Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Editorial
Overdose
Death caused by over dose. This has been said so many times in our society that it seems normal. How can have such a horrible addiction that you die from it be considered normal? It shouldn’t be. Drug abuse is not a new thing. It is a very common thing, and it needs to be put to a stop. Most teenagers today think that “just taking one hit” or “just trying drugs” isn’t a big deal. When in reality that one hit or one time can truly ruin your life.
Corey Haim died March 10 because of a drug overdose. His addiction started in his teenage years, like so many addictions do. One reason teens start using drugs is to “get away from life”. Being stressed out and having issues at home or with friends is always a hard thing to deal with. Well some teens deal with it in a healthy way by exercising, drawing, writing, or just taking time to relax every once in a while. Others turn straight to drugs when they become stressed. Using drugs one time when you are stressed will become your way of coping with the stress. That can easily become an addiction. Yes, we are all stressed, but putting deadly toxins into our bodies to get us high is obviously not an expectable way to cope with that.
A 17 year old girl, whose story about being addicted to heroin was on theantidrug.com, said “The hardest thing for me is remembering what life was like before I started using drugs”. Imagine not being able to remember any of your childhood, any of your favorite memories with loved ones, barley being able to remember what you did the night before. Not only are you losing memories but you are losing people. You’re Drifting away from your closest friends, and your family. There are no good out comes to using drugs. Just an addiction that can lead you to your death…nothing is worth that.
In our nation today drug use is on the rise right now, there needs to be a rise of ways to prevent drug use from happening. People need to know there are better options then drugs. Like the vision of the program To Write Love on Her Arms says, “We live in a difficult world, a broken world…life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck… The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead. The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know. The vision is hope, and hope is real. You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.” Drugs are not the answer. This problem needs to be stopped.
Death caused by over dose. This has been said so many times in our society that it seems normal. How can have such a horrible addiction that you die from it be considered normal? It shouldn’t be. Drug abuse is not a new thing. It is a very common thing, and it needs to be put to a stop. Most teenagers today think that “just taking one hit” or “just trying drugs” isn’t a big deal. When in reality that one hit or one time can truly ruin your life.
Corey Haim died March 10 because of a drug overdose. His addiction started in his teenage years, like so many addictions do. One reason teens start using drugs is to “get away from life”. Being stressed out and having issues at home or with friends is always a hard thing to deal with. Well some teens deal with it in a healthy way by exercising, drawing, writing, or just taking time to relax every once in a while. Others turn straight to drugs when they become stressed. Using drugs one time when you are stressed will become your way of coping with the stress. That can easily become an addiction. Yes, we are all stressed, but putting deadly toxins into our bodies to get us high is obviously not an expectable way to cope with that.
A 17 year old girl, whose story about being addicted to heroin was on theantidrug.com, said “The hardest thing for me is remembering what life was like before I started using drugs”. Imagine not being able to remember any of your childhood, any of your favorite memories with loved ones, barley being able to remember what you did the night before. Not only are you losing memories but you are losing people. You’re Drifting away from your closest friends, and your family. There are no good out comes to using drugs. Just an addiction that can lead you to your death…nothing is worth that.
In our nation today drug use is on the rise right now, there needs to be a rise of ways to prevent drug use from happening. People need to know there are better options then drugs. Like the vision of the program To Write Love on Her Arms says, “We live in a difficult world, a broken world…life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck… The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead. The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know. The vision is hope, and hope is real. You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.” Drugs are not the answer. This problem needs to be stopped.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Feature Story
What Love really means
Everyone has a wish. Everyone has a dream. Everyone would give anything to have their dream come true. Yet some kids are getting everything taken from them before they can even live long enough to have this dream become true. One special foundation is doing all they can to make sure that every child can have their biggest dreams come true. With the mission statement of “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The Make a Wish foundation affects so many young kids who have been through life threatening injuries or who have terminal diseases. My cousin Joe is one of the thousands of kids who got his wish granted.
In the spring of 2009 my cousin Joe was just an average Junior at East Marshall High School in Marshalltown Iowa. He went to school one morning like he always does. He had a normal day at school. After he drove over to his moms work to get some money. Then he went back to school to decorate for prom. Like all juniors he was so excited to go to prom he talked about it all the time. So decorating was very exciting for him. He and his friend Miles decided they would take a little break from decorating to play a quick game of basketball. He went up for a layup and he collapsed…Luckily his friends knew CPR so they began doing that right away, while another one of his friends called 911. The paramedics showed up right away and took him to a hospital in Marshalltown. They did as much as they could in Marshalltown but the doctors knew there was nothing else they could do. The doctors said that the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota will be able to help Joe. So that night he was airlifted in a helicopter to Rochester.
I still remember that night. My parents and I were watching TV when the phone rang. My mom answered and was on the phone for a long time. I became very concerned when I heard the sound of my mom’s voice. She sounded so sad and scared. When she got off the phone she told me that “Joe had an accident.” A million things ran through my mind. Especially the last time I saw him. It was thanksgiving at my Grandparents house. Our whole family was there. Joe was being...well Joe. He is the kind of person who is always hyper, happy, and smiling. Nothing stops him from being happy. And well that can get annoying when you have someone around you constantly being crazy. My family does get a little annoyed with Joe but of course we all love him. Whenever we go to Iowa to visit my family Joe is always the first one to run up and say “Hi Meg I love you!” with his big smile on his face and give me a huge hug. This memory was all I could think of; Joe running up and hugging me. Then I thought of when he texted me a couple weeks ago saying that he just saw the Hannah Montana movie and loved it so much! Joe and I love Hannah Montana. But after thinking about all of this I realized I have never made Joe a huge part of my life. He was just my cousin who I saw at holidays. When we were little we would play together all the time but now it was like we didn’t even try to be close. This made me realize how much I really did love him, and needed to show him that.
When he arrived to Rochester he was still unconscious. He was rushed to intensive care. His heart stopped 6 more times that night. My aunt Lannette says she can remember the horrible sound of the machines and the doctors “pounding” on Joe’s chest to save him. The next day after we got the phone call I was so scared that I was going to lose Joe. My mom texted me during the day saying she was leaving work early to go to Rochester. I begged her to let me come to but in the end we decided I should stay in school the rest of the day and I would go on the weekend.
The weekend came and my mom and I made the hour drive to Rochester. Little did I know this trip would become so familiar. When we got there the first person we saw was my Grandpa. He was sitting outside the hospital on a little stool he carries around. Never have I seen my Grandpa so scared in my life. He told us he couldn’t handle being in Joe’s room anymore. Once again I had no idea what would be in store when we walked into his room. So we took my grandpa up to the room with us. Floor 5 first set of doors on the right. Intensive care. We went through 2 sets of big heavy doors. When we walked through the second set of doors I saw Lannette, my grandma and my cousin Courtaney. We were now all outside a room. “do you want to see Joe?” they asked. “yes.” We went in...Word could never describe how I felt seeing him. All i could think of was thanksgiving. Joe jumping up and down being so crazy and now he was lying in a hospital bed. Tubes in his throat and chest. I had never seen so many tubes and machines in my life. Lannette went over and took his hand and said “Joe, Meghan and Lorrie came to see you.” No response. The doctors began to take him off the medicine to kind of wake him up. “Go ahead and say hi to him.” My grandma talked to him, Court talked to him. We all did. I went over and took his head and through teary eyes i said. “Joe I love you.” The words he has said to me so many times. His eyes slowly open. he tries to squeeze my hand, and despite all the tubes in his throat and all he has been through so far his lips move. Slowly trying to say “I love you to.” By this point we are all in tears. I have never seen my Grandparents cry before. Now I know why my Grandpa couldn’t stand being in this room. But at this point in time it was so filled with love; I didn’t want to leave Joe.
