shipping, versioning, etc.

Get ready to learn, unlearn and relearn. The industry is changing and evolving so quickly so no one has time to think about exactly what they want to do in the field and how.

You just have to jump in, learn as much as you can and then be prepared to quickly unlearn what you just learned to go and learn something new.

John Girton is an instructor of Journalism and Telecommunications at Ball State University.

He has launched, owned and operated small businesses for more than 25 years.

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CHECK OUT

THIS

NEWSROOM Adviser Kathy Habiger gives us a look into her suburban Kansas City, Kan. classroom

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A wide

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f 24 PCs

and stu

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various s

tates of

work.

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Fun

e are ing music. Yes, thos oy nn A . ic us m ay Exchange.” es. Some pl hite Elephant Gift guard our mailbox W ts al co nu as m an r al ci ou offi om “Some un e leftovers fr front row. These ar e th in gs ho nd grou

Acknowledgement

“On the walls are plaques acknowledging the hard work of the publication staffs through the years,” Habiger said.

Mill Valley High School, located in Shawnee, Kan., opened in the fall of 2000. The school is currently undergoing an expansion.

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Communication

“Our wipe board is the center of communication. Students leave notes for each other, and I communicate a daily agenda and other important items to classes each day. Yes, that’s my face on that board. It was inspired by the large faces of college basketball players and coaches that fans often hold up at basketball games. I’m like the Bill Self of the journalism room, I guess.”

Equipment Check Out “With 15 staff photographers, it’s sometimes hard to remember which initials belong to which student on the camera check out calendar. There’s a separate check out for our extra lenses: Winkie, Tinkie, Mickey, Minnie and Sasquatch.”

Kathy Habiger advises the award-winning JAG yearbook and JagWire newspaper. The school mascot is the jaguar and the colors are silver and blue.

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NANCY KUEI YEARBOOK ADVISER

SHE DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A LADY WITH 129 KIDS. With deadlines approaching and so many students counting on her, you might think high school teacher and yearbook adviser Nancy Kuei would look a bit more tense.

Fortunately, with her Herff Jones representative by her side, Nancy has it all under control. By working hard to identify and solve her challenges, we help Nancy rise above the day-to-day stress so she can focus on her students.

Our experienced representatives understand the small things that make each yearbook special. We get to know the school’s unique culture and share a genuine concern for the students. Then we manage the details, deliver advice and do whatever it takes to make the yearbook unforgettable for the students, the faculty…and for Nancy, too.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WHITEPAPER ON THE KEY ROLE COCURRICULAR ACTIVITIES PLAY IN STUDENT GROWTH AT HERFFJONES.COM/INSIGHT

herffjones.com/insight

© 2010 Herff Jones, Inc.

u S

P EVLAT we’re going there...

r

by sarah nichols

PT

i

t’s almost funny how the topic of superlatives in high school yearbooks is just about as polarizing as health care reform. Since you’re the expert on your school and the expectations of your readers, this isn’t an attempt to sway you in either direction. Consider this article a discussion-starter for your staff since you should constantly question the process and purpose of everything you do in a yearbook.

Here’s my disclaimer: The Details staff includes superlatives in each volume. Our readers want them. I used to be embarrassed that we did them, but I supported my students’ rationale. Now I’m proud that my staff knows its readers, addresses their wants/ needs and uses superlatives as another way to build reader-relevant, all-inclusive coverage.

Sure, superlatives are primarily for entertainment. What’s wrong with that? With readership declining in every form of printed media for our targeted age group, is upping the entertainment value such a bad idea? There’s a business to yearbook — if you don’t sell books, they will die. The key, of course, is to build upon that entertainment value and connect to the book’s role as a history book. If you’re doing superlatives, link them to this year in particular as a way to date the trends and popular culture relevant to your school community. “Most Athletic” doesn’t mean nearly as much to this year’s history as “Most Likely to Wait in Line at Midnight to See the First ‘New Moon’ Showing.”

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Stay Relevant » If you include superlatives, how can you make them relevant?

Creating relevant superlatives starts with the categories, so here are a few things to keep in mind:

> Consider the yearbook’s purpose (history, reference, memory) as you would for all other content/coverage decisions. > Stay away from popularity coverage. > This isn’t exactly news coverage, so don’t let it dominate the book. Keep it simple and out of the spotlight.

> Consider letting kids write their own (positive, fun, reader-generated). This will eliminate complaints over winners/ losers. Just make sure you have a verification process to ensure that what gets turned in is actually from the person it says. > Stay away from physical categories — high school is cruel enough.

> Try not to overlap with other parts of the book: If you do an Academic Top 10 or other similar awards lists, how will this differ? > Keep asking yourselves: Is this a coverage opportunity to reach other kinds of kids at your school or simply repeat exposure of the kids already overcovered?

