Installment+3

South of Denver

Chapter 3 - September 13, 2004

It was a week of small breakthroughs.

All 22 students took turns shooting portraits of one another for our staff ID cards. "Yes," I said over and over, "the strap DOES need to go around your neck. Left hand under the camera to take the weight. Exhale. Shoot."

Abigail took me up on my offer to shoot at the softball game Thursday.

We were allowed to stand at one open dugout door with the new Nikon D70 and the very cool (and expensive) 80-400 VT zoom on a monopod. She said she used to play softball, and she proved it by anticipating shots. She took 120 frames in four innings. Most were, well, not so great. But a couple dozen are certainly publishable, and one, of a play at the plate, complete with dust flying, girls grimacing and the umpire glowering, is fabulous.

"I love this camera," she said more than once. "I'm used to having 24 shots and being so picky about what to shoot. Digital is great!"

On our potentially touchiest issue, we decided to "mull over" the whole naming of the paper thing. This Tuesday is our target for final discussion.

Megan asked on Monday, after getting her "Nose for News" stories back, "Can we do this again?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "But first tell me what you will do differently."

"I'll take out the editorializing," she said, "and go back to some kids at the events for quotes."

Megan was not alone in inserting her opinions about the success of the cheers at a local contest, and about how great the sophomore football team was after thrashing it first opponent 34-6.

We had had a good time trash talking about that first opponent, which is a math-science magnet school from another district which regularly scores the highest on state tests. "Hey, they may be tops on CSAPs, but we're gonna kick their butts in football!"

Several others overheard Megan's question, and by Friday ten students had given me rewrites of one or more of their news stories. All were somewhat better, but I was most impressed that they did the rewrites without me pushing them. Looking for a better grade? Looking for better journalism? Does it matter?

Last week we discussed interviewing technique, and the class read chapter 7 of The Radical Write. I told them a quick story about WWII reporter Ernie Pyle and his classic statement: "If you want to tell the story of a war, tell the story of one soldier." Then I tossed in my version: "If you want to tell the story of a high school, tell the story of one student."

And then, on Friday, near the end of class, I asked Meagan (please note different spelling, different girl) how her volleyball match had gone the night before.

"I didn't get to play," she said, and she was clearly not happy. "Some of us got in trouble with the coach for leaving Wednesday's game with our parents."

"Did you tell the coach you were going?"

"My parents needed to go," she said, "but I couldn't find the coach. One of the other parents told us to just go. But I guess the coach just went nuts, and last night before the game he went ballistic. 'If you won't teach your kids, I will!' He was yelling at our parents! And he started swearing! My mom is writing letters and another mom is meeting with the athletic director about the coach."

I noticed another girl, seated nearby, taking all this in. "What do you think, Taylor? Does this sound like news?"

"Oh, yeah," she answered.

"I know it's too bad, and I know it's not positive news," I said, "but do you see why we might be rubbing our hands together in delight over having a story like this to report?"

I'm pretty sure Taylor was ready to get after this story right away. But the first paper is seven weeks away (we have moved the date to Nov. 3 due to some conflicts with fall break). This little fracus will be old news long before then. But some of us are starting to think like journalists.

It was a good week.

Jack Kennedy

Rock Canyon HS

Highlands Ranch CO 80124

jkkennedy@comcast.net

jack.kennedy@dcsdk12.org

Note: This is part of a series of columns on working with a completely untrained staff. It is cryptotherapy for me. It may occasionally provide something positive for you. It's all uncharted territory, that's for sure.