I stayed at the hospital that night. The one thing that amazed me was how even though this horrible thing was going on my aunt was still her goofy, loving, silly self. Obviously she was scared to death that she was going to lose he son but she was thinking positive. Joe was in intensive care for weeks, and every weekend my mom and I would make that hour trip to Rochester. Sometimes we would go after school for a few hours. And on our trips back we began to see this place we later started calling “the city of lights”. At night it was this place that was so light up and pretty it looked like a million little twinkling lights. We decided when Joe got out of the hospital we would take him there so we could find out what it was. While Joe was in intensive care he had surgeries on his legs because they were not getting good blood circulation. The doctors had to cut on both sides of his legs and remove dead muscle. They didn’t know if he would be able to fully walk again. Joe just said “you’ll see, I’m going to walk out of here.” Finally Joe was out of intensive care. One day when we came to visit him I told him I learned the hoedown throw down dance from Hannah Montana the Movie. He said “DO IT!” so we had a little concert in his hospital room. Everyone was laughing so hard. And after the Hoedown throw down I sang the Climb to my mom grandma, Lannette, court and Joe. They all say I look like Miley so I was getting really into the song and dancing when a nurse walked in. We all laughed even more. This is why I was always excited to go see Joe. When most people think of visiting someone in the hospital they think of sitting around a bed quietly talking. That never happened here. We danced, sang, laughed, watched movies, ate, and goofed around.
In October, two months after Joe got out of the hospital, Joe, My Aunt my cousin Courtnay, my mom, our Grandma and I had a week together that we will never forget thanks to Make a Wish. It started on the plan ride to Florida. “Can I sit by the window?” was the first thing out of Joe’s mouth on the airplane. We laughed and goofed around the whole ride there. Joe was amazed by the air plane. This was his second time flying but now he will actually remember it. We got to the resort we would be staying at for the week called Give Kids the World. It is a resort set up by Make a Wish. Joe and I took some time to explore the village. It was great, a swimming pool, face painting; all you can eat ice cream (our favorite part) and so much more. The one thing I will always remember about this place is all the kids there. Despite their disabilities or diseases they were all so happy. They were smiling, laughing, having fun, and just being kids. That’s what Make a Wish is for. To let kids be kids. That week in Florida changed my life. Well Joe changed my life. He made me realize just how precious every second of our lives are. Each and every Make a Wish kid there was enjoying each second of their life, and their families were happy to. That’s what life is about, being happy. The Make a Wish foundation changes children’s lives by letting them just have fun.
“I love you Joe.” I have said that more times then I can count. The simple squeeze of his hand that day at the hospital taught me the true meaning of love. He has changed my life so much we have become so close. I would have never thought this whole accident with would change my life for the better. But it did, and i am so thankful to still have Joe and to have had so many good memories from our trip to Florida. Joe and i will always be so close with each other. I love you Joe.
Everyone has a wish. Everyone has a dream. Everyone would give anything to have their dream come true. Yet some kids are getting everything taken from them before they can even live long enough to have this dream become true. One special foundation is doing all they can to make sure that every child can have their biggest dreams come true. With the mission statement of “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The Make a Wish foundation affects so many young kids who have been through life threatening injuries or who have terminal diseases. My cousin Joe is one of the thousands of kids who got his wish granted.
In the spring of 2009 my cousin Joe was just an average Junior at East Marshall High School in Marshalltown Iowa. He went to school one morning like he always does. He had a normal day at school. After he drove over to his moms work to get some money. Then he went back to school to decorate for prom. Like all juniors he was so excited to go to prom he talked about it all the time. So decorating was very exciting for him. He and his friend Miles decided they would take a little break from decorating to play a quick game of basketball. He went up for a layup and he collapsed…Luckily his friends knew CPR so they began doing that right away, while another one of his friends called 911. The paramedics showed up right away and took him to a hospital in Marshalltown. They did as much as they could in Marshalltown but the doctors knew there was nothing else they could do. The doctors said that the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota will be able to help Joe. So that night he was airlifted in a helicopter to Rochester.
I still remember that night. My parents and I were watching TV when the phone rang. My mom answered and was on the phone for a long time. I became very concerned when I heard the sound of my mom’s voice. She sounded so sad and scared. When she got off the phone she told me that “Joe had an accident.” A million things ran through my mind. Especially the last time I saw him. It was thanksgiving at my Grandparents house. Our whole family was there. Joe was being...well Joe. He is the kind of person who is always hyper, happy, and smiling. Nothing stops him from being happy. And well that can get annoying when you have someone around you constantly being crazy. My family does get a little annoyed with Joe but of course we all love him. Whenever we go to Iowa to visit my family Joe is always the first one to run up and say “Hi Meg I love you!” with his big smile on his face and give me a huge hug. This memory was all I could think of; Joe running up and hugging me. Then I thought of when he texted me a couple weeks ago saying that he just saw the Hannah Montana movie and loved it so much! Joe and I love Hannah Montana. But after thinking about all of this I realized I have never made Joe a huge part of my life. He was just my cousin who I saw at holidays. When we were little we would play together all the time but now it was like we didn’t even try to be close. This made me realize how much I really did love him, and needed to show him that.
When he arrived to Rochester he was still unconscious. He was rushed to intensive care. His heart stopped 6 more times that night. My aunt Lannette says she can remember the horrible sound of the machines and the doctors “pounding” on Joe’s chest to save him. The next day after we got the phone call I was so scared that I was going to lose Joe. My mom texted me during the day saying she was leaving work early to go to Rochester. I begged her to let me come to but in the end we decided I should stay in school the rest of the day and I would go on the weekend.
The weekend came and my mom and I made the hour drive to Rochester. Little did I know this trip would become so familiar. When we got there the first person we saw was my Grandpa. He was sitting outside the hospital on a little stool he carries around. Never have I seen my Grandpa so scared in my life. He told us he couldn’t handle being in Joe’s room anymore. Once again I had no idea what would be in store when we walked into his room. So we took my grandpa up to the room with us. Floor 5 first set of doors on the right. Intensive care. We went through 2 sets of big heavy doors. When we walked through the second set of doors I saw Lannette, my grandma and my cousin Courtaney. We were now all outside a room. “do you want to see Joe?” they asked. “yes.” We went in...Word could never describe how I felt seeing him. All i could think of was thanksgiving. Joe jumping up and down being so crazy and now he was lying in a hospital bed. Tubes in his throat and chest. I had never seen so many tubes and machines in my life. Lannette went over and took his hand and said “Joe, Meghan and Lorrie came to see you.” No response. The doctors began to take him off the medicine to kind of wake him up. “Go ahead and say hi to him.” My grandma talked to him, Court talked to him. We all did. I went over and took his head and through teary eyes i said. “Joe I love you.” The words he has said to me so many times. His eyes slowly open. he tries to squeeze my hand, and despite all the tubes in his throat and all he has been through so far his lips move. Slowly trying to say “I love you to.” By this point we are all in tears. I have never seen my Grandparents cry before. Now I know why my Grandpa couldn’t stand being in this room. But at this point in time it was so filled with love; I didn’t want to leave Joe.
