Exposing the killing impact of Heroin
When Zach Anders wrote about the rise of heroin in his community, he faced prior review. However, the administrators did not kill the story and it later went on to earn several awards. He published this in his high school newspaper, Sitqayu at Henry M. Jackson High School, in Mill Creek, Wash.
According to his adviser, Torri McEntire, “Anders took on a cover story that had been percolating around school for two years – Heroin use was on the rise. Initially, the Asst. Principal and Principal were not completely positive about the idea. During prior review, they raised concerns about the school appearing to be drug-infused. They both believe in student voice and expression, however, and did not try to kill the story.
This piece went on to win a Best Investigative Reporter Award from the Scholastic Press Assn. and a 2nd Place for best feature from the Edward R. Murrow High School Journalism Awards given by Washington State University that includes entries from five states. It was the most-talked about story of the year for Stiqayu. Zach handled the subject matter and the subsequent buzz well as negative reaction and kudos rolled in.
The story raised awareness about a growing problem and provided resources to students, educators and other adults.
Click here to read Anders story: Heroin on the Rise
Read MoreMaking a Difference:
Freshman capstone project
localizes national issue of gay rights
by Jane Blystone
Ally O’ Reilly wanted her capstone journalism project for the year to make a difference. She knew that the national issue of gay rights needed localization in her school publication, Pine Whispers. Her adviser, Stephen Hanf, at R. J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was impressed that a freshman would take on such a challenge.
I love this story because one of my freshmen in Intro to Journalism came up with it and developed it on her own for an end-of-year project. She could have tackled a fluffy feel-good story, but instead tied in this story to the recent Supreme Court cases. It was so well written, timely and full of impact for this under-covered demographic that I had no choice but to publish it in our print paper — something normally reserved for upperclassmen taking newspaper class. It got people talking about an issue that impacts a lot of high school students.”
O’Reilly covered the struggle for students in her school to get an LGBTQ group going. She also interviewed a bisexual student and another student who has shared his life with his brother and two fathers as well as a senior writer might do.
Here is her story. National gay rights issues hit home for students
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Students speak out about cancellation of SGA elections
MAKING A DIFFERENCE Series
Students at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, DC, spoke out when a faculty committee chose officers for the upcoming student government offices instead of holding an election. That misstep caught the attention of The Beacon staff who wrote about the injustice in several issues. By the end to the year, the coverage in The Beacon resulted in a reversal of the decision, thus reinstating the election process to the school.
Adviser, Mary Stapp shared “In our September issue The Wilson Beacon wrote about the school’s administration changing the process of Student Government Association elections, including an editorial on p. 4. Instead of having students elect their leaders, administrators decided to appoint leaders themselves. Before the Beacon reported on it, no one knew how SGA officers had been [s]elected. In our April issue, Opinions Editor Christina Harn reflected on the “Lack of Leadership Opportunities” (p.5). Our June issue reported the resulting “SGA Elections Reinstated,” after the principal widely acknowledged the importance of the student voice and the meaning of democracy.”
See the packages the Beacon staff shared in the September and April issues.
Student voice in publications and student government makes a difference in schools. The Beacon staff made a difference by bringing the process of student elections back to the students instead of a faculty committee.
Read MoreHow to apply to Making a Difference
and examine previous stories
![The first Making a Difference in 1988 showed how students reported the impact of the Hazelwood decision.](https://i0.wp.com/jeasprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MakingDiff-11.jpg?resize=780%2C369)
The first Making a Difference in 1988 showed how students reported the impact of the Hazelwood decision.
Advisers, as you publish your students’ work, by print, broadcast or web, consider sharing your pieces that created change, reported significant issues or fulfilled the journalistic concept of social responsibility with the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee’s Making a Difference project.
We want to make our posts monthly. These posts will highlight students who have made a difference through their reporting. When your students create content that has a positive impact on your school or community, and fulfills the concept of social responsibility, please fill out the submission form and we’ll tell you how to submit your content.
JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee will post one or more packages a month on its website and promote them on social media.
