Have you ever wanted to write about pressing issues regarding Lafayette High School? Do you just have a passion for writing, photography, or social media? If so, Journalism is perfect for you! While taking Journalism, you can develop different skills that can be used in the real world while still having a fun elective to break up your likely hard schedule. Journalism allows students to practice everyday skills like writing, editing, and working with their peers.
As a Journalism student, you can improve your writing skills by learning the journalistic style while also being social and making friends. Journalism gives the opportunity to talk to students or staff that you typically don’t interact with. This can widen your community at school and make you feel more comfortable at Lafayette.
When writing in Journalism, students are expected to write as efficiently as possible. This creates good habits in students that help them get their work done and stay on top of tasks. The self-paced nature of the class also helps students learn to prioritize different tasks and meet deadlines on time. Journalism also promotes collaboration between students. Working in small groups to write stories benefits students because it allows them to use teamwork to create better stories.
Level two students and above (students that have taken Journalism for over two years or more) can become editors for the Lafayette Times after working on it during their freshman and sophomore years. The Times interviewed Eva Alcaraz-Monje, senior co-editor-in-chief. They said, “Journalism can make students more confident in themselves.”
Alcaraz-Monje added that taking Journalism allows students to step outside their comfort zone and talk to peers they might not otherwise get the chance to talk to. This is Alcaraz-Monje second year as an editor-in-chief and they said their favorite part about being an editor is “seeing [students] interests and what drives them.” They said, “The confidence that Journalism has given me will help me reach their goals in the future.”
Lastly, Journalism allows students to look back at the work they did in high school through the Lafayette Times website. Student’s friends and family can look at their writing and learn more about what is going on at Lafayette High School. Some popular Lafayette Times stories include “One of the Lafayette’s Newest Assistant Principals, Mr. Miranda” and “The Dark Side of Disney.” Both of these stories have over 400 views each!
Overall, Journalism is an amazing class for students to learn independence and gain confidence in themselves and their writing skills. It gives students opportunities to step outside of their comfort zone.