I stayed at the hospital that night. The one thing that amazed me was how even though this horrible thing was going on my aunt was still her goofy, loving, silly self. Obviously she was scared to death that she was going to lose he son but she was thinking positive. Joe was in intensive care for weeks, and every weekend my mom and I would make that hour trip to Rochester. Sometimes we would go after school for a few hours. And on our trips back we began to see this place we later started calling “the city of lights”. At night it was this place that was so light up and pretty it looked like a million little twinkling lights. We decided when Joe got out of the hospital we would take him there so we could find out what it was. While Joe was in intensive care he had surgeries on his legs because they were not getting good blood circulation. The doctors had to cut on both sides of his legs and remove dead muscle. They didn’t know if he would be able to fully walk again. Joe just said “you’ll see, I’m going to walk out of here.” Finally Joe was out of intensive care. One day when we came to visit him I told him I learned the hoedown throw down dance from Hannah Montana the Movie. He said “DO IT!” so we had a little concert in his hospital room. Everyone was laughing so hard. And after the Hoedown throw down I sang the Climb to my mom grandma, Lannette, court and Joe. They all say I look like Miley so I was getting really into the song and dancing when a nurse walked in. We all laughed even more. This is why I was always excited to go see Joe. When most people think of visiting someone in the hospital they think of sitting around a bed quietly talking. That never happened here. We danced, sang, laughed, watched movies, ate, and goofed around.
In October, two months after Joe got out of the hospital, Joe, My Aunt my cousin Courtnay, my mom, our Grandma and I had a week together that we will never forget thanks to Make a Wish. It started on the plan ride to Florida. “Can I sit by the window?” was the first thing out of Joe’s mouth on the airplane. We laughed and goofed around the whole ride there. Joe was amazed by the air plane. This was his second time flying but now he will actually remember it. We got to the resort we would be staying at for the week called Give Kids the World. It is a resort set up by Make a Wish. Joe and I took some time to explore the village. It was great, a swimming pool, face painting; all you can eat ice cream (our favorite part) and so much more. The one thing I will always remember about this place is all the kids there. Despite their disabilities or diseases they were all so happy. They were smiling, laughing, having fun, and just being kids. That’s what Make a Wish is for. To let kids be kids. That week in Florida changed my life. Well Joe changed my life. He made me realize just how precious every second of our lives are. Each and every Make a Wish kid there was enjoying each second of their life, and their families were happy to. That’s what life is about, being happy. The Make a Wish foundation changes children’s lives by letting them just have fun.
“I love you Joe.” I have said that more times then I can count. The simple squeeze of his hand that day at the hospital taught me the true meaning of love. He has changed my life so much we have become so close. I would have never thought this whole accident with would change my life for the better. But it did, and i am so thankful to still have Joe and to have had so many good memories from our trip to Florida. Joe and i will always be so close with each other. I love you Joe.
Editorial
1. What is a problem/issue that our entire student body (our school, community, country, etc.) faces today?
drug abuse
2. What is your view/position on the problem or situation?
bad, needs to be stopped
3. What would you like to achieve with your editorial? (What is the desired result?)
tell people how drugs effect people-bad ways-ruin lives
4. How will you persuade your audience to adopt your viewpoint as theirs? List at least 4 persuasive points.
1. true storys about people
2. how drug abuse can ruin a persons life
3. explaining the reasons people choose this/why its not worth it
4. risks
5. How will you motivate your readership to action in your conclusion?
facts, stories about how bad drug abuse is
6. How will your editorial serve a public purpose?
explain why drug abuse is such a serious problem
drug abuse
2. What is your view/position on the problem or situation?
bad, needs to be stopped
3. What would you like to achieve with your editorial? (What is the desired result?)
tell people how drugs effect people-bad ways-ruin lives
4. How will you persuade your audience to adopt your viewpoint as theirs? List at least 4 persuasive points.
1. true storys about people
2. how drug abuse can ruin a persons life
3. explaining the reasons people choose this/why its not worth it
4. risks
5. How will you motivate your readership to action in your conclusion?
facts, stories about how bad drug abuse is
6. How will your editorial serve a public purpose?
explain why drug abuse is such a serious problem
Sunday, March 14, 2010
feature article
What Love really means
Everyone has a wish. Everyone has a dream. Everyone would give anything to have their dream come true. Yet some kids are getting everything taken from them before they can even live long enough to have this dream become true. One special foundation is doing all they can to make sure that every child can have their biggest dreams come true. With the mission statement of “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The Make a Wish foundation affects so many young kids who have been through life threatening injuries or who have terminal diseases. My cousin Joe is one of the thousands of kids who got his wish granted.
In the spring of 2009 my cousin Joe was just an average Junior at East Marshall High School in Marshalltown Iowa. He went to school one morning like he always does. He had a normal day at school. After he drove over to his moms work to get some money. Then he went back to school to decorate for prom. Like all juniors he was so excited to go to prom he talked about it all the time. So decorating was very exciting for him. He and his friend Miles decided they would take a little break from decorating to play a quick game of basketball. He went up for a layup and he collapsed…Luckily his friends knew CPR so they began doing that right away, while another one of his friends called 911. The paramedics showed up right away and took him to a hospital in Marshalltown. They did as much as they could in Marshalltown but the doctors knew there was nothing else they could do. The doctors said that the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota will be able to help Joe. So that night he was airlifted in a helicopter to Rochester.
I still remember that night. My parents and I were watching TV when the phone rang. My mom answered and was on the phone for a long time. I became very concerned when I heard the sound of my mom’s voice. She sounded so sad and scared. When she got off the phone she told me that “Joe had an accident.” A million things ran through my mind. Especially the last time I saw him. It was thanksgiving at my Grandparents house. Our whole family was there. Joe was being...well Joe. He is the kind of person who is always hyper, happy, and smiling. Nothing stops him from being happy. And well that can get annoying when you have someone around you constantly being crazy. My family does get a little annoyed with Joe but of course we all love him. Whenever we go to Iowa to visit my family Joe is always the first one to run up and say “Hi Meg I love you!” with his big smile on his face and give me a huge hug. This memory was all I could think of; Joe running up and hugging me. Then I thought of when he texted me a couple weeks ago saying that he just saw the Hannah Montana movie and loved it so much! Joe and I love Hannah Montana. But after thinking about all of this I realized I have never made Joe a huge part of my life. He was just my cousin who I saw at holidays. When we were little we would play together all the time but now it was like we didn’t even try to be close. This made me realize how much I really did love him, and needed to show him that.
When he arrived to Rochester he was still unconscious. He was rushed to intensive care. His heart stopped 6 more times that night. My aunt Lannette says she can remember the horrible sound of the machines and the doctors “pounding” on Joe’s chest to save him. The next day after we got the phone call I was so scared that I was going to lose Joe. My mom texted me during the day saying she was leaving work early to go to Rochester. I begged her to let me come to but in the end we decided I should stay in school the rest of the day and I would go on the weekend.