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»

> If the book is truly dating the year, use contemporary categories (Most Addicted to Farmville on Facebook, Most Likely to Audition for “American Idol”) and link to popular culture.

Ash a Wut yearbook Gabrielino High School San Gabriel, Calif.

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El Paisano yearbook Westlake High School Austin, Texas

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The Hauberk yearbook Shawnee Mission East High School Prairie Village, Kan.

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Give them what they want » How do you know if your readers want superlatives?

> Ask, of course! Just make sure that the method by which you ask is systematic and widely advertised. If a department on campus is willing to distribute surveys for you, create a questionnaire asking students to rate the importance of superlatives in the yearbook. Make sure to ask enough questions to get meaningful feedback. Here are a few to consider: > On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being least important...

Strongly agree - agree - no opinion - disagree - strongly disagree > Senior superlatives are an important part of the yearbook.

> Senior superlatives are a tradition that should continue. > Senior superlatives should be done by student nomination.

> Superlatives should extend to all grade levels at our school.

> Students should be limited to winning only one superlative title.

> Senior superlatives should be decided by all grade levels in a voting process.

> I am more likely to purchase a yearbook because of senior superlatives.

> I would be more likely to purchase a yearbook all four years if superlatives applied to all grade levels.

> I would submit a suggestion for superlative categories if provided the opportunity.

> I like the categories from last year’s senior superlatives in the yearbook.

> I would like to see the categories for superlatives change each year to feel fresh and timely.

> I would like to see the same categories used each year to maintain an important school tradition.

> I think senior superlatives only apply to a select group of students.

> I think the yearbook would be better without senior superlatives.

»

The Hawk Pleasant Grove High School Texarkana, Texas

> Senior superlatives are conducted fairly at our school. > Senior superlatives should not be in the yearbook. > Senior superlatives should be in the yearbook but need more categories.

> Once you’re sure your readers want or expect to see superlatives in the book, you have a responsibility to fulfill. Require sufficient turnout for results worth reporting.

If the votes represent only a small portion of the senior class, how accurate are the results? Set a minimum and stick to it. If your standard for other staff polls and surveys is 10 percent of your student population, that’s a good place to start. You’ll have a better turnout, however, if you find a way to access all students at once.

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Get a better response » Ideas for getting a better response:

> Distribute ballots in a required senior-specific course, such as English or government.

Depending on your school schedule, this will enable you to hit every senior in the same day or within a two-day period and you’ll be sure no student had an opportunity to vote twice. If you want to go the extra mile, meet with those teachers afterward to see who was absent from class that day and hand-deliver a ballot to those select students. > Utilize resources from your student government (StuCo, leadership, ASB, student council).

Surely the school has a system in place for other election activities, such as Homecoming court or class officers. At our school, we have voting booths and a process by which students check in using their student ID cards to cast their vote. Kids already know the process and it runs quickly and smoothly during lunch.

> An online voting system, if secure, is great since it handles the tabulation process for you. A couple of considerations: Make sure all students have equal access to the voting site. Provide opportunities on campus during the school day so that all eligible voters are included. Make sure settings are secure for no repeat voting (either by using a login code or other method). > Caution for using social networking: don’t.

You don’t know who is logged on and how accurate it is (with so many students sharing passwords or letting others use their accounts) and not everyone uses Facebook, so you’d need another method anyway. And if you’re using another method as well, then how can you be sure the person didn’t vote twice?

Keep it a secret, but not too secret » What to do when you have the completed ballots:

> Store them someplace secure and limit the number of people who have access. > If you used paper ballots, cut them into pieces or strips, separating each category so multiple superlatives can be tallied at once. You want to determine the results as quickly as possible so the ballots can again be locked away. > Make counting semi-public among your yearbook staff. For example, the students counting our ballots have tally sheets and sit at a large round table in the classroom where others can see what’s happening, even though they aren’t directly involved. Work with a partner. Double-check for accuracy. Don’t let anything happen in private. > Keep the results secret. If you choose to do photo coverage of the winners or finalists, you can explain to these students that they’ve been selected for one of the categories as a possible nominee without disclosing the exact category or result.

Give it a look »

Consider these suggestions for the look of your superlatives coverage

> Design to match the book. Consider repeating a special photo treatment or graphic effect for visual unity. > Relate the headline to the book’s concept, if possible. A label headline here is just as weak as elsewhere in your book. > Show or list the runners-up. An infographic

would include exact count or percentages, so that’s an idea. Even just listing names of the other top nominees will expand your coverage and feature more students in the book.

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> Instead of quoting the winners, get a quote from someone ABOUT the winner. Again, this includes more students in the book and offers a wider range of perspectives. > Limit the space. Don’t be afraid to go small. >Provide complete source information, as you would for any poll or survey. Indicate how the voting took place, when, how many students participated, etc.

