NE WS PO RT FO LI O
2016
By Grace Gillen 5th period
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As the first half of the year is finalized in Gradebook, thoughts turn to graduation, next year, and the incoming freshmen. Those very incoming freshmen will be getting their first look at campus during the UHS Sneak Peek Tuesday, Jan 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pending students and their parents can walk the grounds of where they will be enrolled next year to preview the many programs Univesity has to offer and get a peek at some of the clubs they can join. Throughout the night students will have the opportunity to interact with various teachers, electives, clubs, and administration. Some of the clubs open to under-classmen include, but are not limited to Titan Engineering club, Criminal Justice and, Latin Dance club, Key club, Culinary club, and Science Olympiad. The Titan Engineering club, or TEC, is run by engineering teacher Mr. Perri. Throughout the year they make a variety of projects, ranging from CO2 dragsters to single-stage rockets. “The purpose of Titan Engineering Club is to promote the application of engineering in a high school setting without the pressure of an academic course-load,” Nick Callegari, TEC president, said. “We will be showing the freshmen some of our previous projects and let them know just how much fun engineering could be.” Criminal Justice club was just established this year, but they have already accomplished much in thier fist year of opperation, and have set lofty goals for the future. In Nov and Dec of this past year, they made candy bags, and donated small gifts to various Sherriff’s Departments in central Florida. “Aa Sneak Peek this year we will have our CJ Club booth staffed by club members in the cafeteria. We will be passing out brochures and answering questions about having an interest in the field of Criminal Justice. Additionally, we plan on taking a field trip during the month of February to the ‘American Police Hall of Fame’ in Titusville, FL.,” Ms. Wickett said A more recognizable club at UHS is Science Olympiad. Run by Ms. Pahel it aims to prepare students to compete in over 20 events that cover a variety of scientific areas of study. Teams compete with surrounding schools for the right to medal and move on to the state competition. “We are preparing for our regional competition which will take place at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University on February 13th,” Ms. Pahel said. “During Sneak Peek, members have information about our club as well as copies of the current events that we will be participating in this year along with photos from past competitions.” These clubs are eager for new members. Incoming freshman interesed in joining clubs, and even those that may not yet be, should come see what the school has to offer. Being a Titan is more than just attending school, so join a club and embrace the Titan spirit.
This article was about the Sneak Peak event for incoming freshmen here at the school. The goal was to report on Sneak Peak, which was on January 26, and also introduce some of the clubs that were being represented. I am proud of the quotes I got for this article, from Nick Callegari, Ms. Wickett, and Ms. Pahel. Also, the article smoothly transitions and is easy to follow. Good journalism accurately informs the public about an event and tells them what to expect. I think that I did a good job of explaining the situation as well as its importance. This is a significant event in the year because so many students are involved. I would change a few things about this article. The main thing is my transitions and quote formatting. Now I know that full names should be used first when introducing someone, then their last name afterwards. When the quote is longer than one sentence, the attribution goes after the firs one, not at the end. Although I do have some transitions in the article they could be stronger and more descriptive to engage the reader.
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Despite the confusion over the theme, this year’s homecoming could definitely be considered a success. Close to 1,000 students returned to the school Saturday Oct. 10 for a night of fun, dancing and memories. Starting at 7:00 p.m., the doors to the gym hallway were opened to an eager line of students. Everyone was excited to see how the gym had been decorated, and to try out the photo booth in the cafeteria. After being handed tickets for some beach-themed games, students could go back and forth between the cafeteria, which also had music and food, and the gym. “This year’s homecoming was so much better than last year’s. The decorations were really cool, more people showed up, and the music was better,” said Katherine Justus, junior. The gym looked like a scene straight from the beach, with a gigantic pirate ship taking up one whole side of the room. Around the sides, students could play Caribbean-themed games in an effort to win some pretty cool prizes. Throughout the night, music played and everyone had a great time. Seniors and homecoming royalty were recognized as well. “SGA did a great job with the dance. It was an amazing experience, and I’ll always remember this homecoming,” said Alexis Bryant, freshman. At the end of the night, the gym really was as hot as a day at the beach. Shoes and wallets were being held at the check-in outside the gym. After one last song, “Don’t Stop Believing,” the dance had come to an end. By the time people began to leave at 11 p.m., the rain was just letting up, and a steady line of cars was moving forward. The traffic reached all the way out to 17-92, and everyone was clearly more than ready to go home and to take off their shoes. Once friends had finished saying goodbye and the last of the cars had come through, it was closer to 12 p.m. Judging by the chatter around school on Monday, this year’s homecoming dance was clearly a night to remember.
