Smoke Signals has a well-known legacy here at GRC. It is followed and loved by students, staff, and members of the community. However, our junior high, RDC, is following in the footsteps of Smoke Signals by creating their own student media program called Media Makers.
This program has captured the attention of many students who are eager to learn every aspect of journalism. Originally an after school activity, the program has been turned into an official class.
“We started as a club that met twice a week,” Media Makers teacher Melissa Hounshell said. “Now our class is similar to a working newsroom.”
Students who suggest the class are picked by counselors to make sure it’s a good fit for them. Once they are in the class, students learn essential information to help them succeed in journalism.
”This group is interested in learning more about the value of journalism, media, and telling a compelling story,” Hounshell said. “Some of the units we are covering include understanding the role and impact of journalism, media literacy, the significance of neutrality in storytelling, the art of effective interviewing, an introduction to broadcast journalism, public speaking, and photojournalism.”
The students have the opportunity to create the yearbook, a newscast, newsletter, and cover school events while in this class. This is a great way to introduce students to the things they will be expected to do when their time to be in Smoke Signals arrives.
“As a class, we produce RDC FLYers, News Flash Friday, that records and airs weekly, we do daily morning announcements, and we will produce the yearbook,” Hounshell said. “We cover daily school events and as many sports events as we can.”
The class has been a smashing success and has allowed the students to blossom and show their personalities off and on camera.
“I feel like the class has been successful so far,” Hounshell said. “I’ve also seen tremendous growth in students already. Watching students who began the school year very nervous and apprehensive, and now seeing those same students present in class and ‘anchor’ our news is wonderful!”
Students are drawn to different aspects of the class. They are given a space where they can experiment and find which place suits them best so they can already have an idea on how they can contribute to Smoke Signals later on.
“Some love to edit, others enjoy taking pictures or reporting, others prefer behind the scenes work like organizing or writing,” Hounshell said. “That is one benefit of Media Makers; there are several roles where students with different personalities can thrive.”
