Jackson Free Press

Are you a Jackson-area high school journalism teacher or adviser (or want to be)? Are you a student leader at a high school publication? Are you trying to start a high school newspaper? The Jackson Free Press is joining forces with the Mass Communications Department at Jackson State University to form the Jackson Area High School Press Association (JAHSPA). All area high schools, public and private, are invited to participate in the effort, which will provide workshops, mentoring and other resources to student-run publications, in print and on the Web. Attend the first meeting Friday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m. at JSU armed with your list of needs. Broad Street refreshments provided. RSVP to Dr. Sunny Smith at [e-mail missing] or JFP Editor Donna Ladd at [e-mail missing] for more information.

Previous Commentsshow

This is wonderful!

justjess

Feb 6 2008

Thanks, justjess. I've been wanting to do this for years (especially since I heard some stories about treatment of some local kids by the state high school press association; we need our own!), but haven't had the chance. Now that I'm on the advisory board at JSU mass comm, it's the perfect time. I've had so many local high school journalism teachers andd students approach me over the years for help doing papers that it makes sense to get them together to help each other. And I've had kids from private schools say they wish they could share some of their resources with public school kids. The hard part is that high school journalism isn't taken seriously in many of our schools in the new, backward G.W. Bush testing-all-the-time age. So if you know teachers or students who are interested (they don't have to be doing papers or Web sites, yet), please have them get in touch. And I should add that we plan to develop a template Web site/blog that high schools scan use for their own papers. So even if they can't afford printing costs, there is a way! Students deserve their own voice, and not having resources shouldn't get in their way.

DonnaLadd

Feb 6 2008

This is one journalism teacher/adviser who appreciates the effort and the idea. :> This area has enough high schools to support a local student press association, and we all need to work together to build student newspapers. There is no better way to teach students how to write, how to read, how to THINK than letting them produce a newspaper.

lls32001

Feb 6 2008

Are you coming!? Bring some students, too.

DonnaLadd

Feb 7 2008

I signed up to attend....didn't know I could bring students! Is it too late? I can check with them and RSVP on Monday (we don't have classes today or tomorrow).

lls32001

Feb 7 2008

Actually, we plan to meet tomorrow afternoon. Can you come then? We're going to have another meeting soon as well, but would love your intial input tomorrow.

DonnaLadd

Feb 7 2008

Sorry...parent conferences have me scattered...Monday is too late. I will be there tomorrow!

lls32001

Feb 7 2008

Ladd, How did the meeting go? When is the next meeting? Who attended? I'm the community representative at a Jackson HS PTSA . We have just re-instituted our newspaper and our students desparately (my word) need the attention, inspiration and foundation in real jopurnalism that you and your staff are certainly well qualified to provide. Please keep us informed

FrankMickens

Feb 12 2008

It turns out that JPS didn't tell us when we scheduled the meeting that it was a teacher-training day and kids were out of school. So that knocked the wind of the turnout, and I even got sick as a doggie and couldn't go. But a Murrah teacher I've worked with on the Hoofbeat went and met with professors there to outline needs and ideas. We're about to schedule another organizational meeting for sometime in February. Why don't you e-mail me and get on our direct e-mail list? The more teachers and students we can reach that way (without going through the school office), the smoother this will work. We've had a number get in touch about coming to that meeting who couldn't make it, so all looks very promising. BTW, I often talk to high school classes about getting a paper going. Let me know if that interests you as well.

DonnaLadd

Feb 12 2008