Editorial Piece

Ever since the 9/11 attacks and our involvement in the Middle East, our country has seen major economic storms with incredibly high gas prices and a whirlwind of people getting fired from their jobs. While we have always heard about these events in terms of large statistics, such as 7.2% of 307,212,123 Americans are unemployed as of 2008, it is important to look around us and relate these statistics to our own community. Of course everyone has been able to feel the ever growing hole in their pockets spew out their hard worked money on raised prices for energy, gasoline and even milk, but what about those in our community that are not so fortunate to even be able to afford the higher prices? Work is hard to come by, and even harder to maintain in the dog eat dog world of capitalist corporations. Just on my street there are three hard working, responsible adults that have lost their jobs not of incompetence but because their line of work is tanking. It's easy to blame people and events for the cause of this economic rollercoaster we've been riding, like the war in the middle east or the credit card companies, but what is important now at this point in time is to reach out within our communities and give eachother a helping hand. Chances are that there is someone within your own local community or neighborhood that can barely afford to get by with basic neccessities we take for granted every day. While helping these people in need out may take away even further from the material wants that you may think you need, the personal gratification of helping someone out in a desperate time outweighs personal desire. While I'm reminded from time to time that our countries economic problems are effecting my own home life, my parents have also made certain to let me know that things could be way worse and have actually taken to helping out one of the three unemployed neighbors. Think about if you were to be in a position where you couldn't pay for milk, transportation or even to heat your house, would'nt you want somebody to help you?

Editorial Questions

1. What is a problem/issue that our entire student body (our school, community, country, etc.) faces today?

It's incredibly hard to find work for people of any age. I'm dealing with this, my neighbor is dealing with this and tons of people around our country.

2. What is your view/position on the problem or situation?

I think that our economic down turn has caused lots of stress for everyone in our country. We are all effected in some way, and lots are having trouble finding work.

3. What would you like to achieve with your editorial? (What is the desired result?)

My desired result would be to get people to be a little more compassionate in a time of high tension.

4. How will you persuade your audience to adopt your viewpoint as theirs? List at least 4 persuasive points.

(1.) State some statistical facts from credible website on unemployment rate.
(2.) Personal story of family friend getting layed off out of the blue.
(3.) My own job hunt as an 18 year old going off to college.
(4.) Recent news worthy events about this issue.

5. How will you motivate your readership to action in your conclusion?

Colloquial language and personal stories.

6. How will your editorial serve a public purpose?

Give a new perspective on an important topic.

Peer Edits Featured Article

Jessica Karam and Jason Higgins. Posted comments right on their stories.

Feature Article

Every year there are several dances at Eastview, prom and homecoming being the most popular, and every year countless boys think and strain themselves to come up with original ideas to ask their girls of interest. But has asking the girl always been as big of a production as today’s teens make it? Or was there ever a point in time in which asking out a girl to a dance wasn’t as in depth? I myself, being a guy, have often wondered at what point in time asking a girl to a dance got to be so ridiculous. But if I’ve learned one thing from high school events, it’s how to ask a girl to one of these dances, and for any prospective underclassmen out there, this article will help a lot.
It all starts out how any good plan does, preparation. Every fall and spring I put money aside and gather supplies for this big event that was incredibly foreign to me all throughout middle school. My parents observe this process with curiosity, especially my dad.
“Why don’t you just walk up to her and ask her,” he’ll question, “If you guys already know you’re going together, why do you have to go through all the hoops to ask her?”
Every single time I think to myself, “good question dad.” I’m not saying that I don’t like doing something nice and thoughtful for my girlfriend, but just simply wondering how this whole idea of the elaborate method of asking became the norm amongst my peers.
First we should start off by examining why girls would want a boy to ask them in a time consuming, surprising way. Obviously, if a boy puts enough time into asking a girl to a dance and it’s apparent he did a very nice job, it shows the girl that he wanted to go with her so bad that he was willing to sacrifice his time and money. This goes on to make the girl feel special and important in his life, going along with the basic human psychological needs of belonging and love.
Being creative and doing a nice job also helps to ward off any other notion that she should be going with a different person. I mean… how could she say no to you if you woke up at 3 in the morning and stuck a thousand plastic forks in her yard spelling out “prom?” and the other guy simply wrote on her car window with a paint pen? Creativity is appreciated because it helps weed out the competition. No longer is it a surprise if you get asked in a really weird way, it’s actually expected.
Probably one of the most fundamental things to understand when talking about this is plain and simple, girls love to gossip. Not only do they love to gossip, but they love to compare themselves to everyone else and everyone else to themselves. I’ve had firsthand experience throughout my life with this gender trait, from my sister, girlfriend and mostly girl neighbors. When you (guys) ask a girl to homecoming or prom in a creative way, it gives them something to bring up in conversation with their girl friends. It also gives them something to compare other friend’s relationships to hers. Just think of it like, the more proudly and confidently she can tell her friends about the way you asked her, the better. It’s awfully hard for her to proudly tell her friends that she was asked the same way every other girl has ever been asked, with a little message written on her car in paint pen.
What will make your method of asking the girl to homecoming or prom the best is customizing it to fit her specific expectations. Now this can be challenging if you haven’t really been involved with her for long or… ever, but if you’ve been in a relationship with this girl for a while, it would help to find something personal you’ve shared and use it. I’ve been going out with my girlfriend for almost a year and one month now and over this period of time we’ve found this spot next to the Mississippi river in west Saint Paul. The first time we went there I carved our names into the side of a cliff wall, and this year for prom I carved out the date we started dating along with a giant “prom?” in the wall as well. She was so happy with the way that I asked her because it was personalized. Absolutely no other person at prom will have a similar way to mine.
Although asking a girl to dance has evolved from simply walking up to her in the hall and popping the question, to forking and car paint, there is still hope for the not-so-thoughtful-or-romantic guy. It’s important to see why the asking game has changed, and if you poor underclassmen guys out there follow my advice, you’ll have no problem dealing with the next steps in the evolution of this yearly process.

