Best Technology. Best

You collective histories.”

The panel of speakers will include representatives from Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church, Bible Missionary Baptist Church, First Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and St. John’s Baptist Church.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a Meet and Greet reception with representatives of local historic preservation organizations, followed by the speakers’ presentations from 6 to 7 p.m.

A reception will be held at The Heyward House, 70 Boundary St., following the symposium.

All phases of this event are free and open to the public.

Note: The past seven symposiums have been standing room only. Please arrive early if you require seating. Town staff is coordinating extra seating beyond the Council Chambers as well.

By Heather Brougham-Cook

Nothing is more satisfying than being able to tell the story. This year Cross Upper School students take the driving seat and steer a new course in journalism studies and design. The recently launched elective teaches students to plan, source, report, and write stories themselves. The course introduces the group to state of the art software, Adobe inDesign, used for print editions of Cross Talk and a quarterly web publication, The Slipstream.

Documenting the important stories of Cross Schools focuses this seven person reporting team (pictured on page 2). Their work now forms a digital footprint and pub- lic record of student body interactions within the school and with the greater Bluffton community. The opportunity for a legitimate audience outside of the school motivates student reporters to seek news beyond the immediate school hallways, and creates a window through which the community can get a glimpse of Cross Schools’ student body activities.

Authentic writing assignments brainstormed by the students in their role as editorial board members include news stories, profiles, and investigations; all written and submitted on deadline. These journalists write and edit collaboratively and fact check and proofread their stories as part of the writing process. By spending time with an exchange student (page 3), Max “learned more about a friend from a different background who shared similar values” while Brynn “slayed complex design challenges” as the page layout took shape. Jada advises on planning and proofreading, “it’s better to sometimes step back and allow for time to think than to rush to finish a task.”

Collaborative activities like publishing Cross Talk with the Bluffton Sun, compliments existing digital art and design courses and sets standards of excellence for students.