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Concussions and High School Football

Jake Thornburgh - Park Tudor High School — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:00:31 +0000

High school football season is approaching. It’s the time of year where everyone comes together Friday night to cheer on their team. It’s the time of year for big plays and big hits. Unfortunately, just one big hit can leave someone on the sideline for weeks with a concussion.

Concussions today in football are seen as part of the game. Last year alone my football team had five different people with concussions. Concussions have been overlooked and dismissed. But, as more and more data has come out about the long-term dangers of concussions, they are becoming hard to ignore.

In a study done last year by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, almost 40.5% of high school athletes that had concussions returned to play prematurely. What’s even more shocking is that the Center found that 16% of athletes that fell unconscious during practice, returned to practice the same day. That is a big number considering one in ten high school injuries is a concussion, according to the Center for Disease Control.

These statistics show an even bigger problem at hand, though: the culture of football and being "tough." As a current football player I know the pressure you have to stay in the game, even when you are hurt or tired. Nobody wants to let their team down on the biggest play of the year. What athletes don't realize is that being "tough" has long term consequences.

In an article on concussions in the May 9, 2009 edition of USA today, the author cites multiple studies on former football players that showed that recurring concussions have led to depression and even early dementia.

There are hopes of improvements, though. Bob Colgate of the National Federation of State High School Associations told USA Today that they have been actively working to keep concussions a “front-burner issue” for high schools.

Colgate and USA Today aren’t the only ones taking notice of the problem, either. Almost every major news source has run a lead story on concussions in the past year. Also, the NFL has been changing their current policies on concussions, working closely with experts on the subject to ensure protection for the players.

In some ways, the conditions are improving. I have seen my coaches take head injuries much more serious now. We have an athletic trainer at our school who isn’t allowing players to go back before she knows that they are ready. Unfortunately, not every high school is like this.

Right now, only 42% of high schools actually have an athletic trainer. That is according to Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of the sports science department at the University of North Carolina. That leaves around 12,500 high schools without anyone to monitor ongoing injuries.

It is nice that we have finally made light of a serious problem, but we still have a long way to go. Without a proper athletic trainer in every high school, we will continue to see these kinds of statistics. That is the same story with how coaches and players approach these injuries. If the football community as a whole doesn’t shift how it deals with concussions, then this growing problem will only get a whole lot bigger.

Belle LeBeau – Typography Design

Belle LeBeau - Avon High School — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:55:50 +0000

I designed this business card like this because I feel like this is a very professional business card and I think this will make me/my paper be taken more seriously and considered more legit.

Journalism is changing, not dying, HSJI instructor says

Madeline Saviano – Whitefish Bay High School — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:16:17 +0000

Amid the many rumors of a dying profession, some journalists relay their opinions of where journalism as a profession is heading in today’s technology oriented society.

“No. Absolutely not,” said Marcia Debnam, Career Services Director for the past 20 years at Indiana University’s School of Journalism, when asked of her opinion on whether journalism was a dying industry.

Tony Willis, a graduate of Indiana University’s School of Journalism who now teaches journalism, added to Debnam’s words, saying, "Journalism is not dying, but instead vastly changing." He adds that 30 years ago, his professors were analyzing where journalism was heading in the future, and many of them concluded that by the year 2000, printed newspapers would have completely disappeared.

As Willis said, journalism is a quickly advancing profession that is taking significant steps to keep level with the technology savvy generations looking for news. Every major newspaper now updates a website daily, if not more often. Large newspapers also use Facebook and twitter, which contributes to the career list for journalists.

Because of the technology advances, those pursuing careers as journalists must have a greater variety of skills than those looking for these same jobs did 20 years ago.

Students need to “get involved, learn about new things, get conversant at topics, develop writing and research skills," as well as "know how to edit, design, and work online," Debnam said. Many employees now look for applicants who have a broader range of knowledge, rather than a focus in one aspect of journalism, she said.

With the broader necessary skill set, a hunt for a job is tough, and many recent graduates decide to do internships. However, the number of paid internships is decreasing, Debnam said, and they are becoming more difficult to obtain.

Even though internships are increasingly harder to secure, Danielle Rindler, a junior at Indiana University’s School of Journalism, says that internships are very important, and that she knows "two students that graduated IU’s Journalism School, one of whom now works at The Washington Post and the other at Target." She said that where these people are now depended largely on their internships and who they knew when working as an intern.

