October 2004 Stet by MIPAMSU

Stet

September 2004 Vol. 32, No. 1

Michigan Interscholastic Press Association

Inside MIPA Mentoring

4–5 It was Magic!

6–7 Summer Shots

12–13

About the Photo Julia Ridgway, an intern at Birmingham Seaholm HS, took this photo as part of an assignment this summer in the Publication Advisers Workshop photography class. See more photos taken by class members on page 13.The class Ridgway took was her last class as an English major/journalism minor. She will be seeking a teaching position in the fall of 2005.

Stet The President’s Column

Not a rookie anymore

Brian Wilson Waterford Kettering HS

t all goes by pretty fast, I’m finally starting to realize. My wife recently threw me a surprise 30th birthday party, which surprised me not only because she is a notorious secret-spiller and somehow snuck this one past me, but also because I’m now pretty sure that it meant that I was 30. It’s OK, really, because now they’re saying that 50 is the new 30, which, if you do the math, means that 30 is the new 10, I guess. OK, that’s both strange and not actually all that desirable, now that I think about it. But, at any rate, it sure has come up in a hurry. I’m finally realizing that I’m not a rookie teacher anymore, and I’m joining the ranks of ‘teachers who try to help other teachers when they don’t know what they’re doing.’ I guess I have to start pretending that I do, indeed, know what I’m doing. The whole thing makes me think about all that I’ve learned from the teachers around me every day, and from the advisers I meet every summer at the MIPA workshop, and from the people who have forgotten more about teaching than I know. I can’t figure out if, as a teacher, you’re supposed to be teaching more or learning more, and often I think maybe it should be equal. The one thing I do know is that I try to teach my butt off every day and I still think I’m on the ‘borrowing knowledge’ side of the ledger way more than I’m on the ‘doling out knowledge’ side. I wonder how many of you reading this find yourself in the same position. Thank goodness there are people out there who really do appear to know what they’re doing. I have a friend, for instance, who has taught for 25

MIPA Officers 2004-2005 President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Trustee Trustee Trustee Newspaper Chair Legislative Chair Workshop Chair Middle School Chair Broadcast Chair Yearbook Chair Hall of Fame Chair Executive Director J-School Director

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Brian Wilson, Waterford Kettering HS Rod Satterthwaite, Dexter HS David Hebestreit, Livonia Churchill HS Kim Kozian, L’Anse Creuse HS North Sandra Strall, Carlson HS Cheryl Braford, Portage Central HS Jeremy Van Hof, Grand Ledge HS Julie Price, Haslett HS Gloria Olman, retired, Utica HS Betsy Pollard Rau, H.H. Dow HS

years and has shown me the value of making the most of every day. He always shares invaluable stories, advice, and general wisdom with all those who will listen, but then inevitably forgets that he has done so and shares these tidbits with you several more times, sometimes within a span of a few minutes. Anyway, he continually tells me that every year evaporates more quickly than the one before. This time loss goes on, apparently, till you’re like 105 and each year is akin to the lifespan of one of those weird flies that spend a single glorious day making baby flies and then vanish. Well, OK, it isn’t like the part where they end up all over my driveway, but you get the idea. Another veteran teaching friend of mine, one of the most dynamic, impassioned people I know, spends a couple of minutes each year at our school’s freshman orientation explaining to (“screaming at,” really is more appropriate) petrified incoming ninth graders that they really don’t have much time before they graduate. Four years is really only 720 days of school, give or take, and then most of them will be on to bigger and perhaps better things. I don’t know how many of them agree with him on this, particularly on their very first day of high school, but it sure resonates with me. And it hits home more with each passing year, each graduating class, each group of yearbook seniors who sign their names to my classroom wall, especially now that I’m almost through my second 720-day tour of duty.