The homecoming article was kind of a big deal for me. This was one of the first times I actively reported on an event rather than previewing or reviewing it. I’m a bit upset I did it so early in the year, I feel like I could do a much better job now. Aside from that, I’m proud of the fact that I was able to represent UHSpress as a legitimate news staff member. After this, I realized that things like writing always need improvement and the only way to do that is through practice. This article shows the basics of journalism writing because it follows a basic LQTQ structure, has a slightly descriptive lead, and included quotes from at least two people. To make this article stronger, I would write it more like a feature, with longer sentences, more descriptive imagery, and less focus on the actual event. I have learned this year that there are multiple possible ways to write about any topic, and it is my job to find the correct one and do it to the best of my ability.
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Bringing home the “W” is the goal of any team, athletic or academic. Our UHS Science Olympiad team did exactly that, by placing the second highest in the team’s six-year history. Much dedication and hard work pushed students to compete at the very best of their ability, and their efforts were rewarded. “This year our team placed 6th out of 14 high school teams at our regional held at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University,” club advisor Allison Pahel said. The goal of Science Olympiad is to create and nurture a passion for science in students of all ages by competing in competitions that offer a variety of categories. By doing so, participants see that there is a real world application to science, rather than just dusty old textbooks. “Olympiad scoring is like golf, you are trying to achieve the lowest score to earn a higher placing,” Pahel said. “Teams are ranked 1st through however many teams are competing and are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for overall best score in all events.” Competing in the form of tournaments encourages students to think creatively in order to solve complex problems. A total of 23 categories are up for grabs, ranging from chemistry, to environmental sciences, to engineering. The Titans excelled at the regional competition and placed in a myriad of categories including, 1st in “Protein Modeling” - Alec Chinn-Quee and Victoria Favorit 1st in “It’s About Time” - William Waite 2nd in “Wind Power” - Victoria Favorit and Alec Chin-Quee 2nd in “Hydrogeology” - Alec Chin-Quee and Delayney Larsen 3rd in “Anatomy & Physiology” - Delayney Larsen and Haley Hertz “We were in the top 42 high school teams and earned an invitation to the state tournament this year where we will complete in all 23 events,” Pahel said. “The event will be held at UCF on Saturday, March 19.” Another event at UCF that day is a Jazz Festival some students are required to attend. Therefore, Jazz members will be unable to compete in the state competition. However, others have stepped up to take their place and the team expects to have an even experience at UCF. “Any students interested in joining next year’s team may stop by my [Ms. Pahel’s] office, 4-209 during Office Hours to leave their name for next year or just come to our first meeting next September,” Pahel said. “Announcements and posters will let the students know about this meeting.”
I think this article is a good example of what hard news writing is all about. Beginning with a clear summary lead, I used a quote to transition into a more in depth explanation of Science Olympiad and how it works. Towards the end of the article, I wrapped up the specifics, like who won what, and mentioned the upcoming competition. The article demonstrates good journalism writing by its style, which presents the most important information to the readers first, and then elaborates later. That is the best way to write about events like this, in which the thing with the most effect on the readers is the final outcome. There isn’t much I would change about this article, except perhaps getting more quotes from a variety of people. Quotes are especially imperative in hard news because they are often the best way to explain what happened, can help ease the transition of ideas, and generally make the story more appealing.
