Journalism is fun

The mascot for McKinley High School in Honolulu is
the tiger, so at the end of every year, I make a tiger paw cake.

Journalists enjoy decorating their space. This Arizona Republic
reporter is going for a Hawaiian theme.

Carrots work for horses, but what works for kids? Lots of school programs are competing for the same types of students. What can we as advisers do to entice student to join and stay on our staffs?

Make it fun. Brian Heyman, a participant in the Reynolds Institute last year, said, "I have a spirit editor on staff and her job is to edit attitudes." This editor plans get-acquainted games, remembers birthdays, plans deadline celebrations, etc.

I make a tiger paw cake at the end of every year. Our school mascot is the tiger. I also bring snacks for the staff on distribution day. I encourage the staff to put their photo in the first and last issue. We cover other organizations; I think they should do a little back patting, too.

I've been listening carefully during sessions and free-time-talk to pick up more ideas.

I like the idea of approaching distribution day like game day. Bring that excitement into the school. Let the staff members be the star players.

I like the idea of giving awards frequently, and naming those awards after prestigious awards in the journalism world.

I want to take a page from The Arizona Republic newsroom and find a way for staffers to put their own mark in our newsroom, small as it may be.

I need to remind myself that this class is an elective and grade accordingly. After all, these students could have signed up for ceramics and earned the same credit.

My newspaper staffers know they are special to me. I tell them that, while I also love my English classes, my English classes are like my meat and potatoes and the newspaper class is my dessert.

I want to also use more First Amendment lessons to show them that they are special in a larger context, too. What they do is so important that the founders of our country wanted them to be able to do it freely. How can one not stand up a little taller with the Bill of Rights on your side?

Cindy Reves
McKinley High School
Honolulu, Hawaii