Please see PRESIDENT’S COLUMN on page 3

Stet

Stet is the official newsletter of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association, an agency of the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. Stet is published four times a year by the MIPA executive director and MSU students. Send letters to the editor and advertising inquiries to mipa@msu. edu. The MIPA Web site is maintained by Josh Tacey and Penney Aiken. www.mipa.jrn.msu.edu

Vacant Diane Herder, Laingsburg HS Lynn Strause, East Lansing HS Jeff Nardone, Grosse Pointe South HS Cheryl Pell, Michigan State University Jane Briggs-Bunting, MSU School of Journalism

MIPA 305 Communication Arts Building Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1212 Phone: 517-353-6761 Fax: (517-355-7710

Stet

Book Corner

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN, cont. from page 2

Review of Video Basics 4 Herbert Zettl has written an excellent textbook for students of videography. Not only does he cover the basics but also it is updated yearly. Thus for those teachers who need the most current information on digital video—it is there. Many community college and universities have adopted video Basics. If a high school teacher wants students to receive college credit for the course they can work through their counselor to have their course accredited by using this textbook. Zettl works in the hub of movie making in California. He draws on his years in the field as well as in the classroom. He is a recognized authority in video production. An exceptional companion Web site gives updates and additional learning resources for the teacher. His Video Lab CD allows the students a hands-on method of learning bringing the studio right to the desktop in your classroom. The Video Basics 4 Workbook allows the teacher to give review assignments for the students. Although the book is pricey for high schools it is well worth the money as it prepares students for the real work of video. By Diane Herder

Additional facts about the book ■ 432 pages ■ Wadsworth Publishing; 4 edition ■ ISBN 0534612458

■ Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches

(2003)

■ Available at Amazon ■

$78.95

Mini-review of Pure Design Mario Garcia has always been my design god. His Contemporary Newspaper Design book, published in 1981, was my first design book, and I practically memorized it from cover to cover. Garcia has authored several books since that classic, but his latest one, Pure Design, is sure to be another favorite. I adopted it for my Publication Design class this fall, and my students are really enjoying it, as much for its own beautiful design as for its contents. In the introduction, Garcia writes “Pure design is just what it sounds like—creating storytelling structures that are simple and uncomplicated.” With plenty of colorful examples, Pure Design has design basics and principles on every page, clearly and cleanly stated. When you place this small book in your hands and skim through it quickly, you immediately know you’re in for a treat. Garcia’s Pure Design is pure gold. By Cheryl Pell

I notice the difference at parentteacher conferences, too. My students’ parents, for the most part, are still a bit closer in age to my own parents than they are to me, but it’s getting closer all the time. The third teacher in my traveling band of wise mentors (Saying this makes me picture them traversing the Sahara on camels, wearing plaid jackets with patches on their elbows, and smoking pipes) has taught me the value of believing in my instincts. Every time I take an education course and hear about current best practices in the classroom, I realize that I have heard the exact same thing from him. Only he hasn’t taken an education class in years. Or ever, for all I know. He just understands what’s best for kids. I always wonder things like, “How the heck does he know all this stuff?” And, “Why can’t I know all this stuff?” And “Hey! I want to know stuff too!” So I think (OK, worry) about that when I might make the jump from my position of constantly seeking out information from others to giving out some of the wisdom that I have swiped from my heroes. And then I think about how, in some ways, I’ve already made that leap. Or, more accurately, maybe I have been leaping, slo-mo style like the Six-Million Dollar Man, for a while and probably won’t land for a good long spell. These teachers who have been around for ages must still be leaping too. Once you actually hit the ground, I suppose, it’s probably time to pack it in. Like I said, life’s going to go zooming by us, whether we hop on the bus or not. You remember the scene in one of the Indiana Jones movies where Harrison Ford wraps his whip around the axle of a truck and gets dragged through the dust, holding on for all he’s got? I think sometimes that’s exactly what our lives, especially as teachers, doubleespecially as publication advisers, are like. Ain’t it the best ride in the world?

