Hi-Line staff invites new members

There is one class at the high school that teaches students to write, communicate, manage deadlines, work as a team and boosts self confidence — journalism. The students in the class have learned skills that they will take with them for jobs or higher education.

Sophomore staff writer Alyssa Jensen said this class has taught her writing skills, feeling comfortable meeting new people and learning how to interview people.

Junior staff writer Martha Hall agreed that her ability to write really well comes from weekly writing assignments in the journalism class. “Journalism has improved my writing and research skills greatly. I learned to look at both sides of an issue to really understand it. It helped me not be hesitant to ask questions about things I don’t know much about,” Hall said.

The most valuable skill senior sports editor Jared Hylton has learned from the journalism class is how to create graphic designs and photo editing on the computer. “I feel the most important skills are the ability to work with programs such as InDesign and Photoshop. These programs are likely what I’ll be using in college and for years to come. I really have a leg up on others. Journalism has also helped my ability to work within a team. It’s really challenging to work with each other to put out a final product. It’s a work-type environment, so it really feels like the real world,” Hylton said.

Senior staff writer Amanda Harwood is really glad she has taken this journalism class in high school. “Journalism has helped me be a more creative thinker. It’s challenged me to come up with new ideas and look for what’s going on around me. Before taking this class, I often didn’t make time to pay attention to the news or find out more about what’s going on around school. It’s been a blast interviewing my peers and finding out more about the people I go to school with every day,” Harwood said.

Hall is just as enthusiastic about having taken the class. “It’s provided me with many valuable experiences. I’ve gotten to use really nice cameras to take pictures for various events, and I’ve learned about things I wouldn’t have known about,” Hall said. Journalism has enabled her to write about things she cares about and share them with the world. “[This] is a really special thing,” Hall said. “My questioning, research and writing skills have improved. It also gave me the chance to talk to people I might not have talked to otherwise, and I’ve met a lot of cool people because of it.”

Senior entertainment editor Lindsey Davis thanks journalism for the strength it has given her. Davis is much more comfortable voicing her opinions and hunting down facts for an article after having been on the Tiger Hi-Line staff for two years. “I’m glad I’ve taken this class because it’s given me the opportunity to write something for publishing every week. I get to practice my writing skills nearly every day,” Davis said.

Many different types of people would thrive in the environment that this journalism class provides. As a huge sports fan, Hylton chooses to write sports articles every week. “I would encourage anybody who enjoys sports to take this class. You’re literally getting English credits for covering sports,” Hylton said.

Senior feature editor Sandra Omari-Boateng has advice for students looking to learn certain skills. “I would encourage students to take advantage of having the chance to take this class because you improve your skills as a writer but also learn skills like time management. This class has taught me about using my time properly and gave me an example of real world deadlines,” Omari-Boateng said.

And additional perfect candidates for this class, according to Harwood, are any students who are interested in what is going on in the world around them and are interested in improving their writing skills. “It’s fun and refreshing to write articles that are much different than your standard English paper. I also love the freedom this class has given me. There isn’t too much homework because you have all the class time to get your work done. If you use your time effectively, you can get most of the work done in a relaxed classroom,” Harwood said.

Hall encourages her peers to sign up and benefit from this class because of the long term benefits each student will gain. “It helps you understand how media and newspapers work, and your improved writing skills will help you in whatever you do after high school. It’s a really fun learning experience,” Another positive feedback about this class is the amount of freedom each writer has,” Hall said.