Transcript
Page 1: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

Scott Solomon

2015 MIPA Student Journalist StaffNews writing and reporting

Central StampedePortage Central High School8135 South Westnedge Ave.

Portage, Michigan 49002

Page 2: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

Table of ContentsI. Biographical information....................................................................................1

II. Writing..............................................................................................................2 a. How MIP consequences affect students..................................................2 b. New Emphasis on ACT Testing................................................................3 c.Praiseiswell-deservedfor‘CharlieHebdo’.............................................3 d. Recent scandal illustrates need for stronger leadership..........................4 e. Alumnus works for drone research team.................................................4 f. Five students help Nigerian business grow..............................................5

g. Brothers advance to next level of soccer.................................................5 h. Guns in schools is not the answer to the problem...................................6

i. Teachers deserve respect from PPS administration.................................6

III. Weba.Michigan’sFutureColumn........................................................................7

III. Design a.Volume20,Issue7..................................................................................8 b. Volume 21, Issue 2..................................................................................9

IV. Leadership and Team Building a. Online story rotation for second semester.............................................10

Page 3: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

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I have participated in student journalism since my freshman year of high school, when I enrolled in Journalism 1- the prerequisite for working on the school newspaper. After my freshman year I was named as the View (Opinion) Editor of the newspaper and as-sumed roles included, but not limited to writing, editing, designing pages, and writing the editorial every issue. At the end of my soph-omore year, I was named the editor-in-chief for the next year. As the editor-in-chief I am tasked with writing, putting together story lists and assignments, assigning pages for layout, laying out the cover, and leading the staff. As editor-in-chief, I lead the Stampede toitsfirstSpartanAwardinmytimeonstaff.Icontinuetoassumethe role of editor-in-chief during my senior year.

Besides working on the school newspaper, I involve myself in multiple activities both inside and outside of the school. I play both varsity and club lacrosse, and was named Academic All-State and All-State Honorable Mention for my junior year season. I also lead ourschool’sStudentAmbassadorprogramastheVicePresidentand worked on a successful political campaign specializing in digi-tal communication work.

The following pages are clippings of various articles I wrote from my four years as a high school journalist. I chose these stories because they best exemplify my writing, interviewing, and overall skills as a journalist.

Thank you for taking the time to read my portfolio.

Biography

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lSTAMPEDE

Volume 20 Issue 4 Feb. 14, 2014Portage Central High School Portage, Mich.

The Stampede is now online.

Visit us at centralstampede.com!

What’s Inside...

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8page

Selfies: annoying or awesome?

Student creates cartoons

5 7page

Online classexperiences

How MIP consequences affect students

As long as alcohol has existed, teenagers have been committed to getting their hands on it.

And whenever alcohol and teenagers mix, the law is not far behind. As the school policy stands, students issued Minor in Possession (MIP) tickets have virtually no repercussions from the school itself — unless the offense takes place on school property.

However, athletes and students in other ac-tivities who get MIPs can count on strict punish-ment as a result of their actions, ranging from a 20-percent suspension to one that lasts a full sea-son. One such teen, a senior involved in athletics year-round who received an MIP and served the consequences, believes the punishment, coupled with the embarrassment of living with the MIP, is too severe.

“The punishment you get, regardless of the school punishment, is already enough,” the ath-lete said.

The student believes that the loss of respect from parents, teammates and coaches is already bad enough and by being suspended, it only makes it worse. They believe no further punish-ment is necessary

Also, the student believes the school needs to take further measures to reach out and help stu-dents who receive MIPs, instead of just giving punishment. The student was not offered coun-seling or any other help from the school; the pun-ishment was simply doled out and no assistance was offered.

Resource officer’s dutyWhen a student is involved with criminal

activity outside of school, the school is notified through the resource officer. When a student re-ceives an MIP, the resource officer receives the report of the incident and passes it along to ad-ministrators.

Along with school-related punishments, an MIP also entails legal repercussions, according to former resource officer Brian Mayhew.

Admistrators’ duty Code of conduct consequences“[An MIP] goes on your driving record,” May-hew said. “Usually your driving record has viola-tions that come and go after a certain amount of time. It used to be a misdemeanor, so it would go on your criminal record.”

With each offense comes harsher penalties. If the culprit is 17 years or older, the offender is ticketed $100 and has to pay additional court fees.

Substance abuse treatment may be tacked on to the penalty if the court decides it is necessary.

The second offense increases the ticket charges and suspends the license for 30 to 60 days.

If a third offense occurs, the fine raises to $500, the offender’s license is suspended for a full year and jail time is possible in certain circumstances. If the offender is younger than 16 years old, they are not ticketed, but the juvenile court may insti-tute a day-long substance abuse program.

Theoretically, an offender does not have to be consuming alco-hol in order to ob-tain an MIP.