Would you like to write a review for Stet? If the book is related to scholastic journalism, please feel free to send in a review. We’ll also need a photo of the book. E-mail mipa@msu.edu.

September 2004

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MENTORING It’s a MIPA thing

By Rod Satterthwaite Dexter HS

“Rod has single-handedly created this great program, which puts personalized help right at everyone’s fingertips.” Cheryl Pell, MIPA director

econd year advising. First Spartan Award. And she credits her MIPA mentor for making it happen. According to Melissa Kuznar, adviser of The Eagle newspaper at Ferndale HS, being a part of the MIPA mentoring program has made a world of difference for her and her program. “Every time I had a question, I e-mailed my mentor (Jeff Nardone from Grosse Pointe South HS),” Kuznar said. “He responded so very quickly to all my questions and genuinely seemed to care about me and all the questions I asked. Without my mentor I would’ve gotten through the year, yes, but not as confidently. He boosted my spirits and supported me at all the right times.” And Kuznar is not alone in her praise of the program. Tami Moskal who advised the newspaper at Brighton HS last year was paired with Mary Lou Nagy, the newspaper adviser at Plymouth HS. Moskal said, “I loved having Mary Lou as my mentor. I loved the e-mail relationship because it was so informal.” Nagy said she enjoys the use of an e-mail mentoring system as well and would give her experience as a mentor a “10”. “The e-mail is what really makes it work since everyone is so busy,” she said. “I would encourage mentors to really make an effort to meet their person if possible. Tami and I really enjoyed talking together.” Like Nagy, many mentors said they found the experience beneficial for them as well. Gloria Olman, a retired adviser formerly with Utica HS, said, “Being a mentor helps me to stay grounded, to remember what it is like to be starting out. It helps me to think of ways to help advisers at the fall conference, in the class I may teach, etc. Most importantly, it keeps me in touch with MIPA, journalism and the things I love.” As for Kuznar and her staff’s first Spartan, she said, “We won a Spartan Award this year as my second year as an adviser, and I know (Nardone’s) mentoring really influenced us. Thanks to my mentor and this program. I love it.” Rod Satterthwaite is the newspaper and yearbook adviser at Dexter HS and is MIPA’s first vice president.

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“Every time I had a question, I e-mailed my mentor.” Melissa Kuznar, Ferndale HS 2004–2005 MENTORS & Mentees SKIP SCHULTZ Todd Day BRIAN TOWN (video) LYNN STRAUSE (yearbook) Laurie Howell JEFF SALISBURY Cheryl Jolin JULIE SHAW Theresa Getchell MARY LOU NAGY Tracy Rosewarne JEFF NARDONE Melissa Kuznar & Lynette Mayman LYDIA CADENA Ronalee Henderhan GLORIA OLMAN Jen Van Der Heide & Pam Thiel GINO PERRI Christina Vettraino NIKKI SCHUELLER Roxanne Zell DAVE KAMKE (newspaper) & BOB MOORE (yearbook) Jackie Trometter Mentors waiting for mentees: Kristen Bentley, Dave Hebestreit, Diane Hofsess, Claudia McLoughlin, Jessica Revord, Annice Ridley

Day

Mayman

dvising can be a lonely job, but MIPA is here to help. Last year the MIPA board began a mentorship program for new advisers or those with only a few years of advising experience. We were able to pair 20 beginning advisers with 20 experienced advisers from around the state. Many new advisers said they and their students benefited from this program and the relationship they developed with their mentor. If you are a new or almost new adviser and would like the services of a mentor for next school year, please send your name, e-mail address, school name and type of publication you advise (newspaper, yearbook, video production, web publication, literary magazine) to this e-mail address: satterth@dexter.k12.mi.us. When we have a mentor for you we will send more details. This is an excellent opportunity for beginning advisers to have a supportive and an open dialogue on all aspects of advising. As a mentee, your job would simply entail contacting your mentor whenever questions arise about advising or whenever you’re looking for a sympathetic ear. We are also looking for mentors. If you’ve advised successfully for a while, please consider lending your help to those who could benefit from it. If you’d like to be a mentor, please send your name e-mail address, school name and type of publication you’d be willing to mentor for (newspaper, yearbook, video production, web publication, literary magazine) to satterth@dexter.k12.mi.us. When we have a mentee assigned to you, we will contact you with more details. As a mentor, you job would be to answer questions from your mentee in a timely, professional fashion, as well as lending a sympathetic ear when needed. You would also be asked to make contact with your mentee at least once per quarter during the school year to offer your support and encouragement.