Students who easily obtain internships have a large range of talents for their employers to utilize. Unfortunately, because more employees know a broader set of skills, some newspapers have cut down on staff, as one person in a room with six computers can now do the work that six were previously hired to do.

Recently, ABC News cut more than 250 people from their Chicago staff, around 20%, while combining remaining employees from different sections of the office, said the New York Times, in an article on downsizing.

All of this makes journalism a competitive field, and many prospective college students decide to go into another related field, such as public relations. However, as Debnam said, “People who truly love journalism will fight for it." Plus, after some prospective students leave, the number of more competent graduates is increasing.

For high school students with their hearts set on journalism, Willis tells them to “work on the student paper at their school, go to workshops and conferences," and especially to "develop skills in areas that they aren’t comfortable in and get out of their comfort zone."

Rindler says that students should "learn to do everything, even if they’re not good at it, because that’s where the profession is going, and that will give you an edge as a professional."

"Even expert analyzers don’t really know where journalism is headed in the future," Debnam said, but "prospective journalism students should always be looking for opportunities, even as high schoolers.”

Teacher Workshops Round 2 Underway

Jay Seawell - HSJI Webmaster — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:04:55 +0000

Janet Levin of John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., practices photography during a Multimedia for High School Journalism Educators class on Monday, June 21, on the IU Bloomington campus.

Photo by Jay Seawell

Monday, June 21, saw the arrival of a new group of high school instructors to the IU campus for Teacher Workshops. This week, Julie Dodd and Judy Robinson of the University of Florida are teaching a Multimedia for High School Journalism Educators class, while Denise Roberts of Greenwood Community High School is teaching a Paying For & Promoting Student Media class.

Roberts’s class has three students, all Indiana-based high school instructors, while Dodd and Robinson’s class has eight participants, three of whom have come to Bloomington from out of state and are representing Downers Grove (Ill.) North High School, John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., and Mariemont High School in Cincinnati. Elizabeth Levin of Downers Grove North and Victoria VerPlanck of Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne have returned to campus after attending the first round of teacher workshops last week.

Dodd and Robinson’s class had the opportunity to go outdoors and explore the campus while practicing the basics of photography yesterday. Today, HSJI staff served refreshments to the classes in the Ernie Pyle Lounge. During the reception, various members of the School of Journalism stopped by, including Director of Student Media Ron Johnson, Career Services Director Marcia Debnam, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Shannon Martin and Professor Jack Dvorak, who directed the High School Journalism Institute from 1986-2008.

Look for more coverage of the teacher workshops round 2 soon.

Always an Editor

Matt Bettonville, St. Louis University High School — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:47:02 +0000

"I hope it’s not your life, but you’ll find that you’re always an editor."

These were words of both warning and expectation that I heard from my newspaper adviser before this year as editor in chief of the my high school’s student newspaper. I found them to be true in more ways than I expected.

HSJI addressed the issue of always being an editor in the context of seeing stories in everything. We learned to see trends or milestones in each award or assembly at school. We learned to look at the kid who seems to do nothing extracurricularly and notice the three younger siblings he or she cares for each day after school or the part time jobs he or she held. We learned to take every daily conversation and see potential story angles.

One day I threw a baseball around with some friends during a free period, then walked back inside my school sweaty and disheveled and ran straight into our Dean of Students.

"I guess the Prep News is a mess today," he said of my appearance. I laughed about it with him and we struck up a conversation (it’s every editor’s job to be best friends with the Dean of Students).

But this is a just a small example of another way that an editor is always an editor. Just as much as an editor has to associate everything in his or her own life with the job, he or she also carries all the associations that accompany the paper. An editor and his or her newspaper reflect upon each other at all times. If the driving force behind a newspaper is sloppy, the paper itself is seen as sloppy. They are implicitly perceived as intertwined.

And concurrently, they absolutely must be separate. HSJI brought a stern warning not to dedicate all of one’s time to a newspaper because an editor has to get around and have a feel for school events. One of my newspaper’s section editors spent all of his free time in our newspaper office studying, working, and even eating lunch. When an editorial debate came regarding the student response to a new school program called the Jazz Diversity Series, he was clueless.