A c c o r d i n g to the Michigan Liquor Control Code, “A minor shall not purchase or attempt to purchase alco-holic liquor, consume or attempt to consume al-coholic liquor, possess or attempt to possess alco-holic liquor.”

However, according to Mayhew, most police officers will not issue an MIP to someone who did not consume alcohol as long as they cooperate with the authorities.

In order to issue an MIP, a police officer must have probable cause and obtain a search warrant. The officer will then use the search warrant to en-ter a party supected to have underage drinkers in attendence.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, an MIP par-ty is broken up because someone is calling with a complaint,” Mayhew said. “I’ve found most of the time the people who call are the people who are upset they didn’t get invited.”

For those students participating in athletics and other extracurricular activities, there are pun-ishments from the school. The code of conduct for students in extra-curricular activities has a zero- tolerance policy for illegal drugs, tobacco and al-cohol.

When MIP incidents occur, administrators for-ward the reports on to the activities director Kent White and the athletic director Jim Murray. Mur-ray and White then carry out the policies stated in the code of conduct.

There does not need to be a police report for a student to be found in violation of the code of con-duct involving drugs or alcohol. Possession and consumption and association with drugs, tobacco and alcohol, whether there are legal repercussions or not, is violating the code of conduct.

For example, if a picture circulated on Twit-ter includes a student drinking alcohol, there is enough evidence to find that student in violation of the code of conduct. However, police would not be able to prove that there was actually any alcohol in that container, which would result in no MIP citation.

Ultimately, the decision for consequences from the code of conduct is up to Murray and White. Murray and White investigate controversial situ-ations, such as pictures, quotes on social media, rumors from other students or parents, and any filed police reports, without being charged, to de-termine whether students are in violation of the code of conduct or not.

Even for students who are 18 years old and le-gally allowed to consume tobacco products, there is still a zero-tolerance policy for those students under the code of conduct; therefore, students who are 18 can still receive punishments from the school for the consumption or possession of tobacco.

On the first offense for students in violation of the code of conduct for drugs, tobacco and alco-hol, there is a 20-percent suspension from games for the students involved. On second offense, a student will miss 50 percent of their next season. On third offense, which Murray said he has never seen, a student misses a full calendar year of ath-letics and other extra-curricular activities.

When a student receives an MIP outside of school, state law requires the police to report the incident to the school.

When administrators receive an incident re-port from the school resource officer, they pass the report on to the activities and athletic offices, according to assistant principal Jason Frink.

The school does not issue further consequenc-es than what the extracurricular code of conduct dictates.

“We pass it (incident report) off to both the athletic director and the activities director,” Frink said. “And that’s really the extent of what we do.”

A percent-age of students will not face consequences, because they are not in-volved in extra-curriculars.

If the stu-dent is involved in a drinking incident that is in connection to school or a school event, there are conse-

quences from the school in that case. The school punishment for a student being

under the influence of alcohol is a 10-day suspen-sion, but if the student agrees to participate in the student assistance team, then the suspension is reduced to five days.

Participating in the student assistance team involves a student having a meeting with admin-istrators and parents, taking a drug screen and working with a drug and alcohol counselor.

When a student is involved in a drinking inci-dent on campus or at a school-sanctioned event, the school is required by law to report the inci-dent to authorities.

If a student is involved with the transfer of alcohol or other illegal substances, they are rec-ommended for expulsion and must go before the Board of Education for a hearing.

BY SCOTT SOLOMON, JARED LUTZ AND BRIAN TAGGETT Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor and Staff Writer

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Thisinvestigativepieceexemplifiesmywillingnessasajournalisttoasktoughquestionsaboutserioustopics. Along with the fellow writers of the story, we investigated a controversial issue with pristine journal-istic integrity.

Writing

Page 5: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

BY SCOTT SOLOMON &

BRIAN TAGGETTEditor-in-Chief & View

Editor

Praise is well-deserved for ‘Charlie Hebdo’Last month, grief struck the world

as news came out about the attacks on “Charlie Hebdo”. This terrible event caused many people, including ourselves, to dis-cuss what the freedom of expression truly means. As student journalists, or rather, members of a free society, we use our freedom of expression on a daily basis.

We believe that the freedom of ex-pression is a principle of democracy, which both free countries like the United States and France operate under.

It is a right that can only be infringed upon when it is flagrantly abused to harm others, which “Charlie Hebdo” did not do. There are a few restrictions to this free-

dom, many of which have been laid out by the United States Supreme Court for Americans. However, aside from these restrictions, the freedom of expression is endless.

We are not arguing that defacing a religion or religious figure is ethically cor-rect, but under the freedom of expression, citizens in society have this right. The act of speaking out about the content of a satirical publication like “Charlie Hebdo” is protected by the freedom of expression.