Nardone

Rosewarne

■ Be sure you have time to give to your mentee. The most common complaint from mentees last year was that their mentor didn’t get back to them in a timely manner. If you are too busy to respond to a new adviser’s questions quickly, you probably shouldn’t be a mentor. ■ Consider meeting your mentee face to face. Many mentors had their mentees visit them at their school to see how their program is run. This is a valuable way for new advisers to get a feel for how an experienced adviser runs a journalism classroom. If this doesn’t work, consider meeting for coffee once a month to allow your mentee time to bounce ideas off you.

Be a mentor or a mentee

Nagy

Tips for being a good mentor:

Schueller

■ Critique your mentee’s publication. Some mentors suggested this as a valuable learning experience for the mentor, the mentee and the mentee’s staff. Hold high standards but be kind. Remember your mentee is just starting out and too much negative feedback could cause them to feel negative or hopeless. ■ Start a publication exchange with your mentee. Let them see your paper, yearbook, magazine or video production so they can learn from it. ■ Meet up with your mentee at MIPA or JEA conventions. Give your mentee someone they can sit with at lunch or attend a session with. Help them feel connected to MIPA and scholastic journalism.

Tips for being a good mentee: ■ If you want help from your mentor, be sure to ask for it. Publications advisers are among the busiest people on earth, and the biggest complaint that mentors had last year is they felt they had to initiate too much of the mentoring. Your mentor will contact you at least once per marking period to see how things are going but are there for you whenever you need help. Use them. ■ Don’t sign up if you don’t really want the help. Some mentors were frustrated that their mentee never contacted them despite repeated efforts on their part. ■ Thank your mentor for their help. Many mentors gave up multiple hours of time to help their mentees. Be sure to recognize them for this effort. ■ Contact the MIPA office or Rod Satterthwaite, mentoring coordinator, at the first sign of a bad mentoring relationship. We have more mentors than mentees, and if something isn’t going right, we can easily pair you with someone else.

Strause

Trometter

Van Der Heide

September 2004

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Magic Stet

P A

A student uses the floor as a desk as she works on her yearbook layouts.

Teacher Heather Banks works one on one with a student.

Students enjoy the outdoor picnic on Tuesday evening, which was held behind Shaw Hall.

Instructor Bobby Hawthorne shares an idea with Tricia Bobeda of Haslett HS in his writing class.

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Cindy Irish of St. Johns HS and Jackie Folkert of Portage Northern HS listen to Betsy Rau on Advisers Day. Advisers are invited to spend a day at the workshop.

Director Betsy Rau and assistant director Chad Sanders grab a hug from Sparty at the closing ceremony.

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Karaoke is always a favorite activity on the last night of the workshop.

MSU football player Tyrell Dortch shares the story of his well-known broken leg with students at a press conference while teammate Dave Rayner looks on.

Digital photo instructor Jim Redding assists a student with her work.

Student photographers practice their skills at workshop events.

Photo instructor Julie Price explains photo techniques to one of her students. With Magic as its theme, the workshop had its own resident magician, Dan Trommater, one of the photo instructors. At the opening he performed a trick with business management instructor Patrice Hornak.

September 2004

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WORKSHOP

WIZARDS Student staff prepare for MIPA’s biggest event By CE Sikkenga Grand Haven HS

C.E. Sikkenga, yearbook and newspaper adviser at Grand Haven HS, wrote this article last summer for the writing class he was taking from Bobby Hawthorne.