The weekend came and my mom and I made the hour drive to Rochester. Little did I know this trip would become so familiar. When we got there the first person we saw was my Grandpa. He was sitting outside the hospital on a little stool he carries around. Never have I seen my Grandpa so scared in my life. He told us he couldn’t handle being in Joe’s room anymore. Once again I had no idea what would be in store when we walked into his room. So we took my grandpa up to the room with us. Floor 5 first set of doors on the right. Intensive care. We went through 2 sets of big heavy doors. When we walked through the second set of doors I saw Lannette, my grandma and my cousin Courtaney. We were now all outside a room. “do you want to see Joe?” they asked. “yes.” We went in...Word could never describe how I felt seeing him. All i could think of was thanksgiving. Joe jumping up and down being so crazy and now he was lying in a hospital bed. Tubes in his throat and chest. I had never seen so many tubes and machines in my life. Lannette went over and took his hand and said “Joe, Meghan and Lorrie came to see you.” No response. The doctors began to take him off the medicine to kind of wake him up. “Go ahead and say hi to him.” My grandma talked to him, Court talked to him. We all did. I went over and took his head and through teary eyes i said. “Joe I love you.” The words he has said to me so many times. His eyes slowly open. he tries to squeeze my hand, and despite all the tubes in his throat and all he has been through so far his lips move. Slowly trying to say “I love you to.” By this point we are all in tears. I have never seen my Grandparents cry before. Now I know why my Grandpa couldn’t stand being in this room. But at this point in time it was so filled with love; I didn’t want to leave Joe.
I stayed at the hospital that night. The one thing that amazed me was how even though this horrible thing was going on my aunt was still her goofy, loving, silly self. Obviously she was scared to death that she was going to lose he son but she was thinking positive. Joe was in intensive care for weeks, and every weekend my mom and I would make that hour trip to Rochester. Sometimes we would go after school for a few hours. And on our trips back we began to see this place we later started calling “the city of lights”. At night it was this place that was so light up and pretty it looked like a million little twinkling lights. We decided when Joe got out of the hospital we would take him there so we could find out what it was. While Joe was in intensive care he had surgeries on his legs because they were not getting good blood circulation. The doctors had to cut on both sides of his legs and remove dead muscle. They didn’t know if he would be able to fully walk again. Joe just said “you’ll see, I’m going to walk out of here.” Finally Joe was out of intensive care. One day when we came to visit him I told him I learned the hoedown throw down dance from Hannah Montana the Movie. He said “DO IT!” so we had a little concert in his hospital room. Everyone was laughing so hard. And after the Hoedown throw down I sang the Climb to my mom grandma, Lannette, court and Joe. They all say I look like Miley so I was getting really into the song and dancing when a nurse walked in. We all laughed even more. This is why I was always excited to go see Joe. When most people think of visiting someone in the hospital they think of sitting around a bed quietly talking. That never happened here. We danced, sang, laughed, watched movies, ate, and goofed around.
In October, two months after Joe got out of the hospital, Joe, My Aunt my cousin Courtnay, my mom, our Grandma and I had a week together that we will never forget thanks to Make a Wish. It started on the plan ride to Florida. “Can I sit by the window?” was the first thing out of Joe’s mouth on the airplane. We laughed and goofed around the whole ride there. Joe was amazed by the air plane. This was his second time flying but now he will actually remember it. We got to the resort we would be staying at for the week called Give Kids the World. It is a resort set up by Make a Wish. Joe and I took some time to explore the village. It was great, a swimming pool, face painting; all you can eat ice cream (our favorite part) and so much more. The one thing I will always remember about this place is all the kids there. Despite their disabilities or diseases they were all so happy. They were smiling, laughing, having fun, and just being kids. That’s what Make a Wish is for. To let kids be kids. That week in Florida changed my life. Well Joe changed my life. He made me realize just how precious every second of our lives are. Each and every Make a Wish kid there was enjoying each second of their life, and their families were happy to. That’s what life is about, being happy. The Make a Wish foundation changes children’s lives by letting them just have fun.
“I love you Joe.” I have said that more times then I can count. The simple squeeze of his hand that day at the hospital taught me the true meaning of love. He has changed my life so much we have become so close. I would have never thought this whole accident with would change my life for the better. But it did, and i am so thankful to still have Joe and to have had so many good memories from our trip to Florida. Joe and i will always be so close with each other. I love you Jo
Everyone has a wish. Everyone has a dream. Everyone would give anything to have their dream come true. Yet some kids are getting everything taken from them before they can even live long enough to have this dream become true. One special foundation is doing all they can to make sure that every child can have their biggest dreams come true. With the mission statement of “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The Make a Wish foundation affects so many young kids who have been through life threatening injuries or who have terminal diseases. My cousin Joe is one of the thousands of kids who got his wish granted.
In the spring of 2009 my cousin Joe was just an average Junior at East Marshall High School in Marshalltown Iowa. He went to school one morning like he always does. He had a normal day at school. After he drove over to his moms work to get some money. Then he went back to school to decorate for prom. Like all juniors he was so excited to go to prom he talked about it all the time. So decorating was very exciting for him. He and his friend Miles decided they would take a little break from decorating to play a quick game of basketball. He went up for a layup and he collapsed…Luckily his friends knew CPR so they began doing that right away, while another one of his friends called 911. The paramedics showed up right away and took him to a hospital in Marshalltown. They did as much as they could in Marshalltown but the doctors knew there was nothing else they could do. The doctors said that the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota will be able to help Joe. So that night he was airlifted in a helicopter to Rochester.
I still remember that night. My parents and I were watching TV when the phone rang. My mom answered and was on the phone for a long time. I became very concerned when I heard the sound of my mom’s voice. She sounded so sad and scared. When she got off the phone she told me that “Joe had an accident.” A million things ran through my mind. Especially the last time I saw him. It was thanksgiving at my Grandparents house. Our whole family was there. Joe was being...well Joe. He is the kind of person who is always hyper, happy, and smiling. Nothing stops him from being happy. And well that can get annoying when you have someone around you constantly being crazy. My family does get a little annoyed with Joe but of course we all love him. Whenever we go to Iowa to visit my family Joe is always the first one to run up and say “Hi Meg I love you!” with his big smile on his face and give me a huge hug. This memory was all I could think of; Joe running up and hugging me. Then I thought of when he texted me a couple weeks ago saying that he just saw the Hannah Montana movie and loved it so much! Joe and I love Hannah Montana. But after thinking about all of this I realized I have never made Joe a huge part of my life. He was just my cousin who I saw at holidays. When we were little we would play together all the time but now it was like we didn’t even try to be close. This made me realize how much I really did love him, and needed to show him that.
When he arrived to Rochester he was still unconscious. He was rushed to intensive care. His heart stopped 6 more times that night. My aunt Lannette says she can remember the horrible sound of the machines and the doctors “pounding” on Joe’s chest to save him. The next day after we got the phone call I was so scared that I was going to lose Joe. My mom texted me during the day saying she was leaving work early to go to Rochester. I begged her to let me come to but in the end we decided I should stay in school the rest of the day and I would go on the weekend.
The weekend came and my mom and I made the hour drive to Rochester. Little did I know this trip would become so familiar. When we got there the first person we saw was my Grandpa. He was sitting outside the hospital on a little stool he carries around. Never have I seen my Grandpa so scared in my life. He told us he couldn’t handle being in Joe’s room anymore. Once again I had no idea what would be in store when we walked into his room. So we took my grandpa up to the room with us. Floor 5 first set of doors on the right. Intensive care. We went through 2 sets of big heavy doors. When we walked through the second set of doors I saw Lannette, my grandma and my cousin Courtaney. We were now all outside a room. “do you want to see Joe?” they asked. “yes.” We went in...Word could never describe how I felt seeing him. All i could think of was thanksgiving. Joe jumping up and down being so crazy and now he was lying in a hospital bed. Tubes in his throat and chest. I had never seen so many tubes and machines in my life. Lannette went over and took his hand and said “Joe, Meghan and Lorrie came to see you.” No response. The doctors began to take him off the medicine to kind of wake him up. “Go ahead and say hi to him.” My grandma talked to him, Court talked to him. We all did. I went over and took his head and through teary eyes i said. “Joe I love you.” The words he has said to me so many times. His eyes slowly open. he tries to squeeze my hand, and despite all the tubes in his throat and all he has been through so far his lips move. Slowly trying to say “I love you to.” By this point we are all in tears. I have never seen my Grandparents cry before. Now I know why my Grandpa couldn’t stand being in this room. But at this point in time it was so filled with love; I didn’t want to leave Joe.
