Newtown High School students pick their electives after midterms for the upcoming academic year. One of these electives is Journalism, a class focused on feeding the curious and passionate minds of students today through writing, reporting, and storytelling.
The full-year class has a total of 24 students this year, twelve of whom are returners, and the other twelve are new to the program. Many students in the program state they joined, or stayed in the course, due to it being unlike any other class offered at the High School.
Journalism has been a class at Newtown High School for over thirty-five years, going through a total of three teachers throughout that time. Each one of these teachers has also doubled as an English teacher, including Kathy Swift, David Kimball, and Marc Kenney.
Through the years, Journalism has still managed to grab the attention of students for a multitude of reasons. An NHS freshman, Sophie Hull, declared why she decided to join the program.
“I decided to take Journalism, for I have always had a passion for reading and writing. Ever since I was a young girl, words fascinated me, and I always wanted to do something or make something with them,” Hull said.
Many students in the Journalism program praise the laid-back atmosphere of the class. This kind of atmosphere is important in a class like Journalism for students to feel comfortable and confident in their writing.
Along with the class’s laid-back atmosphere, it is also a class students can go to relieve stress and express creativity. Many students join Journalism due to a passion and love for writing they may carry, along with their love of seeing their hard work pay off.
“I am in this course because I love the creative freedom. Being able to see a physical outcome from something you worked hard on is very rewarding!” NHS junior, Addison Plummer said.
Each year students learn many different skills in Journalism, from different writing styles to laying out an article on a page. Learning these skills has also inspired and encouraged students to further their writing careers along with developing their love for writing.
Many of the students are also very fond of Kenney, who has been teaching the course for thirteen years. Kenney adds a positive and uplifting mood to the class, a mood that makes each student look forward to going to Journalism.
“I love both the way the class is set up, along with the little stress. We still do a good amount of work, but somehow it is rarely ever stressful. The laid-back enjoyment that Mr. Kenney provides is second to none,” NHS junior, Andrew Collins, said.
Along with Kenney’s positive attitude, his willingness to let the class be mostly student-run is something adored by students as well.
“I am in this course because I love the work environment and how it’s student-run. The deadlines aren’t harsh and I enjoy working as a team,” NHS junior, Fallon Tolnay, said.
My love for the Journalism Program was immediately felt walking into the class. Each student works hard on their own, but also together to create something they all love and appreciate. The class has created friendships and taught students the importance of journalism in today’s world, along with inspiring and motivating students.