8 ■ September 2004

enney Aiken sits in front of the huge screen that dwarfs the desk in the cramped office of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association, simultaneously checking data on participants in next week’s MIPA Summer Workshop for high school students and fighting with a printer that is spitting out misprinted door tags. Although Aiken is the youngest of four MIPA Assistants, her experience and composed, professional manner makes her the veteran and leader of the staff. Today, she’s trying to stay on top of the mountain of tasks that must be accomplished before MIPA hosts nearly 600 high school students at one of the largest student workshops in the United States. The four college students working on the MIPA staff will accomplish much of the nuts and bolts work needed to make the workshop happen. As the office manager and only veteran from last year’s workshop, that means Aiken is spending much of her summer in the tiny office worrying about the workshop. “Last year I’d come in like three days a week, work like four hours a day,” said Aiken, her short brown hair, multiple piercings, jeans and flip flops pretty much defining the casual style of the MIPA office. “Now I’m here 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. I contemplated coming last Sunday because there’s so much to do. Then I’m trying to remember everything from last year to this year and going ‘oh my gosh, what did I forget.’” OFFICE SPACE In the adjoining office, Jennifer Buske is wedged on the floor in the doorway, cutting out nametags for all 589 workshop participants. In her black tee-shirt, jeans and bare feet, she could be the poster child for office casual. Inches away from her painted toenails, perched on a

Julia Ridgway takes a smile break in the MIPA office. Ridgway is currently an intern at Seaholm HS in Birmingham.

Jennifer Buske pulls together the booklet students received at the workshop. Buske is a senior at Syracuse University and a former All-MIPA Newspaper Student.

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Penney Aiken, MIPA office manager, works long hours to prepare for the MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop. Aiken is a criminal justice major at MSU and continues to work for MIPA. small chair is Traci Carpenter. Buske and Carpenter are the Mutt and Jeff of the MIPA staff. Buske a brown-haired, brown eyed journalism major from Syracuse University is gregarious and giggly. Hardly a sentence goes by without a laugh. Carpenter, blonde and fair-skinned is quieter and more reserved. Together they take on many of the jobs related to production of the MIPA workshop. Since many of these require space to set out supplies, the MIPA Office can be a tough workspace. Presumably Buske’s chosen her location in the doorway , because it’s the only empty space in the offices, two connected 8x10 rooms on the third floor of the Communication Arts building at Michigan State University. While the latest indie-rock hits squawk out of the tinny speakers on one of several small boom boxes perched atop a computer workstation, a mass of journalism-related materials spreads up and out from every square inch of the room. Bulk crates of snack food compete for floor, wall and shelf space with fuzzy pillows, time sheets, photos, employees, a small dish of dog food and what appears to be at least one copy of every training manual and student publication produced in the last half

century. “You should see it when all four of us are in here working,” Aiken says casually, unfazed by the clutter. To the untrained eye the setting is utter chaos, yet the rooms function as home to MIPA—part workspace, part archive dedicated to the history of scholastic journalism in Michigan. Still, it isn’t hard to imagine an avalanche of stuff cascading down the walls and sweeping office, staff and any innocent bystanders out the door and into the hall. What is hard to imagine is any productive work being done in the tiny overflowing space, yet Buske labors cheerfully and efficiently over her nametags, giggling over points in her conversation with Carpenter who is assisting with the name tags while also filing as well as attending to various smaller jobs. With such a small staff, multi-tasking is necessary for survival. “This is a recent development,” says Carpenter of the mess, but the room’s appearance betrays a workspace where too much work has been Please see WORKSHOP on page 10

September 2004

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Stet WORKSHOP, cont. from page 9

The four MIPA office workers collaborate after hours for a karaoke event at Champs Restaurant in Lansing. done in too little space for far too long. Carpenter and Buske have been toiling over the workshop since May.