I stayed at the hospital that night. The one thing that amazed me was how even though this horrible thing was going on my aunt was still her goofy, loving, silly self. Obviously she was scared to death that she was going to lose he son but she was thinking positive. Joe was in intensive care for weeks, and every weekend my mom and I would make that hour trip to Rochester. Sometimes we would go after school for a few hours. And on our trips back we began to see this place we later started calling “the city of lights”. At night it was this place that was so light up and pretty it looked like a million little twinkling lights. We decided when Joe got out of the hospital we would take him there so we could find out what it was. While Joe was in intensive care he had surgeries on his legs because they were not getting good blood circulation. The doctors had to cut on both sides of his legs and remove dead muscle. They didn’t know if he would be able to fully walk again. Joe just said “you’ll see, I’m going to walk out of here.” Finally Joe was out of intensive care. One day when we came to visit him I told him I learned the hoedown throw down dance from Hannah Montana the Movie. He said “DO IT!” so we had a little concert in his hospital room. Everyone was laughing so hard. And after the Hoedown throw down I sang the Climb to my mom grandma, Lannette, court and Joe. They all say I look like Miley so I was getting really into the song and dancing when a nurse walked in. We all laughed even more. This is why I was always excited to go see Joe. When most people think of visiting someone in the hospital they think of sitting around a bed quietly talking. That never happened here. We danced, sang, laughed, watched movies, ate, and goofed around.
In October, two months after Joe got out of the hospital, Joe, My Aunt my cousin Courtnay, my mom, our Grandma and I had a week together that we will never forget thanks to Make a Wish. It started on the plan ride to Florida. “Can I sit by the window?” was the first thing out of Joe’s mouth on the airplane. We laughed and goofed around the whole ride there. Joe was amazed by the air plane. This was his second time flying but now he will actually remember it. We got to the resort we would be staying at for the week called Give Kids the World. It is a resort set up by Make a Wish. Joe and I took some time to explore the village. It was great, a swimming pool, face painting; all you can eat ice cream (our favorite part) and so much more. The one thing I will always remember about this place is all the kids there. Despite their disabilities or diseases they were all so happy. They were smiling, laughing, having fun, and just being kids. That’s what Make a Wish is for. To let kids be kids. That week in Florida changed my life. Well Joe changed my life. He made me realize just how precious every second of our lives are. Each and every Make a Wish kid there was enjoying each second of their life, and their families were happy to. That’s what life is about, being happy. The Make a Wish foundation changes children’s lives by letting them just have fun.
“I love you Joe.” I have said that more times then I can count. The simple squeeze of his hand that day at the hospital taught me the true meaning of love. He has changed my life so much we have become so close. I would have never thought this whole accident with would change my life for the better. But it did, and i am so thankful to still have Joe and to have had so many good memories from our trip to Florida. Joe and i will always be so close with each other. I love you Jo
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Feature Story
Topic: Last year my cousin was in the hospitalfor 4 months because his heart stopped. We went to Disney land in the fall because of the make a wish foundation.
interviews will be things that were said during this whole experience.
interviews will be things that were said during this whole experience.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The SES Option (article final draft)
As the registration process for classes next year at Eastview ends, some students decide what classes they will be taking here while other students will be starting at an entirely different school next year. Juniors and seniors in District 196 have the option of going to the School of Environmental Studies. Approximately 200 juniors in the District decide to take a chance at this new school each year.
Among those 200 new students planning on attending SES next year is Taryn Halterman. She is choosing to go to the School of Environmental Studies for her junior and senior year because “They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give them more propose.” Taryn wants to become an aquatic animal trainer or a marine biologist so going to SES will help her to focus on classes that are directly linked to her career like the marine biology class and animal care class. Most students that attend SES love the fact that everything is hands on. Students also love the opportunity to be able to go on trips called field studies. One popular field study is going scuba diving in Curacao and seeing all the marine life. Students don’t only love the trips Kelley Polum who is a junior at SES now, says that her favorite thing about SES “Is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather than useless facts and use what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.” Also another one of Kelley’s favorite things about her school is “The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.” SES has a very different approach to teaching. There are more projects and fewer tests.
Some students like Shelby Gadke are choosing to go to SES simply because they need a change. “Eastview is not the school for me, I don’t like the cliques. The School of Environmental Studies will make me be happier and make me like school more and the art program is better there.” Shelby says. Most people believe that this school is only for people who want to have a career with animals or related to the environment, but often students go there for the art program (like Shelby). Other students go there to just change up their learning experiences.
The School of Environmental Studies and Eastview have many differences. One of the biggest is the number of students. Kelley says one of the reasons she chose to go to SES was because “I didn’t want to be just a number in Eastview’s large school population.” Many students like the smaller classes because the teacher will be able to help them more. The schools are even set up very differently. SES has houses similar to our clusters but there is a single big room in the middle. On the sides of that are “pods” where 10 students have their own desks. One of the biggest differences that Kelley Polum states is that “Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they don’t tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself and use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people won’t always tell us precisely what to do.” The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
Among those 200 new students planning on attending SES next year is Taryn Halterman. She is choosing to go to the School of Environmental Studies for her junior and senior year because “They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give them more propose.” Taryn wants to become an aquatic animal trainer or a marine biologist so going to SES will help her to focus on classes that are directly linked to her career like the marine biology class and animal care class. Most students that attend SES love the fact that everything is hands on. Students also love the opportunity to be able to go on trips called field studies. One popular field study is going scuba diving in Curacao and seeing all the marine life. Students don’t only love the trips Kelley Polum who is a junior at SES now, says that her favorite thing about SES “Is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather than useless facts and use what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.” Also another one of Kelley’s favorite things about her school is “The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.” SES has a very different approach to teaching. There are more projects and fewer tests.
Some students like Shelby Gadke are choosing to go to SES simply because they need a change. “Eastview is not the school for me, I don’t like the cliques. The School of Environmental Studies will make me be happier and make me like school more and the art program is better there.” Shelby says. Most people believe that this school is only for people who want to have a career with animals or related to the environment, but often students go there for the art program (like Shelby). Other students go there to just change up their learning experiences.
The School of Environmental Studies and Eastview have many differences. One of the biggest is the number of students. Kelley says one of the reasons she chose to go to SES was because “I didn’t want to be just a number in Eastview’s large school population.” Many students like the smaller classes because the teacher will be able to help them more. The schools are even set up very differently. SES has houses similar to our clusters but there is a single big room in the middle. On the sides of that are “pods” where 10 students have their own desks. One of the biggest differences that Kelley Polum states is that “Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they don’t tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself and use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people won’t always tell us precisely what to do.” The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
article rough draft
As registration for classes next year at Eastview ends, some students decide what classes they will be taking here while other students will be starting at an entirely different school next year. Juniors and seniors in district 196 have the option of going to the School of Environmental studies. About 200 juniors in the district decide to take a chance at this new school each year.