Feature Story Pre-Production

Theme Statement: When you think of high school dances, the only important one that comes to mind is Prom. Yes, prom. This timeless coming of age dance where boys become men and grow a set to ask that dream girl to the event of her high school life. But has it always been as big of a production as todays teens make it? Or was there ever a time in which prom wasn't as in depth?

Sources:
1. Mr. Kelly
2. Rachael Anderson
3. Kellie Van Beck
4. Principal
5. Alex Sertic

Questions:
1. What was prom like for you and how have you seen it evolve into what it is today?
2. What kinds of things do you expect of prom. (flowers, transportation, afterparty)
3. Comment on the importance for the guy to ask in an elaborate way.
4. How was your prom experience compared to what you've seen at Eastview?
5. What goes into planning prom for the school?

Feature Story

Prom?
Drinking at prom?
Cost of prom.
Why prom is such a big event now
the origins of prom
history timeline prom

Edit

Edited Karl's and Aaron's.

Peer Edits

Example: 1. LEAD AND BACKUP: Does the story begin with one long sentence that answers most of the 5Ws and H without going into detail? What questions are left unanswered? Are they answered in the second paragraph? Are more details provided (names, more specific places, times)? What questions do you still have after the first two paragraphs or what do you most want to know? How could this section be improved?

Jessica's Peer Edit: The begining sentence covers 4 of the 5w's. Eastview, 2010, Seniors, graduation. There is no how though in the first sentence. The questions left unanswered are why and how. These are answered in the second paragraph. There arent any really specific times or anything but the phrase "nothing is set in stone yet". This paper could be improved by cutting down the ambiguity (spell check).

Peter's Peer Edit: The begining sentence covers most of the details but in brief while the second sentence goes on to explain that it was the Eastview Frisbee team last weekend at the Hopkins Hustle. In the second and even third paragraph he goes on to explain what the tournament is and how it works. The only questions I have after reading the first part of his story is how the team feels they are doing during the season and their predictions for the rest of the season.

Final News Story- Track and Field

With the 08-09 school year coming to a close, many are starting to think of their summer plans rather than the happenings around Eastview. But what about the spring sports teams that are still working their butts off? With spring sports wrapping up, I've decided to look into how the track team at Eastview is doing.

Many tend to focus their attentions towards the Lacrosse and baseball teams but little at Eastview know that the track team is competing in the section meet in the upcoming weeks. This is a big time for the team coming up and I decided to get the scoop on how we're expected to perform.
If you ever ask around the coaching staff at Eastview for one of the most talented runners they'll be sure to point you in the way of Paul Thompson. This is Paul's Junior year at Eastview and his second year performing on varsity for our distance crew. I caught up with Paul and asked him about the upcoming meet.
He said, "I'm very optimistic of our teams performance at the section meet. This year our team has been very close-knit and spend just as much time having fun together as working hard for our meets."

After questions of predicted future and team bonding I asked whether or not there are any major weak points on the team that will be of detriment at sections.

Paul responded by saying that, “On any team there are those that don’t hold up their weight. This year there have been a few people that haven’t but I’m unwilling to point my finger.”

While Paul was able to give me a good look into the world of long distance track and field, Aaron Stevens was able to provide insight onto how the rest of the team is doing.

With most of our varsity team being comprised of the senior class, there definitely needed to be questions raised on how the nearing of their high school experience has helped or hurt the team dynamic in these last days before the meet on May 26^th and 28^th.

He replied,” Well it’s really fifty-fifty. Some of the seniors are taking the end of the year as an opportunity to work harder and finish strong while some of them are taking it as an excuse to not do as well because they don’t think it matters. But there are definitely more on the side of doing well for the last meet. I can say that because I am a senior, I am going to try harder than I ever have to make a memorable last meet.”

With some good input from those directly on the team, I decided to see what a former varsity track member thought of the generally optimistic view I have been receiving concerning the track team. I asked Travis Burkstrand, now a University of Minnesota track and field runner, about what he thought the team was doing well this year.

Travis said, “Well what this years track team seems to be doing very well is keeping consistent with their runners. I’m not too up to date on how the throwers or sprinters are doing but I know that the long distance runners and jumpers are consistently the reason for how well we’ve been doing.” He went on later to predict, “If I had to make one projection for the teams success at the next meet, it will be because of the distance runners.”