Traci Carpenter relaxes a moment as she greets advisers at a picnic during the Publication Advisers Workshop.

A NEVERENDING JOB When the job started, they had no way of knowing how heavy the workload would become. “There was a bunch of griping at the beginning of the summer that there wasn’t enough work to do,” said Aiken, who, as office manager, is responsible for making sure that everyone has enough to do. As the workshop nears, this is not difficult. According to Aiken, from late May through early July, the staff processes approximately 30 registration forms every day. Each form must be hand-entered into MIPA’s database, a time-consuming process. Forms also must be checked for completeness and students and advisers who sent incomplete forms must be contacted and hounded for the proper information. “Its frustrating when you have an adviser who sends 30 of them in and doesn’t look at them,” Aiken says. This year, in addition to tracking down missing forms, the office staff also sent personal receipt letters to every one of the 589 participants who hail from as far away as Georgia. While registration is a huge on-going task, there is a seemingly endless string of other jobs that allow the staff to utilize their journalism knowledge. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE Buske, a journalism major at Syracuse University and the former Editor-in-Chief of Midland Dow’s Update newspaper, put her design skills to work creating the workshop’s brochure. “I’ve spent many, many hours alone downstairs in the lab,” she says with a laugh. “The worst part was not having stuff and having the computers freeze and having to

10 ■ September 2004

redo things. It reminds me of high school deadlines.” Despite the technical difficulties, Buske appreciates the opportunity to learn Adobe In-Design (she uses Quark at Syracuse) and to get reacquainted with a workshop she attended as a student. “When I was in high school I went to camp, so now it’s like seeing the other side of it and I’m excited to go back to camp,” Buske said. Carpenter has different reasons for looking forward to the workshop. “It will be nice to see once it all comes together, all the little pieces,” Carpenter said. “ I’m not really sure how it fits.” Unlike Buske, Carpenter never attended the workshop as a high school student. “I’m kind of living vicariously because when I was in high school we didn’t have a paper at all,” Carpenter said. “This is something I wish I could have done earlier.” In spite of the office staff’s enthusiasm for the workshop, the job is overwhelming at times. The nametag project, which started that morning and will last into the next day, is frequently interrupted by phone calls, questions and more pressing errands. It’s a hectic schedule that leaves the staff needing stress relief. Frequently, this comes in the form of the snack food, intended for workshop participants, that’s lying around the office. “You’ll never go hungry at MIPA,” Buske said. “There’s food around all the time and you’re so stressed you just keep eating.” Julia Ridgway, who recently earned her English degree and begins her student teaching in a few weeks, is the fourth member of the staff. Although she’s taking classes at the adviser workshop this week, leaving MIPA with one less hand, she spent hours doing data entry of workshop registration as well as a variety of other tasks. A natural joker with a mischievous sense of humor, she’s felt the pressure. “I haven’t cried. . . yet,” says Ridgway, rolling her eyes. FRUSTRATING BUT FUN Neither has Aiken, although there are plenty of annoyances that frustrate her “Not having enough help,” sighs Aiken, rattling off her personal pet peeves. “People that don’t follow the rules. I just wish people would read. Having to send people back stuff. I’m just ready for it to be over.” Despite the stress and the workload, Aiken loves seeing the workshop come together and looks forward to meeting the students who she’s previously known only as names on forms. “Not only have you put them in (the database) but you’ve handwritten them on a roommate sheet,” Aiken said. “So being able to go and say ‘oh, you’re Megan I’m the person who knows you better than your mom (is neat).’” It’s those experiences that make the workshop something Aiken enjoys, in spite of the frustrations. She encourages the rest of the staff to enjoy it too as she tries to prepare them for what they will experience once the workshop participants arrive.,” “Pay attention, don’t expect to sleep and have fun,” says Aiken, listing her advice to the staff. “You have to have fun, because I think its so much fun. That’s why I do it. I wouldn’t come back if it wasn’t fun.”