Among those 200 new students planning on attending SES next year is Taryn Halterman. She is choosing to the School of Environmental Studies for her junior and senior year because “They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give them more propose.” Taryn wants go became an aquatic animal trainer or a marine biologist so going to SES will help her to focus on classes that are directly linked to her career like that marine biology class and animal care class. Most students that attend SES love the fact that everything is hands on. Students also love the opportunity to be able to go on trips called field studies. One popular field study is going scuba diving in Curacao and seeing all the marine life. Students don’t only love the trips Kelley Pullom who is a junior there now says that her favorite thing about SES “Is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather than useless facts and use what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.” Also another one of Kelley’s favorite things about her school is “The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.” SES has a very different approach to teaching. There are more projects and fewer tests.
Some students like Shelby Gadke are choosing to go to SES simply because they need a change. “Eastview is not the school for me, I don’t like the cliques. The School of Environmental Studies will make me happier and make me like school more and the art program is better there.” Shelby says. Most people believe that this school is only for people who want to have a career with animals or related to the environment, but often students go there for the art program(like Shelby) or because of how different the school environment is there.
The School of Environmental Studies and Eastview have many differences. One of the biggest is the number of students. Kelley says one of the reasons she chose to go to SES was because “I didn’t want to be just a number in Eastview’s large school population.” Many students like the smaller classes because the teacher will be able to help them more. The schools are even set up very different. SES has houses similar to our clusters but there is just one big room in the middle. On the sides of that are “pods” where 10 students have their own desks. One of the biggest differences that Kelley Pullom states is that “Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they don’t tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself and use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people won’t always tell us precisely what to do.” The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
Among those 200 new students planning on attending SES next year is Taryn Halterman. She is choosing to the School of Environmental Studies for her junior and senior year because “They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give them more propose.” Taryn wants go became an aquatic animal trainer or a marine biologist so going to SES will help her to focus on classes that are directly linked to her career like that marine biology class and animal care class. Most students that attend SES love the fact that everything is hands on. Students also love the opportunity to be able to go on trips called field studies. One popular field study is going scuba diving in Curacao and seeing all the marine life. Students don’t only love the trips Kelley Pullom who is a junior there now says that her favorite thing about SES “Is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather than useless facts and use what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.” Also another one of Kelley’s favorite things about her school is “The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.” SES has a very different approach to teaching. There are more projects and fewer tests.
Some students like Shelby Gadke are choosing to go to SES simply because they need a change. “Eastview is not the school for me, I don’t like the cliques. The School of Environmental Studies will make me happier and make me like school more and the art program is better there.” Shelby says. Most people believe that this school is only for people who want to have a career with animals or related to the environment, but often students go there for the art program(like Shelby) or because of how different the school environment is there.
The School of Environmental Studies and Eastview have many differences. One of the biggest is the number of students. Kelley says one of the reasons she chose to go to SES was because “I didn’t want to be just a number in Eastview’s large school population.” Many students like the smaller classes because the teacher will be able to help them more. The schools are even set up very different. SES has houses similar to our clusters but there is just one big room in the middle. On the sides of that are “pods” where 10 students have their own desks. One of the biggest differences that Kelley Pullom states is that “Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they don’t tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself and use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people won’t always tell us precisely what to do.” The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Interview questions
Taryn
1. What made you choose to go to SES?
They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give my classes more porpose.
2. What different oppertunites are there at SES that you are looking forward to?
The Field studies, the winter survival course and getting to work with animals.
3. What classes do you plan on taking at SES that are not offered here?
Marine Biology, Animal care, and Scuba certification.
4. What carreer do you want to have?
Marine Biologist or an aquatic animal trainer.
5. How will SES help you with that job?
It offers classes that are directly linked to my carreer choices like marine biology and there are classes where you get to work with animals.
Shelby
1. Why do you plan on going to SES next year?
Eastview is not the school for me I dont like the cliques
2.What oppertunites at SES are you excited about?
The art and photography program
3. How will going there effect you? (accademicly and as a person)
It will make me happier and make me like school more
4.What is different about SES then Eastview?
The art program is better the class rooms are open and there are not many cliques
5. What classes are you excited about taking?
are photography and AP comp
Kelly
1. Why did you decide to go to SES?
I decided to go to SES for a lot of different reasons. The main reason was that i didnt want to be just a number in Eastviews large school population. I also wanted a different learning environment, knowing that there had to be more to learning then sitting behind a desk all day listening to some teacher tell you things that you wont ever need to know again. To sum it up, i justkind of needed a new start.
2. What is something that you really like about being a student there?
The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.
3. What class, assignment, trip or activity have you liked best so far?
Probably mt Poetry intensive theme, because if the large amounts of freedom they give us, and with it i get to do what i love to do.
4. What was the biggest change from Eastview to SES?
Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they dont tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself ans use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people wont always tell us precisely what to do.
5. What is your favorie thing about SES?
My favorite thing about SES is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather then useless facts and USE what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.
SES website mission statement-The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
1. What made you choose to go to SES?
They have core classes that are environmentally based so it will tie my classes together and give my classes more porpose.
2. What different oppertunites are there at SES that you are looking forward to?
The Field studies, the winter survival course and getting to work with animals.
3. What classes do you plan on taking at SES that are not offered here?
Marine Biology, Animal care, and Scuba certification.
4. What carreer do you want to have?
Marine Biologist or an aquatic animal trainer.
5. How will SES help you with that job?
It offers classes that are directly linked to my carreer choices like marine biology and there are classes where you get to work with animals.
Shelby
1. Why do you plan on going to SES next year?
Eastview is not the school for me I dont like the cliques
2.What oppertunites at SES are you excited about?
The art and photography program
3. How will going there effect you? (accademicly and as a person)
It will make me happier and make me like school more
4.What is different about SES then Eastview?
The art program is better the class rooms are open and there are not many cliques
5. What classes are you excited about taking?
are photography and AP comp
Kelly
1. Why did you decide to go to SES?
I decided to go to SES for a lot of different reasons. The main reason was that i didnt want to be just a number in Eastviews large school population. I also wanted a different learning environment, knowing that there had to be more to learning then sitting behind a desk all day listening to some teacher tell you things that you wont ever need to know again. To sum it up, i justkind of needed a new start.
2. What is something that you really like about being a student there?
The fact that despite us working on huge projects constantly, it usually ends up being worth something.
3. What class, assignment, trip or activity have you liked best so far?
Probably mt Poetry intensive theme, because if the large amounts of freedom they give us, and with it i get to do what i love to do.
4. What was the biggest change from Eastview to SES?
Teachers definitely expect much more out of you at SES in the fact that they dont tell you what to do but you are forced to take leadership upon yourself ans use your time wisely. The whole idea is to get us to grow up and be ready for the working world, where people wont always tell us precisely what to do.
5. What is your favorie thing about SES?
My favorite thing about SES is that we discuss what is happening in the real world rather then useless facts and USE what we learn instead of blowing it all away on the next test and forgetting about it.
SES website mission statement-The mission of the School of Environmental Studies is to be a community of leaders learning to enhance the relationship between humans and their environment.
Monday, March 1, 2010
News story topic
Topic: Why students decide to go to SES
Angle: Students just registered for classes there for next year.
Angle: Students just registered for classes there for next year.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Steps for Writting a news story
Writing a News Story
1. What can I write about? What is news?
On the surface,
-defining news is a simple task.