»

> Count them. Make sure you have enough to be considered a valid representation. If not enough people are voting, it’s time to conduct better research on your readers’ wants and needs.

The Hornet yearbook Bryant High School Bryant, Ark.

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The Wingspan yearbook James C. Enochs High School Modesto, Calif.

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OURAG

the story of one editor and his fight to distribute

by Michael Majchrowicz photo by Kelleigh Romba

OURAG

Michael Majchrowicz is editor of The Scout, Lake Central (Schererville, Ind.) High School’s newspaper. Here is his account of having his paper taken off the news stands.

Just to start things off, The Scout is a student-produced newspaper under prior review.

All pages are sent to the head principal’s office each issue.

From there, she reads and looks over all material, and if she doesn’t believe something to be appropriate, then we must remove it.

Production on our February issue started out just like every other issue. We had just finished up on deadline, nothing was different. Scaled pages were printed off and pieced together. The pages were then delivered to our head principal for prior review. We received the pages back from the head principal, and nothing directly had been pointed out on any of the stories.

As the editor-in-chief, I penned the staff editorial endorsing the much talked about resignation of our high school’s former football coach.

The story, gleaming at the top of the page, to my surprise had made it through prior review. There was literally nothing written, not a single pen mark, on the editorial during review.

I later went to send the pages down to print and for everything to run. The issue was released, and as far as I was able to tell, everything looked pretty good. While I sat in class, and while my adviser was in a class of her own,

an administrator made his way into my adviser’s classroom.

He asked my adviser for all of the newspapers immediately, claiming that there was a factual error within the editorial.

My adviser respectfully refused, and reminded this particular administrator that

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we are under prior review to begin with. Also note, there were no factual errors within the piece. The administrator left the classroom and began confiscating all of the newspapers off the stands, instructing others to do so as well.

I sat in on meeting after meeting concerning the confiscation, and eventually with the superintendent himself.

After being asked what I believed the mission statement of a student newspaper was, I answered “to tell the truth.” I was told to my face I was wrong.

I was sick of being patronized and so was my newspaper staff. After serious thought, I made the executive decision that I was going to take this matter to the outside press.

The local newspapers ran with the story. We became front page news.

I decided that it would be best to address the board of education because I yearned for some sort of response.

The administration literally fell silent after I issued the press release.

This is what scared me the most — why hadn’t they said anything?

As the board of education meeting drew closer, I decided to rally student support via social networking sites like Facebook.

The overall response from students and supporters alike was pleasantly overwhelming.

I created an events page for the board of education meeting, which reached more than 100 confirmed guests.

About 100 people were present at the meeting the following night. About 11 or so of them made speeches, including myself.

The administration simply

stated that the prior review process was to be reviewed.

We were stumped.

Later the next week, I was called out of my history class to the principal’s office. Two administrators sat in chairs adjacent to me, and stared solemnly for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, they spoke up and informed me that the board decided to put

the newspapers back on the stands.

I was absolutely elated. News spread quickly, and by the time the newspapers were put back on stands, they were already gone. Eager students cleared the news stands within a day.

Ironically, the next month, as an officer on the board of the IHSPA, I spoke at the annual First Amendment Symposium on the topic of Freedom of Press.

Our rights are challenged and brought into question every so often. It is up to us fellow journalists, to push aside ignorance and to fight for what we know is right, not only by what our journalistic training and education textbooks have offered us, but by the manner in which our hearts and minds lead us everyday.

Truth conquers, and the Freedom of the Press shall always prevail.

Because of his dedication, Michael received a special “Courage” award from the Indiana High School Press Association in February. The award was presented at the IHSPA’s First Amendment Symposium at the Indiana Statehouse. Michael’s adviser is Carrie Wadycki.

Previous spread: IHSPA executive director Diana Hadley announces Michael’s “Courage” award as his adviser, Carrie Wadycki, presents him with a plaque.

The Long Weekend Focus on Journalism

Join us on campus at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa for The Long Weekend journalism camp June 18-20, open to middle or high school students. For more information, contact ASPA at aspa@ua.edu or visit the Web site at www.aspa.ua.edu.

E S N E INT 2010 JOUR BALL STATE SUMMER

NALISM WORKSHOPS

STUDENTS + ADVISERS

July 25-29 and July 30-Aug.1

June 18-20 and June 25-27

competitively priced • award-winning faculty • state-of-the-art facilities great class options • advisers: earn graduate credit or CRU’s

FIND OUT MORE AT BSUJOURNALISMWORKSHOPS.COM

my story l Jimmy Hibsch

How journalism changed my life I always knew I did not fit in, but I was not ready to do anything about it until high school.

