High School Journalism Institute » Lori’s section editors

Vampire Crazed

Avery Walts - Floyd Central High School — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:55:11 +0000

By Avery Walts (Floyd Central HS), Amanda Millea (Floyd Central HS), Anna Dreyfuss (West Potomac HS) and Ian Schaak (Cathedral HS)

Dracula, Buffy, and now Edward are all symbols of the bloodsucking creatures, called vampires. However, when Stephanie Meyer published the book Twilight, she changed the image of vampires for the technological age.

When asked why people think the new vampires are so delicious, Indiana University junior Stefan Sivertson said, “I think new technology is able to give life to the stale characters.”

The American obsession with vampires first started with Count Dracula. Introduced in the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker, the antagonist soon became a legend. However, the way people have analyzed vampires has changed from a feeling of terror to a feeling of lust. According to junior Danielle Faczan, this change is something she is not quite sure about.

“I don’t like it, but at the same time, I do. I like the original idea, just not the romantic part. I don’t like the sparkle and not bursting into flames when they walk into the light,” said Faczan.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was another teen favorite. The television show that opened in 1997 starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, the typical teenager who spent her time killing vampires. In the same sense, Bella Swan spent time with vampires, but in a rather unusual way. Instead of slaying the Cullens, she chose to become a part of their world.

“I guess I can see how it can be sexy biting the neck and the mysterious factor works for them,” said Indiana University sophomore, Lindsay Hicks.

From “Twilight” themed cookbooks, to a massive picture of Edward Cullen on a shower curtain, the vampire hype is very much a pop culture phenomenon. For senior Jessica Meyers, the new persona of the vampire has taken on a more romantic outlook.

“I think people are so intrigued because they [modern vampire characters] put a romantic fairytale and a non-reality twist on real life things like love,” said Meyers.

* David Taiclet (St. Louis Priory School) and Mikaela Orbon (Mercersburg Academy) contributed to this story.

A World Connected by News

Laura Schulte - New Prairie High School — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:43:40 +0000

By Laura Schulte
New Prairie High School
HSJI Section Editors

When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, many people at HSJI said that it was the best example of news connecting the world. Immediately after the disaster, Americans began texting donations to the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross received $22 million in donations to the Haiti earthquake relief through text messages, according to the Washington Post. Even Twitter played a part, allowing people who hadn’t heard from loved ones who were in Haiti, to post and get information and locate the peoples’ whereabouts.

“Haiti is probably the most recent event that connected us. A disaster brings people together. When it’s world news, the world tunes in,” Teresa White, the director of High School Journalism Institute, said.

White talked about how news around the world connects audiences who might not otherwise communicate. HSJI’s focus is to teach teens how to become news gatherers and use technology to get information from anywhere in the world.

Amanda Millea said news that comes from a teen’s perspective is appealing to other teenagers.

“If it comes from a teen’s perspective, they get a younger tone. But when it comes from an adult, they can’t relate as well,” she said.

Many of the high school journalists and faculty at HSJI agreed with White.

“Haiti is a good example [of news connecting the world]. Port-au-Prince was devastated, and the images we saw sparked people to do something. People texted in donations after seeing the images on the news,” said Lori Henson, and instructor at HSJI and a journalism professor at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Andrew Klein, a student at HSJI, said the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed nearly 228,000 people according to U.S. aid officials, was the first world event he remembers paying attention to in the news.

“I remember seeing the flooded areas in Thailand,” he said.

He remembers making a donation to relief efforts along with his parents. He said he thought it was cool to give money to people in a part of the world that he hadn’t known about before.

“News and the world have a symbiotic relationship. They feed off each other. What journalists choose to report; it sets an agenda for what people pay attention to,” said White. “News shapes the world, and the world shapes news.”

Section editors Danielle Faczan of New Prairie High School, Hannah Troyer of Fishers High School, and Amina Madrid, Savannah Nowakowski and Meri Doughten — all of Clay High School in Oregon, Ohio — contributed to this story.

Did You Know 4.0

Lori Henson, HSJI instructor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:48:44 +0000

This is the video I showed in the Tuesday session on developing multimedia packages. The subtitle is: "Shift Happens."

So, Now What?

Lori Henson, HSJI instructor — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:52:38 +0000

Now that we’re at the end of our week, it’s time to take stock of what we’ve learned — and apply it to the new school year!

What’s your vision for how you will fulfill your role during the coming school year?

The comments section of this post is the place to express these visions staffers have for the coming year. You will see postings from last week’s HSJI students there.

The mission statements focus on the policies, procedures, content and presentation standards that we will strive to meet all year long. They reflect the aspects of our jobs that we will value, prioritize and pass on to the rest of the staff.

They are the roadmaps by which you will create your publication’s legacy.

Share your newspaper ideas!

Lori Henson, HSJI instructor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:05:02 +0000

Lori’s section editors have spent lots of time brainstorming story ideas, as have many of the other classes at HSJI! No need to keep them a secret! Share your great ideas in the comments for this post, so that your fellow HSJI-ers can take home some solid ideas for the school year.

Some things Lori’s section editors name up with were finding fresh approaches to events that happen every school year at every school in the country. Namely:

Success tips for incoming freshmen
Profiles and stories about graduating seniors
Profiles of alums returning for homecoming
Stories about preparing for and attending prom
Profiles and behind-the-scenes looks at big theater or musical productions
Explanatory stories about new construction or other changes at your school
Profiles of new teachers and retiring teachers

What are your ideas?