As a new teacher at GRC last year, Mr. Wells had the opportunity to begin teaching Journalism 1, which was a dream come true for him. This year, he took on a bigger role by teaching both Journalism I and Journalism 2.
Mrs. Crosby has been the mastermind behind the Smoke Signals program for the last 19 years. With big shoes to fill, Mr. Wells has come in with fresh new ideas and made the journalism classes his own.
“When I came to GRC, I knew I was going to be teaching English-related classes and the dream and the goal was to one day teach journalism way far in the future when Crosby was willing to let me try,” says Wells.
A week before school began last year, he got the news Journalism I was being added to his teaching schedule.
“I was super pumped because this is what I want to teach because obviously I love English, but journalism is where my heart is,” he says.
Mr. Wells was a member of Smoke Signals when he attended GRC, and this sparked his love for all things journalism. He’s become very passionate about instilling a love of writing, and this passion has shown through to his students.
“I’ve had Mr. Wells for both years in journalism, and I think he’s so close to our age group that he has a really good understanding and is good at making connections with students,” says Genesis Smith.
Many of his students have had their interest in journalism ignited with these classes and want to see where it can take them.
“I want to go into Smoke Signals because I’ve had two brothers in there,” says sophomore Levi Ross. “They’ve taught me a lot of just writing tips and how to be a better writer. I really just enjoy writing. It just kind of takes my mind off things, and I can just write about anything.”
Sophomore Karlee Gray said she knew she wanted to be a part since he came into high school.
“I’ve always been interested in Smoke Signals so joining the pathway was definitely a gold mine coming into GRC,” says Gray. “Smoke Signals is such a big part of this school and I love this school. I want to be able to share the experiences that we have in this school and how awesome the story of the school is.”
Sophomore Tanner Rivers adds, “Writing stories for Smoke Signals allows you to represent your school in something bigger than yourself.”
Heidi Castle, also a sophomore, hopes to combine her love for photography with a spot on the Smoke Signals staff.
“Photography has always been a passion of mine that I’ve been really interested in and I think it’d be really good to do it on a high level like Smoke Signals,” she says.
Mrs. Crosby has made a long-lasting legacy with her time here. The Crosby way will always be remembered but eventually, everything must come to an end.
“Smoke Signals is a longstanding Clark County tradition that was strong before I came in 2005 and will continue to be strong long after I ride into the sunset,” she says. “Whenever that time comes, I am so excited to be able to turn the program over to one of my former star students who has come back home to teach. Mr. Wells has done a great job already with the foundational journalism classes and when he takes over Smoke Signals, he will most certainly bring fresh ideas, a younger perspective, and a new voice. I expect the excellent tradition of Smoke Signals to carry on for many years.”