An editor cannot comment on a school without being a part of it. An editor has to stay social and active outside of the newspaper. An editor has to stay immersed in student opinion or he risks both innaccuracy from his or her own biases and a loss of credibility from an "ivory tower" perception by his classmates.

Ultimately, an editor is always an editor. As long as he or she is part of the newspaper (and probably for several months of withdrawal afterward), it will not leave him or her. But at the same time, an editor has to be more than just an editor. In whatever context, high school or the world, an editor has to be a citizen within his or her subject.

The Search for a Story

Kourtney Liepelt, Bartlett High School — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:53:46 +0000

Many might believe that the chatter in the high school halls consists entirely of pointless gossip and whimsical stories. Journalists, on the other hand, crave these random conversations.

Why, you might ask?

Because, for the most part, the best article ideas stem directly from the people for which we write.

I learned from the beginning that a journalist’s main task is simply to listen and the rest will follow after. I was told that if I paid attention to all that occurs around me, I would discover stories that interest our readership.

Sure enough, this advice was dead-on. As I made my way from class to class each day, I uncovered issues that my peers truly seemed concerned about. From there, I’d return to my newspaper staff overflowing with topics on brainstorming days. Each and every story that made it to print for the month’s edition was based solely on issues and events from within the school.

Perhaps some articles will not intrigue us as much as the next. We all can agree that writing about test scores may seem significantly less thrilling than exploring the state-bound football team, for example.

Still, if it is being discussed by our audience, then we must report it so that we can deliver the facts and the truth. And essentially, that is our true role as journalists—to shed light on various situations.

An Opportunity of A Lifetime

London Swan, Heritage Christian High School — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:21:45 +0000

About three weeks ago, I had a great experience. I was chosen out of all the students at Heritage Christian to be a MyINDY TV sideline reporter.

MyINDY TV went to local high schools in Indiana and picked prospective journalist/broadcast students for this very selective opportunity. My broadcast teacher told me that she had nominated me for the sideline reporter position, and I got it. This meant that during our varsity football game, I would be able to report live. The game that I reported was against the Cardinal Ritter Raiders—the biggest game of the year.

Prior to the game, I had to research information on both teams, like stats and star players. I met the crew of MyINDY and WISH-TV before the game. They hooked me up to a microphone and a headset. Throughout the whole game, I followed a cameraman around. Every once in a while, I would hear someone in my earpiece say "standby." A few minutes later, the main reporters introduced me and let me report.

When I was on camera, I reported what was happening during the game and I also interviewed some coaching staff and players. Throughout the whole experience, I was definitely nervous. I was afraid of messing up on live television or forgetting my lines. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

I got the chance to interview head coach Ron Qualls and some Varsity football players. I asked them about their feelings prior to the game and about how the team had been practicing all week. I also was able to interview a cheerleader and get her input on the game and what it was like to cheer at past state championships.

The next day the whole game, including my reporting, was shown on MyINDY. It was so cool to get that experience behind the camera. Opportunities like this are definitely preparing me for my future career in broadcast journalism. I recieved a lot of great feedback concerning my reporting. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I would do it again in a heart beat!

I’ll post the video as soon as I can.

Hometown glory

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:04:27 +0000

Dancing has always been her thing. From her first class to her recital just last May, Jenna Razo has it in her. And her dedication proves it.

Razo has received special awards at just about every competition that offers them. “I have always worked hard in class and practiced nearly every day just for fun,” said Razo. “In the end, it paid off with lots of top awards such as platinum and stand out dancer. It’s been 17 years now.”

Many kids look up to her and hope to dance just like her someday. She has helped their dreams come alive by starting her own dance studio where she teaches the majority of the classes.

Razo planned on finishing high school, going to college to study business and dance, and then opening up her own dance studio.

“I guess I figured I always wanted to do it in the long run,” Razo said. “I love working with kids. I guess it just happened sooner than expected. I got started on the business right away instead.”

Friends, family, and peers were behind Razo the entire time.

“I was really shocked and impressed that she was starting at such a young age,” said Krista Miller, a classmate.

“I was … behind her [100 percent],” said Karen Razo, Jenna’s mother. “I knew that we would have other support. I didn’t know it would be successful right away, but I knew it would work out eventually.”

