Have you noticed the brand-new Tooter, the student publication of South High? The Tooter is a product of South’s journalism pathway students. Read on to see why they enjoy the world of journalism.
Tooter editor Ambrose Vela has been in journalism classes for her entire high school career. She said she has enjoyed her time in the classes but has also had some hard challenges throughout her journalism career.
“Some challenges for me personally have been meeting deadlines or starting a story,” she said. “When you take journalism as a class, it can be easy to see it as just a class. But being a part of The Tooter at South is more than just a class; it’s a community of like-minded, passionate writers.”
Becoming a “passionate writer” for journalism requires certain skills.
Vela said that the foundational skill that a journalist should hone is integrity, but she also said above anything else, reporting honestly is crucial for her because, “if you’re not reporting honestly, then you’re not doing it at all.”
Vela said she is deeply proud of the work her classmates put into the articles in the new Tooter, and that she’s excited for what the future holds for her and her classmates’ publication.
Since Vela has been in the journalism pathway her entire high school career, she said she is very familiar with the sequence of courses involved.
The global electives for journalism students are photojournalism and digital journalism. Students who pursue the pathway would then enroll in Introduction to Contemporary Journalism 1 and 2, followed by 3 and 4.
“As the classes go on, they delve deeper into the fundamentals of journalism and may become more challenging in the process,” Vela said.
Vela isn’t the only student who enjoys journalism. Senior Jamie Mancilla and sophomore Kristopher Plascencia–Loza both said they enjoy the class as much as Vela does. Mancilla said the class is fun for her, and Plascencia agreed. Mancilla said everyone is friendly and that the classes are good for the minds of visually creative people. She also said how she enjoys working with her friends and the moments when they get the chance to take their own pictures.
He also added that in class students should always do their work and pay attention in class and not be afraid to speak to people because “communication plays a big role in journalism especially when you’re interviewing people.”