-News is an account of what is happening around us.
-It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues.
-But a newspaper does not only print news of the day.
-It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.
Choosing what's news can be harder.(what is news worthy...)
-importance
-emotion
-impact
-timeliness
-interest
. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!
2. Identify what kind of a story it is
-HARD NEWS (+/- 600 words):
-This is how journalists refer to news of the day.
-It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the FRONT PAGE of your typical newspaper.
-It starts with a summary lead(lead has all 5 Ws slam the facts at you in first paragraph)
What happened?
Where?
When?
To/by whom?
Why? (The journalist's 5 W's)
-It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.
-Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.
SOFT NEWS (+/-600 words):
-This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive.
-Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations.
-As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news
FEATURE (+/-1500 words):
-Longer realy explores an issue
-A news feature takes one step back from the headlines.
-It explores an issue.
-News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy.
-They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item.
*Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.
Features are the best.
-They're full of
--interesting people,
--ideas,
--color,
--lights,
--action
--and energy.
Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.
EDITORIAL:
-The editorial expresses an opinion.
-The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. --All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.
3. Structure for your article
The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple:
-a lead
-the body
The lead
-One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story.
-Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is:
--to summarize
--the story and/or to draw the reader in
(depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).
In a hard news story
-the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow.
-It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible.
*(e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)
In a soft news story:
-the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion.
-This type of opening is somewhat literary.
-Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader.
*(e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.
The body
The body of the story involves combining:
-the opinions of the people you interview,
-some factual data
-a narrative which helps the story flow.
-A word of caution,
*CANNOT PUT OPINIONS INTO HARD NEWS STORIES*
Remember:
The role of a reporter is to:
-find out what people are thinking of an issue
-to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue.
*use 5 senses!
These comments make up the bulk of the story.
-The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole.
*Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).
*FIVE SENSES As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.
Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:
Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.
An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?
4. Further tips for news writing
-Finding story ideas
-Keep your eyes and ears open
--listen to what your friends are talking about.
-Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.
-Think of a youth angle to a current news story.
-Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.
-Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering
-Begin collecting articles on your subject.
-Talk to friends and associates about the subject.
-Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.
-Create a list of people you want to interview;
*cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.
-Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts
-Be polite.
Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."
-Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).
-Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.
-Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.
Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.
Don't attack the source.
Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.
On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
Organizing the information
Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.
Review your notes.
Look for a common theme.
Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.
Develop a focus.
Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.
Writing and editing
Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.
Don't be afraid to rewrite.
Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.
Avoid run-on sentences.
Be direct.
Tell a good story.
Tell the reader what you think they want to know.
Always ask yourself what the story is about.
Read the story out loud; listen carefully.
STEPS FOR WRITTING:
1. Find a topic
2. Find an angle
3. Collect information
4. Gather interviwes
5. Write the story
6. Edit the story
1. What can I write about? What is news?
On the surface,
-defining news is a simple task.
-News is an account of what is happening around us.
-It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues.
-But a newspaper does not only print news of the day.
-It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.
Choosing what's news can be harder.(what is news worthy...)
-importance
-emotion
-impact
-timeliness
-interest
. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!
2. Identify what kind of a story it is
-HARD NEWS (+/- 600 words):
-This is how journalists refer to news of the day.
-It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the FRONT PAGE of your typical newspaper.
-It starts with a summary lead(lead has all 5 Ws slam the facts at you in first paragraph)
What happened?
Where?
When?
To/by whom?
Why? (The journalist's 5 W's)
-It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.
-Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.
SOFT NEWS (+/-600 words):
-This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive.
-Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations.
-As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news
FEATURE (+/-1500 words):
-Longer realy explores an issue
-A news feature takes one step back from the headlines.
-It explores an issue.
-News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy.
-They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item.
*Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.
Features are the best.
-They're full of
--interesting people,
--ideas,
--color,
--lights,
--action
--and energy.
Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.
EDITORIAL:
-The editorial expresses an opinion.
-The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. --All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.
3. Structure for your article
The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple:
-a lead
-the body
The lead
-One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story.
-Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is:
--to summarize
--the story and/or to draw the reader in
(depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).
In a hard news story
-the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow.
-It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible.
*(e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)
In a soft news story:
-the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion.
-This type of opening is somewhat literary.
-Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader.
*(e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.
The body
The body of the story involves combining:
-the opinions of the people you interview,
-some factual data
-a narrative which helps the story flow.
-A word of caution,
*CANNOT PUT OPINIONS INTO HARD NEWS STORIES*
Remember:
The role of a reporter is to:
-find out what people are thinking of an issue
-to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue.
*use 5 senses!
These comments make up the bulk of the story.
-The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole.
*Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).
*FIVE SENSES As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.
Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:
Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.
An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?
4. Further tips for news writing
-Finding story ideas
-Keep your eyes and ears open
--listen to what your friends are talking about.
-Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.
-Think of a youth angle to a current news story.
-Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.
-Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering
-Begin collecting articles on your subject.
-Talk to friends and associates about the subject.
-Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.
-Create a list of people you want to interview;
*cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.
-Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts
-Be polite.
Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."
-Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).
-Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.
-Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.
Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.
Don't attack the source.
Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.
On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
Organizing the information
Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.
Review your notes.
Look for a common theme.
Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.
Develop a focus.
Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.
Writing and editing
Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.
Don't be afraid to rewrite.
Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.
Avoid run-on sentences.
Be direct.
Tell a good story.
Tell the reader what you think they want to know.
Always ask yourself what the story is about.
Read the story out loud; listen carefully.
STEPS FOR WRITTING:
1. Find a topic
2. Find an angle
3. Collect information
4. Gather interviwes
5. Write the story
6. Edit the story
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Law and Ethics Notes
First amendment rights
-Speech
-Religion
-Assembly
-Press
-Petition
Students in public schools dont have the same first amendment rights as outside of schools.
1969-THE TINKER STANDARD!
- students wore black armbands to protest the war and got expelled-went to the supreme court-court sided with students.
-Students speech CANNNOT be censored as long as it does not "materially disrupt class work or involve substantial disorde or invasion of the rights of others."
1986-THE FRASER STANDARD!
-Bethel School District vs. Fraser
-Inapporopriate speech for class president(school suspends student goes to supreme court)-sided with school and decided that:
-Because school officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of spcially appropraite behavior" they can censor students speech that is vulgar or indecent even if it does not cuse a "material or substantial disruption"
1988-THE HAZELWOOD STANDARD!
-High school newspaper aarticle about teen pregnancy and divorce.
-Supreme court ruled:
"Censorpship of school-sponsored student expression is permissible when school offials can show that it if "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."
-schools can censor student newspapers if the students do something against what the schools teach-teen pregnancy, drinking, drugs, piercings.
2002-THE FREDERICK STANDARD!
-Olympic torch travels through town
-Principal cancels school so that students can go see the olympic tourch-school feild trip- like going to a state sports game or college fair
-Senior Frederick holds up a sign that says "Bong hits for Jesus"
-Students are suspended for 10 days
-School wins Trial
-No legal justification for censoring a students expression in the privacy of his home!!
LIBEL
-a defamatory statement(hurting someones character)
-PUBLISHED to at least one other person
-has to be a False statement!(opinions are not libel)
SLANDER
-spoken statement
--same as libel but spoken.
-Speech
-Religion
-Assembly
-Press
-Petition
Students in public schools dont have the same first amendment rights as outside of schools.
1969-THE TINKER STANDARD!