Stet 2004-2005 MIPA Membership Application Form Membership runs from September through August. Deadline: Schools must join MIPA by Jan. 31, 2005, to participate in contests for that calendar year.

Today’s date SCHOOL List school as you want it referred to on membership certificate and other documents.

Address City

State

Phone ( Check the publications that are joining.

)

ZIP

County

Fax Number (

)

Newspaper Name Home Phone (

Newspaper Adviser )

E-mail

Yearbook Name Home Phone (

Yearbook Adviser )

E-mail

Lit. Magazine Name Home Phone (

Write very clearly, please!

)

Write very clearly, please!

Lit. Magazine Adviser E-mail Write very clearly, please!

Video Journalism Name Home Phone (

)

Video Journalism Adviser E-mail Write very clearly, please!

No $10 fee for Web.

Web Journalism Name Home Phone (

)

Web Journalism Adviser E-mail Write very clearly, please!

Anything you’d like the MIPA office to know?

MEMBERSHIP FEES $37.50 for one publication $47.50 for two publications $57.50 for three publications $67.50 for four publications

1 publication or production

Other publications or productions ($10 for each beyond the first one)

Add $5 if this is being mailed after Oct. 5, 2004

Total enclosed

Send this form and check made out to MIPA to: MIPA, School of Journalism 305 Communication Arts Bldg Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1212 For office use only please:

ck #

amt

September 2004

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Summer SHOTS Photos on this page were taken by students in the digital photography classes at the MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop. Instructors were Ike Lea, Brian Roberts and Jim Redding.

By Lauren Holben/Grand Ledge HS

By Christina LaRosa/Mercy HS

By Natalie Dasher/H.H. Dow HS

12 â&#x2013; September 2004

Stet Photos on this page were taken by students in the Beginning Photography and Photoshop classes, taught by David Stedwell at the Publication Advisers Workshop.

By Joe Higdon/Plainwell HS

By Marnie Hade/Jackson Northwest HS

By April Fulara/Grass Lake HS

By Kathleen Bossen/Okemos Schools

September 2004

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MIPA

Notes News

Join JEA today!

Betsy Rau honored

It’s not too late to join the Journalism Education Association and start getting the benefits. You’ll receive mailings about conventions and their NewsWire publication. You’ll save money on registration for conventions. Plus you’ll gain a huge network of people like you who work hard to produce quality publications. It’s also not too late to make plans to attend the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Atlanta, November 18-21. Thousands of students and advisers have the opportunity to attend hundreds of sessions presented by the best of the countries advisers and professional journalists. If November doesn’t give you enough time to plan, how about the spring convention in Seattle, April 7-10, 2005? Plan ahead to enter your top student in the JEA National High School Journalist of the Year competition. The deadline to submit portfolios to me is February 15, 2005. Find out more about all the JEA conventions and contests plus much more on their Web site: www.jea. org. Or contact Lynn Strause, JEA state director, at strause_lk@elps.k12.mi.us or 517-333-7337.

JEA honors Dexter principal The Journalism Education Association has named Dexter High School’s principal Glen Stevenson as their Administrator of the Year. Glen’s award reflects his support of scholastic journalism at Dexter High School. He will receive his award at a luncheon during JEA’s fall convention in Atlanta. Stevenson was nominated by Danny Dobrei, last year’s editor of The Squall, Dexter High School’s student newspaper; Rod Satterthwaite, DHS newspaper and yearbook adviser and Matt Martello, DHS video journalism teacher. Among the many things Stevenson is being recognized for is his moral and financial support of student journalists and his help in fighting a district prior review policy of the student newspaper. This is Stevenson’s 34th year in education and his fourth as principal at Dexter High School. Two years ago he was honored by MIPA as Administrator of the Year.