We published our first copy of Making a Difference in hard copy in 1988 because of the Hazelwood malaise. In that version, now downloadable, we highlighted scholastic reporting that demonstrated student journalism did not need the heavy hand of prior review and censorship. That tradition continues today and will continue so long as students continue to take their roles seriously and professionally.
In 2012, we committed ourselves to updating the project, hoping to show student journalism had not succumbed to Hazelwood.
We have seen some great work by student journalists across the country covering some intense topics. Let’s show the country what great work student journalists are doing that rivals work done by professional journalists.
Here are some of the stories submitted earlier:
Making a Difference articles – 2015
• McKinney students get it right
• Journalists document controversy challenging community
• Don’t drink the water
• Students report on shattered dreams
• Students support peers across the country in censorship case
• Documenting biodiversity in chicagoland
• Student promotes need for sex education
Making a Difference articles – 2014
• Students speak out about cancellation of SGA elections
• And the children shall lead them. Student journalists Make a Difference
• Student journalists make a difference
• Making a Difference: Student journalists document controversy
• Broken Hearts and Broken Minds
• Students tackle coverage of rape culture
• Freshman capstone project localizes national issue of gay rights
• Guns in America: From schools to shooting ranges
• Students speak out about cancellations of SGA election
• Freshman capstone project localizes national issues of gay rights
• Exposing the killing impact of Heroin
• Students support peers across the country in censorship case
• Make history come alive by interviewing local veterans
Past student work:
• Past stories: You can Make a Difference. Show everyone how
Student journalists make a difference
Part one of an eight part series.
by Jane Blystone
In today’s world of global interconnection the staffers of the Arrow at Renton High School, in Renton, Wa, have found a way for the student voices within their school to speak, even if it is in Chinese, to the world. They challenge our definition of the word ‘ghetto’ as voices jump from the pages of another issue. We feature their work here.
Be aware that you may need to create a soundcloud account to hear the audio parts of the New American Voices package the students created at a local NPR affiliate. Additionally, if you wish to read the PDF files you will need to download Acrobat Reader to gain access to the files.
In May 2013, JEA SPRC asked advisers to submit student work that had been published during the year to the Making a Difference project. The project’s primary goal is to showcase scholastic journalism that makes a difference in the students’ school or community.
Instead of compiling these entries in an e-book or paper version, the SPRC has chosen to showcase them here with links to online storage so you can see the power of the work, and to provide a public venue beyond schools for this work. We will feature one school’s package per month.
The team of judges select entries that have taken risks in storytelling and provided depth of coverage on a topic. One of the questions we ask of advisers was to tell us if the publication had been subjected to prior review or censorship during the year. As you view these works, consider the impact of student journalism in schools where free speech is honored and in schools where free speech is not honored.
Adviser Derek Smith writes this about the submissions we feature this week. “What if we allow print to do what it wants to do? What if the turning of each page feels like an event—like a children’s book? What if the publication asks a single question (“Is that ‘ghetto’ part of our community actually ‘ghetto,’ and what does ‘ghetto’ mean anyway?”)?
What if our whole issue tells the story of one evolving, developing perspective? What if we rename our Editor-in-Chief “The Chief Storyteller”? What if section names are organic and fluid—the name and size always changing?” The reader will see in part I of this package how students voices jump from the page.
Part II of this submission addresses the English language learners at Renton and the power of their voices. Smith explains the impact this way, “As part of a themed issue called “The Perfect Language,” reporters worked with English Language Learners to record stories of coming to America. Reporters conferenced with ELL students, edited the 1st-person narratives those students composed in English and other languages, and traveled with the students to a local NPR affiliate to record the stories as MP3 files. The MP3 files were included in the “The Perfect Language” issue on a complimentary compact disc titled “New American Voices” – glued into the double-truck. The print edition and “New American Voices” CD were distributed to students and community members during Multicultural Week …” You can also hear their voices a this soundcloud URL and read their work on these PDFs.
In a time when student voices are being silenced across the land, we celebrate the student journalists at Renton because they demonstrate how to tell the stories of their peers in print and on air.
Week 7 blog of a series
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