Razo’s mom and former dance instructor, Suzy Fuelling, helped Razo come up with the name for the studio.

“They came up with things like ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and really anything that went with Razo,” Razo said. “One day Suzy e-mailed my mom ‘Razz M’ Jazz,’ and that is what we went with.”

Razo’s mom also helps out behind the scenes. She goes from behind the desk, to being Razo’s competition chauffer, to making a run to the sound booth with CDs in hand. “I call myself the office manager,” said Razo’s mother. “I do everything but teach the classes.”

Despite what others would think, the set up process for Razz M’ Jazz was not a problem.

“It wasn’t stressful at all,” said Razo’s mother. “Everything fell into place. We had teachers that we knew show up and students came as well.”

Students who attended Decatur Dance Academy (DDA) and former members of the Suzy Fuelling Dance Academy attended registration too.

“I wanted a change in my dance studios and Jenna was a good friend of mine,” Miller said. “I thought it would be fun to dance with her.”

Jenna liked the idea of a hometown studio. It would be her own “Hometown Glory,” as the song by Adele goes.

“I just wanted a place in town where kids could come and dance with their friends,” Jenna said. “I also wanted to dance with people I knew.”

Razz M’ Jazz has proved to be everything Jenna wanted.

“I like Razz M’ Jazz better than DDA because everyone is treated equally here,” Miller said. “Everything is more laid back. I feel less pressure. I like the choreography better too.”

Looking back on the last two years, there is not much 19-year-old Razo would change.

“At first I wanted to take business and dance classes," said Razo, "but I got started on the studio instead. It was earlier than expected, but it had to happen sometime.”

On your mark, get set…

Jessica Haney, Indiana University School of Journalism — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:49:18 +0000

GO!

Jessica Haney

Dr. Faiz Rahman lectures HSJI students about "Going beyond your perspective"

Last night, the annual story competition commenced as Dr. Faiz Rahman, geography professor and president of the IU Islamic Center, took the mic. His lecture on understanding Islam lasted only one hour, and all the while students’ pencils were scribbling notes and quotes.

Rahman touched on the fundamental principles of Islam, demonstrating that they are not that different from any other major religion. He worked through the common misconceptions of his religion– one being that Islam promotes violence or terrorism– when in actuality, they are a peaceful people.

Muslims have made a positive contribution to this world, explained Rahman, and their reputation should not be jeopardized by violent extremists. He highlighted instances from the Islamic Golden Age: the construction of the first university, the study of math and algebra, and the mapping of constellations through astronomy.

Rahman’s graph showed that muslims comprise a diverse population. But the media often does not represent this diversity. Even the word "jihad"– meaning merely a struggle– has been used to signify violent combat in the news.

Jessica Haney

Students question Rahman and other muslim community members

After Rahman’s speech, he took questions from students and introduced other muslim guests from the community. There were families, professors, and children of all origins wiling to discuss their religion and its meaning.

Once the lecture adjourned, students pounced on the opportunity to interview these additional sources. After that, they were on their way to winning the prize.

As of 8:30 this morning, all stories were collected. They vary from news coverage, to feature, to opinion, to editorial. We’ll annouce the winners and publish their pieces tomorrow.

A classroom visit

Jessica Haney, Indiana University School of Journalism — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:14:05 +0000

Rooms full of eyebrow-furrowed, brain-boiling high schoolers packed Ernie Pyle Hall and Teter today, a signal that HSJI is in full swing.

Jessica Haney

Two students collaborate in designing a yearbook

Terry McCartin’s yearbook crew had fun with magazine collages while Ryan Gunterman’s group worked furiously on tip sheets, finishing deadlines, and starting on design. His engaged students explained that these HSJI assignments actually apply directly to next year’s yearbook at each student’s respective high school.

The next room over, Mike Frazier’s online journalism class was busy with Dreamweaver. Some students aim to improve their school’s news website, while others are simply interested in learning a new web design program. Either way, it’s important to peruse the internet for good examples– isn’t facebook’s design impeccable?

The newspaper bunch was nestled in Teter, where Tony Willis’s class discussed the importance of oberservation in digging out stories. Just down the hall, Kellen Hubert contributed to Jim Lang’s section with a story brainstorming exercise.

Now that the brains are cranking, expect some writing samples soon!