SPLC offers memberships If your school isn’t a member of the Student Press Law Center, now is a good time to join. Founded in 1974, the SPLC is the only national, nonprofit resource center that educates and assists student journalists and their teachers on censorship and student press law. Visit their Web site at www.splc.org to discover how you can join the organization. If you’re already a member, consider sending the SPLC a donation for their work on your students’ behalf. The address is SPLC, 1815 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 900, Arlington, VA 22209-1817.

Betsy Rau, adviser at H.H. Dow HS, was named the Wal-mart Teacher of the Year for Michigan in September. She was surprised at a school assembly, where 1,500 Dow students gave her a standing ovation. The award comes with a $10,000 check for her journalism program.

We’re traveling to the U.K. and Ireland next June If you’ve been thinking about taking a trip overseas, why not do it this summer with your colleagues who have similar interests? With the help of Darcy Greene, assistant professor in the MSU School of Journalism and overseas course coordinator for 18 years, MIPA is organizing an overseas adventure for teachers, spouses and other interested parties. Travel will include England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. We will depart from Detroit on Saturday, June 18 and arrive back on Saturday, July 3. You may elect to take credit for this experience. Sign up for the trip will begin in December. Watch your mailbox for more information.

Bookmark it! www.mipa.jrn.msu.edu September 2004

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Yearbook

MIPA Calendar Oct. 5, 2004 Fall Conference at Lansing Center

TRENDS

Oct. 26, 2004 Junior High/Middle School Conference at MSU Union Nov. 15, 2004 Fall delivery Yearbook Spartan Contest entries due

(from one who helps set them)

Dec. 15, 2004 Late: Fall Yearbook Spartan Contest entries due Feb. 25, 2005 Individual Category Contest entries due (Newspaper, Yearbook, Video Journalism) as well as Golden Pen, Administrator of the Year, Student Journalists, All-MIPA, etc. March 5, 2005 Judging Day (Newspaper, Yearbook, Video Journalism) April 22, 2005 MIPA Spring Awards and Contests Conference June 20–July 3 MIPA UK & Ireland Trip July 18–29, 2005 Publication Advisers Workshop July 31–Aug. 5 Summer Journalism Workshop for HS Students

Journalism OCT DAY[ 5

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MIPA

Be sure to register for the MIPA Fall Conference! Visit www.mipa.jrn.msu.edu to download the registration form and then fax it to (517) 355-7710.

Stet

MIPA/School of Journalism 305 Communication Arts Building Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1212

By Lynn Strause East Lansing HS

he best books have a distinctive voice. Whether the book is classic or contemporary, it stays true to its personality and voice through the use of design, fonts, color and other aspects. With the influx of full-color books, staffs must be careful about the contemporary use of color. Color should enhance rather than decorate spreads. Color pulled from photos can be attractively used for headlines, for example. Digital cameras are everywhere. Effective digital imaging means using only high-quality images. We should not be able to immediately tell if a photo is digital. Powerful packaging, often in the form of modular design, strengthens content as well as design. The justifiable use of white space not only separates packages but also adds a more contemporary feel. Good books concentrate on bonus coverage. Rather than using pulled

quotes for display, use a strong, original quote. Don’t duplicate information from the copy in captions. Extra coverage in the form of secondary packages, special magazine sections or special tip ins can add lots of information plus help date the year and personalize the book. Lengthy captions add even more information. Captions have expanded beyond the two-sentence minimum and become mini-stories. We’re seeing real reference sections. That means that, in addition to complete reference information like teams pictures and scoreboards, these sections include additional coverage such as stats and quotes. Staffs of good books make nervy decisions. They don’t do things the same old way they’ve been done for years. As you plan your 2005 book, keep your audience in mind. Don’t forget those tried and true journalistic traditions that mark good books, but don’t be afraid to give your customers something new as you tell the story of the year.

Lynn Strause is a former JEA Yearbook Teacher of the Year, who travels all over the country speaking and teaching about yearbooks. She is the yearbook chair on the MIPA board and the Michigan JEA state director.