In two weeks the Eastview boy’s tack and field team will be competing at the section meet on e 26^th and 28^th of May. Everyone should go out and support the team in what is forecasted to be a very good performance from our boys.

INTERVIEWING NOTES

8. Soliciting a Quote: Getting and actual quote you can use. A specific question "Tell me exactly what your hope is this fundraiser." then... "Do I have this down right?"

9. Soliciting an anecdote: prompts a short story. "What has been the most memorable aspect of this process?"

10. Imaginative: Strays from the routine. "Does your team have any superstitions?"

11. Recovering from the Grenade: A neutral question. "Any last minute strategies to work on before the game?"

12. Grenade: Tough question. "So how can you comment on chemical use on the team?"

Concluding the Interview:
Thank you
Sign documentation sheet
Further Questions...

Consideration:
Plan ahead, not everyone is a good interviewer.

Gathering Info/ Interview

Where To Begin
-Choose 3 interviewees
-Schedule interviews (24+ hours in advance)
-Give a "heads up" to interviewees
-Conduct background research
-Write interview questions (10-15)

Why Prepare Questions?
-It's your job!
-1st impressions
-Nervous, unexpected circumstances
-Higher quality questions
-Preparation is a guide, not a limitation

Holy Trinity of Interviewing:
1. Anecdote
-Brief story told by interviewee
-Usually paraphrased by writer
-Entertaining
-Paints a picture for reader

2. Revealing Quote
-Something said by the interviewee
-Gives reader insight to personality
-Creates picture for the reader

3. Portraiture
-Description created by the writer
-Based on observations of interviewee
-Description is relevant to topic, not random

Preparation Payoff
-Varying types for various purposes
-To relax, gain trust, show genuine interest
-Interviewees who trust you will talk and talk and talk...

Types of Questions:
1. Opener: beginning question/remark; establish a rapport

"Oh, cute pictures. Are those your children?"

2. First Step: asks about the topic

"I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming fundraiser. Would you tell me
exactly what you're doing?"

3. Qualifier: find out if the source is qualified

"What is your role in the fundraising efforts?"

4. Routine Factual: 5 W's and H

"Who is on the comittee? When will the fundraiser be?"

5. Numerical: statistical information

"How many years have you had this fundraiser? How much money do you hope to
raise?"

6. G-O-S-S-E-Y: a way to ask deeper questions; goals, obstacles, solutions, start, evaluation, why

7. Responder: clarification

"Would you explain what you mean? I'm not sure I understood."

Journalism School Questions Activity

1. Who will be the new superintendent of district 196?
Jane, Office Ladies
2. How many teachers are absent from school today? Who are they?
Twelve, Attendance Ladies
3. Who is the president of our school board? How many are on the board?
Mike Roseine, Class
4. What date is graduation this year?
June 12th
5. Who are the newest faculty members?
Fedje, Class
6. Who is the tallest person at our school?
Mr. Tolofson, Mr. Tolofson
7. What does DECA stand for?
Distributive Education Club of America, Class
8. How many home football games were played this season?
Six, Joe Hackett
9. Who are the student council officers?
Rachael Anderson, Kellie Van Beck, Alex Sertic, Nikki Fitzgerald, Nikki Trummer. Mr Kelly
10. Where do you find accurate spelling of a student’s name? Grade level?
Year Book
11. How many students have enrolled at EVHS this year?
2,217, Guidance Office
12. Who is the head custodian?
Brian Fisher, Brian Fisher
13. Who advises the Yearbook?
Kitchner, Class
14. Where is the district office located? (city & street name)
Rosemount, 150
15. Who are the administrators (in addition to Dr. Peterson) and what are their duties?
Hanson, Percevil, Miller, Dr. Peterson, Franchino, Martinson
16. Who advises the chess club?
Detmer
17. Name the captain(s) of the girls’ soccer team?
North, Price, Mehr
18. Who manages the cafeteria?
Gean Martin
19. Who are the librarians?
Sullivan, Lingren, Koziy
20. How many students are taking AP tests this year?
500 or so, Martinson

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/toolkit_resources/tipsheets/writing_news_story.cfmHard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper. It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary.Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item. A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story. Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe. No personal opinions are allowed. The quotes from the people you interview make up the story. You are the narrator.Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.Structure for your article:-The Lead: One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story. Its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in.-In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible.-In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary. Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader. Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.The body: involves combining the opinions of the people you interview, some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however. In this style of writing, you are not allowed to "editorialize" (state your own opinion) in any way.

Hazelwood standard 1988- reduces the first ammendment protection of student media. If it goes against what the school is trying to get the student body to learn, the school has the right to edit it or shut it down.

Frederick Standard 2007- "Bong hits 4 Jesus" ruled in favor of the school because it was a school permitted field day.

What authority do school officials have to control the content of high school student media?
-Speech Assembly Religion Press Petition are the five freedoms of the first ammendment.
- Our first ammendment rights are restricted at Eastview
-Tinker vs. Des moines. Improved freedom of speech in schools.
-Fraser Standard (1986). Can censor stuff if it goes against what the school is trying to teach.
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