- students wore black armbands to protest the war and got expelled-went to the supreme court-court sided with students.
-Students speech CANNNOT be censored as long as it does not "materially disrupt class work or involve substantial disorde or invasion of the rights of others."
1986-THE FRASER STANDARD!
-Bethel School District vs. Fraser
-Inapporopriate speech for class president(school suspends student goes to supreme court)-sided with school and decided that:
-Because school officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of spcially appropraite behavior" they can censor students speech that is vulgar or indecent even if it does not cuse a "material or substantial disruption"
1988-THE HAZELWOOD STANDARD!
-High school newspaper aarticle about teen pregnancy and divorce.
-Supreme court ruled:
"Censorpship of school-sponsored student expression is permissible when school offials can show that it if "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."
-schools can censor student newspapers if the students do something against what the schools teach-teen pregnancy, drinking, drugs, piercings.
2002-THE FREDERICK STANDARD!
-Olympic torch travels through town
-Principal cancels school so that students can go see the olympic tourch-school feild trip- like going to a state sports game or college fair
-Senior Frederick holds up a sign that says "Bong hits for Jesus"
-Students are suspended for 10 days
-School wins Trial
-No legal justification for censoring a students expression in the privacy of his home!!
LIBEL
-a defamatory statement(hurting someones character)
-PUBLISHED to at least one other person
-has to be a False statement!(opinions are not libel)
SLANDER
-spoken statement
--same as libel but spoken.
Monday, February 8, 2010
1
What is the company?
PlayStation2
Who is the target audience:
Men, 18-30, gamers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, action
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
bad editing. man in a different place in the next scene
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"live in your world play in ours"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No its not effictive im not a part of the target audience.
2
What is the company?
Budweiser
Who is the target audience:
sports fans (male)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor, cute horses
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
replay
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was funny.
3
What is the company?
Chrysler
Who is the target audience:
Women
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
different camera angles that are very elegant sleek design
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Drive and Love"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, I am a girl.
4
What is the company?
Pepsi
Who is the target audience:
People that watch relaty shows
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celerbity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
special effects of zipper.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its a twist on a great thing"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Not really, it was ment for older people because i didnt really understand it.
5
What is the company?
Fedex
Who is the target audience:
peopel who have seen the movie castaway
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, movie parody
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic music flash back to when he was on the island
What is the slogan/message for the company?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
yes, it was very funny.
6
What is the company?
Dodge
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Action, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic, action shots intense. driving fast. making the truck look very manly and tough
Slogan?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i am not part of the target audiance.
7
What is the company?
Gatorade
target audience?
Men who like sports 18-45
persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
close ups on bastetball shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Is it in you?"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i didnt get it at all.
8
What is the company?
ESPN
Who is the target audience:
Men who like sports
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
frantic. short shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"This is sports center"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt really understand it.
9
What is the company?
H&R block
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
cuts to different places
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"dont get bad advice"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt understand it.
10
What is the company?
Bud light
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Parade shot, clown coming in from the parade
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"make it a bud light"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
kind of, it was funny.
11.
What is the company?
Visa
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
shots of different people.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its where you want to be"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
n, i didnt understand it
What is the company?
PlayStation2
Who is the target audience:
Men, 18-30, gamers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, action
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
bad editing. man in a different place in the next scene
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"live in your world play in ours"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No its not effictive im not a part of the target audience.
2
What is the company?
Budweiser
Who is the target audience:
sports fans (male)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor, cute horses
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
replay
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was funny.
3
What is the company?
Chrysler
Who is the target audience:
Women
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
different camera angles that are very elegant sleek design
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Drive and Love"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, I am a girl.
4
What is the company?
Pepsi
Who is the target audience:
People that watch relaty shows
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celerbity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
special effects of zipper.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its a twist on a great thing"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Not really, it was ment for older people because i didnt really understand it.
5
What is the company?
Fedex
Who is the target audience:
peopel who have seen the movie castaway
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, movie parody
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic music flash back to when he was on the island
What is the slogan/message for the company?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
yes, it was very funny.
6
What is the company?
Dodge
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Action, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic, action shots intense. driving fast. making the truck look very manly and tough
Slogan?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i am not part of the target audiance.
7
What is the company?
Gatorade
target audience?
Men who like sports 18-45
persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
close ups on bastetball shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Is it in you?"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i didnt get it at all.
8
What is the company?
ESPN
Who is the target audience:
Men who like sports
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
frantic. short shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"This is sports center"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt really understand it.
9
What is the company?
H&R block
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
cuts to different places
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"dont get bad advice"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt understand it.
10
What is the company?
Bud light
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Parade shot, clown coming in from the parade
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"make it a bud light"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
kind of, it was funny.
11.
What is the company?
Visa
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
shots of different people.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its where you want to be"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
n, i didnt understand it
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Journalism Notes
Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.
The telling of current events that are news worthy, via Internet, radio, newspaper, TV, and magazines.
List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.
TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Timeliness-care about things that are happening NOW. ex. health care bill, natural disaster(Hati), weather, traffic, sports scores.
2. Significance-events, the more people that are effected by it the more people care about it. ex. super bowl, 9/11, Obama, Katrina.
3. Unusualness- "man bites dog" things that dont happen every single day. ex. earth quakes, hurricane, mass crime, octo-mom.
4. Prominence-important or famous people(we care about famous people)ex. Obama getting a dog, Btitney Spears shaving head.
5. Proximity-how close something is to us. (local news paper vs. world newspaper)ex. Weather, traffic, local sporting events.
6. Human Interest Stories- heart warming stories (warm fuzzies) show you something positive. ex. baby whale born at the zoo, Opra, person saves aother persons life
What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. Control over what type of news you get
2. Control over when you get it.
3. Print is more detailed and in depth.
What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?
1. Visual "picture says a thousand words" video is more interesting to viewers
2. Live. happening right now dont have to wait untill the next day to hear about it, it could change by then.
3. More accessible
Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?
Because it is the best of both print journalims and broadcast journalism with in depth stories and videos. You have control over where you read it and when it is very asy to acess always around a computer or phone that has acess to it. We are a "want it now" nation.
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.
The telling of current events that are news worthy, via Internet, radio, newspaper, TV, and magazines.
List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.
TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Timeliness-care about things that are happening NOW. ex. health care bill, natural disaster(Hati), weather, traffic, sports scores.
2. Significance-events, the more people that are effected by it the more people care about it. ex. super bowl, 9/11, Obama, Katrina.
3. Unusualness- "man bites dog" things that dont happen every single day. ex. earth quakes, hurricane, mass crime, octo-mom.
4. Prominence-important or famous people(we care about famous people)ex. Obama getting a dog, Btitney Spears shaving head.
5. Proximity-how close something is to us. (local news paper vs. world newspaper)ex. Weather, traffic, local sporting events.
6. Human Interest Stories- heart warming stories (warm fuzzies) show you something positive. ex. baby whale born at the zoo, Opra, person saves aother persons life
What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. Control over what type of news you get
2. Control over when you get it.
3. Print is more detailed and in depth.
What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?
1. Visual "picture says a thousand words" video is more interesting to viewers
2. Live. happening right now dont have to wait untill the next day to hear about it, it could change by then.
3. More accessible
Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?
Because it is the best of both print journalims and broadcast journalism with in depth stories and videos. You have control over where you read it and when it is very asy to acess always around a computer or phone that has acess to it. We are a "want it now" nation.
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