Journalism I is a class at Seminole High School that prepares students for future careers in journalism and improves writing skills. The class teaches many skills that are useful not only in journalism careers, but throughout life such as teamwork and management. Many of the students that take Journalism I also apply and are accepted into both Yearbook and Newspaper. Some of these students include junior José Colón and sophomore Michelle An.

In Journalism I, students are taught much more than just writing. Students learn how to manage computer applications, interview, edit, and they also learn about true news and the way news should be reported.

Senior Jake Fishman said, “Yes [I think it’s good that this course is offered] because a lot of people find journalism interesting and would like to do something in the field. It’s good to have background knowledge on the subject of you plan on studying it in college.”

Recently The Seminole newspaper and the Salmagundi yearbook have both made shifts toward using multi-media news. This includes videos on The Seminole Newspaper website, and pictures in the yearbook that will play videos on a cell phone when scanned with an app. Due to these changes the class will also be slightly more directed towards multimedia news.

The students will learn online journalistic skills such as page design, photography basics, Photoshop, InDesign, and more.

Journalism I teacher Ms. Natalie Lauber said, “I am very excited about making these technological advances because students can learn more real-world applications within a quickly—and drastically—changing field. Since Journalism I is about introducing students to what’s possible they’ll have the changed to learn and practice many of these same skills. It’s the perfect place to start! I can’t wait!”

Even though there will be a move towards multimedia news, the students will still learn about print media and how it operates. They will also learn the history and ethics of news, how to revise their own and others’ papers, and organization. During the year the students will even make a mock yearbook and newspaper.

Freshman Norbert Savard said, “[I took journalism because] I like to write and I thought that journalism would help me to write better, which it has. It has also taught me a lot more; in Journalism I we analyzed articles, wrote articles, analyzed spread [sheets] and later on we will do Photoshop. This coming year, I will apply for newspaper.”

Journalism I is very useful to students and is recommended to those interested in design, factual writing, and editing.