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All my life I’ve been taught to speak up for myself, to defend my ideas and try to see them through to completion. This
tendency has orchestrated some of my greatest successes, and also some truly spectacular failures. I am a firm believer that some lessons must be learned the hard way; knowing how to pick your battles is one of them. The battles you fight define your values and set the perspective of how you view the world. Everybody has something they are willing to fight for, and on one can ever take that away. I know it sounds optimistic, but most of the time what in end up fighting for is hope, because even when others can’t see it I still want to believe in the possibility of change. It’s the end of my eighth grade year at River Springs, and I’ve already been pushed far outside of my comfort zone. That year I helped charter a club that integrated ESE kids into the general student population. As the year drew to a close and the looming threat of high school approached, I learned that the students I had befriended over the year were being denied the opportunity for a tour of the high school campus as an alternative to the regular open house. Without hesitation I began to form a plan that unknowingly set an important precedent for the River Springs ESE program. Sometimes when we’re out of our comfort zones and seemingly miles from home, there is little more left to do than to stick to our guns and pray to god that we’re right. A person is defined by what they do when confronted. Fight or flight. How you respond affects not only you, but also others around you. To a fault, I will fight for what I believe is right. The most important part of this lesson, the part I’ve had to learn the hard way, is that just because I believe it, that doesn’t make it worth fighting for. Now, I’ve had this lesson taught to me many times, but only now am I beginning to truly understand it. It’s last week. And despite the fact that I’m at my house, the comfort of home could not be farther away. The last of the yells still echo through the house, ringing in my ears. That night I had done what I have been taught my whole life; I stood up for what I believed in. but the house of yelling and the weeks of being grounded finally clicked, and this time it was different last week I yelled until I could barely breathe, and fought with every once of my strength. However, yesterday I stopped. I stopped fighting for something I wholeheartedly believed was right. Because I knew I couldn’t win the battle, much less the war. Somehow this was simultaneously a victory as well as a defeat. Up until recently, I have never questioned what I believe in, of the amount of effort that goes in to supporting those beliefs. Now I know that there are many pieces of information that need to be taken into account when deciding what is and isn’t worth fighting for. You should fight form family, for friends, for the truth. Once you begin to experience this wider perspective, things start to make a bit more sense. Everybody wants to fight for his or her beliefs. Everybody also wants to fight a wining battle. What I’ve learned is that those two ideas don’t always mesh the way we want them to. Even if you believe in something with all of your heart, that doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t mean you should fight for it. Because what about the beliefs of those around you, their perceptions of right and wrong? The decisions you make and the battles you chose to fight can have a tremendous effect on the people in your life. Another choice that is arguably just as important as choosing to fight is choosing to simply not give up. When we are knocked down on the ground, even deciding to get back up again can seem like a monumental task. Often times the thing that keeps us lying on the ground is ourselves. It never ceases to amaze me how much we are truly capable of doing when we strive to reach our potential. There have been many times when I find myself fighting for the sake of fighting, and then when I inevitably get knocked down, and suddenly what I was fighting for is nowhere near enough to convince me to get back up. I think a way of judging whether something is worth it is asking yourself, “am I going to be willing to get back up on my feet for this?”. Because when all you can do is stare up at the ceiling and wait, remembering why you started in the first place can make all the difference in the world. Knowing when and how to fight your battles is a lesson that must be learned that hard way. Experience is a fundamental part of growing up, both the good and the bad ones. Only by doing these things yourself can you feel the rush of calm that comes as you resolve to make the right choice, or the breath stolen from your lungs as you realize what you should have done. No amount of stories, threats, or punishments will even be able to even come close to the real thing. This is one of the most important lessons you can learn, because it influences so many parts of your daily life. Every day we are faced with choices, to fight or run, to yell or stay quiet, to try again or give up. Learning what to do in these situations will eventually contribute to the person you turn out to be. No matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to get things right all of the time. But if we can begin to make some changes, some conscious decisions about how we expend our energy, that’s a start. This is no easy task, however once you get the hang of it, you’ll be fighting wars you can actually win instead of never-ending battles.