As students begin to create their final schedules for next school year, they may be asked by their guidance counselor, “Would you like to take Journalism as an elective?” In my opinion, Journalism is often one of the most underrated electives offered at Emerson. This class is more than just writing articles; it comes with helpful benefits.
I first started Journalism in my sophomore year; The class was much larger than my current one (we have 6 students), and I was definitely intimidated since it was an honors course. Writing did not come easily to me, and I often found it difficult to write about topics that interested me.
My teacher for the past two years, Mrs. Martinucci, helped me get over that challenge. On the classroom page, she often provides ideas for what to write about, which helps my thoughts flow more. We also read different articles with questions to answer, and I found it interesting to browse through what others published in The New York Times. These articles helped me discover my own writing style.
I thought about what I enjoy doing: playing sports, finding new places around town, attending school events, and more. This class allowed me to become more confident in my writing. In this class, the world is your oyster; you can write about anything you want.
My biggest challenge I faced at first was not knowing how to start my articles. However, since we were provided with a News Template, my articles were smoother because I was organized and stayed on track. Learning the five W’s of journalism (who, what, where, when, why, and how) really made me improve my skills the most.
Over time, I feel like I have found my voice, especially through an assignment I have done for two years now in a row called “The Year in Photos.” In this project, we choose ten pictures that represent our year and write about the background behind the image and what it significantly means to us. I find this to be a great way to express myself since I am free to decide what represents me.
Currently, as a junior in Journalism II, I believe this class has made me a more confident writer in my English classes and in other subjects. Journalism gives you the ability to step out of your comfort zone by interviewing others for articles, covering events you wouldn’t normally write about, developing picture-taking skills, creating podcasts, and becoming a part of our school community.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Try to write about something that interests you, and publish it on The Cavo Chronicles! (gocavos.org)