I saw middle school as a mold. Since I was not the most social person, I latched onto the “jock” group. They led the life of what is expected of a typical prepubescent boy – playing sports, causing trouble.

I knew I did not fit in, but I was too quiet and too nervous to venture out of the norm. Essentially, I was a follower.

Jimmy Hibsch is Editor-inChief of The Pacer, the school newspaper at Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. He is the Illinois Journalism Education Association’s 2010 Scholastic Journalist of the Year and has been named to the IJEA’s Allstate Journalism team in 2008 and 2009. A senior, Hibsch will attend the University of Missouri starting in September.

I was determined high school would be different, but I knew I was going to have to find the courage to change that.

The summer before my freshman year, all of my friends were signed up for football camp. True to my “follower” nature, I signed myself up as well.

However, about halfway through the camp, I realized that I no longer wanted to live the “jock” life that I had engaged the last several years.

That was the end of football.

I instead signed up for the newspaper, despite being told I was committing “social suicide.” I did not care. It was something different and unique; something that would make me stand out.

During my first few weeks in class – let’s be honest. I hated it. I was failing. Take me: a former straight-A student who had barely enough courage to talk to a classmate, let alone a complete stranger, and toss me into the journalism class. I was totally out of my element.

But soon after I began to notice the dynamics of the group. We had the melodramatic photographer, the tense Valedictorian, the grim Goth, among others.

There was only one aspect between myself and these students that kept us from being complete polar opposites: our passions for writing.

28 Blend

The newspaper staff members were anything but the type I had previously associated with, but they became some of my closest and most memorable friends throughout my high school years.

The newspaper gave me a chance to break out of my shell. Before joining The Pacer, I was a quiet, timid, unpopular student who had always hid in the shadows of school. The newspaper put me in the spotlight.

I have become practically fearless.

If I need a source for a story, I am comfortable calling the Secretary of State’s press secretary to schedule an interview. If a story comes up last minute, I am comfortable interviewing two survivors of the Northern Illinois University shooting on a moment’s notice.

If I am on an assignment, I am comfortable attending a Latino dance show where I know that I will be the only caucasian present. If something controversial is occurring in the school, I am comfortable exposing it.

Typical high school students are not comfortable pursuing these opportunities. A good journalist, however, is the furthest thing from a “typical high school student.”

The newspaper completely transformed me.

My dream for high school was to break out of my shell, and I realized I may have to sacrifice friends and popularity to fulfill it.

I never realized how many positives would spawn after breaking from the “norm.” As I was called down to the center of the gym with almost the entire school chanting my name and applauding to congratulate me on my Illinois Journalist of the Year award, I learned that peoples’ respect is not limited to the star athlete – people respect peers who hold a passion, regardless of its focus.

Journalism changed my life.

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(IT’S FREE!) June 18-20, 2010 READY TO HOP ON THE BANDWIDTH-WAGON?

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Need a Web site?

Let us help!

Make the transition to the Web at our free, three-day weekend workshop!

Supported by a generous grant from the McCormick Foundation, you’ll leave Ball State having set up a basic publications Web site you and your students can use immediately.

All advisers are welcome to apply! The deadline to apply is May 21, 2010.

for more information and to apply, visit www.bsujournalismworkshops.com

National Scholastic Press Association 2221 University Ave SE, Suite 121 Minneapolis, MN 55414

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Blend is published by the Secondary Educational Services office at Ball State University.

NSPA is mailing complimentary copies of Blend to its members as a benefit of membership.

Join us this summer, and be ready to start the year!

NATiONAl SchOlASTic PRESS ASSOciATiON Summer Journalism Workshops July 15-17, 2010 University of Minnesota Minneapolis Scholarships available exclusively to NSPA members.

Check out our Web site for more details and updates: NSPA. STUDENTPRESS.ORG.

WorkShoPS Redesign for the 21st Century Photojournalism and Multimedia Advanced Writing Editorial Leadership Advising Publications

Journalism is changing, and successful students and advisers know the value of attending a summer workshop designed to train, motivate and inspire for the challenges of what comes next. Join us in Minneapolis this summer to stay ahead of the curve and on top of new skills.

INTENSE & IN FOCUS. NSPA will expose students to what’s hot in journalism. Whether you need the basic skills or have been around a while, our talented instructors will help you get better.

LEarN by ObSErvINg, dOINg, INTEraCTINg. We’ve assembled the Twin Cities’ top names in media for general and breakout sessions.

LaNd OF 10,000 IdEaS. We’ll work you hard but not without opportunities for fun. Meet peers from across the country. Enjoy your stay on a large college campus in the heart of the Twin Cities.

Get the most from the workshop by bringing the whole crew — we have discounts for groups over five and over 10.