The response from the rest of the staff at “Charlie Hebdo” has been tremen-dous. They are not backing down to the terrorists, nor succuming to their wishes.

If publications ceded to the desires of terrorists aiming to limit expression, the world’s freedom would then backtrack and ultimately facilitate a terrorist victory. Fortunately, this was not the case for the resilient “Charlie Hebdo”.

One of the largest reasons that the freedom of expression is so important is how it sparks positive change in society. Every great revolution, whether political or social, started with an idea, and that idea was expressed in some way.

So while we look at the aftermath of the “Charlie Hebdo,” it is important to nev-er take for granted our right to express ourselves freely.

What’s Inside...page

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lSTAMPEDE

Volume 20 Issue 3 Dec. 13, 2013Portage Central High School Portage, Mich.

Creative and simple

DIY gifts

Alpine ski team looks forward to this season

The Stampede is now online.

Visit us at centralstampede.com!

Avoid getting sick this time

of year7

New emphasis on ACT testingDistrict takes measures to help students excel on high-stakes examBY SCOTT SOLOMON [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief

The district is taking measures to improve ACT scores for students by requiring freshmen and sophomores to take the PLAN test and giv-ing students access to online ACT practice.

PLAN testing for freshmen and sophomores will occur during ACT/MME testing week in March. The freshmen will take the PLAN on Wednesday of the testing week, and the sopho-mores will test on Thursday that week. The ju-niors’ testing schedule will remain the same as previous years.

ACT sets stringent requirements for test ad-ministration that each room must have a proctor or supervisor. It is unclear just yet how teachers who are supervising or proctoring will be utilized for the new testing arrangements, but it may in-volve teachers giving up shared administrative duties.

Woodshop teacher Jason Badders said it would make sense if ACT was more involved in the proctoring process.

“I think ACT should provide their own proc-tors like they used to,” Badders said.

Principal Eric Alburtus said the new testing will give the freshmen more experience before they take the ACT their junior year, and it will give the sophomores experience with the format of taking the ACT.

“The last thing we want to have happen is ju-niors walking in for the first time cold, taking the ACT without knowing what it is like,” Alburtus said.

The new testing will also allow students and parents, through a service provided by ACT, to see what areas students show strength in and what areas show room for improvement.

The district also decided to make available online practices for the ACT, which is available for all freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Fund-ing for this came from the PTO. All students were given a username and password that were sent home in the mail in November. Also, students

can go to the Welcome Center to get their login information.

Both students and teachers realize the impor-tance of preparing for the ACT and plan on using the new resources made available this year.

English teacher Theresa Mills sees the impor-tance in preparing for the ACT and will use the ACT practice which is now available to find essay prompts to help her classes prepare.

“If they (students) are, at the very least, famil-iar with how the test is set up, I think that’s half the battle to get to being more successful on the test,” Mills said.

Junior Sharat Kamath takes the ACT very seri-ously and is taking great measures to be prepared for this test.

“The school’s role in helping prepare the stu-dents for the ACT is extremely crucial, because a

student’s ACT score demonstrates to colleges how prepared you are for their school,” Kamath said.

Kamath also sees the value in taking the ACT PLAN test.

“The PLAN test provides insight as to how prepared each student is for college, and it also serves as an essential preview of the real ACT, showing what students’ goals should be for the real ACT,” Kamath said.

More Access, More PrActice: With new PLAN testing and the availability of more online ACT practice, the district is hoping test scores will improve.

Shelby ManneS/STAMPEDE

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This piece shows my ability to report relevant information, while using multiple sources to accomplish this. By interviewing an administrator, two teachers, and a student, I was able to insightfully report on a topic relevant to all students.

This opinion column displays my awareness of current issues with regards to student journalism. The points made by this column show how and why journalism is such an important aspect of society.

Writing

Page 6: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

Fly AwAy: Former PC student Danny Ellis (left) works with this drone and drone technology for his company

Alumnus works for drone research teamOftentimes, students complain

about how what they learn on a daily basis will never help them in life, but one Class of 2005 alumnus, Danny Ellis, com-pletely disagrees.

Ellis works at a startup unmanned flying vehicle com-pany, and credits much of his success to what he learned in high school. The company, located in Ann Arbor and called SkySpecs, focuses on drone technology with an emphasis for infrastructure and industrial uses.

Ellis’s interest in drones started during his senior year at the University of Michigan when he and two friends created a flying machine as a part of their senior design project. The trio ended up competing in competitions with this flying machine.

With the help of the university, they were able to commercialize their idea in 2012. They now focus on a project for wind turbine inspection. The goal is to create a collision avoidance system that

would allow almost anyone to fly one of these unmanned machines without any problem.

SkySpecs recently had a unique experience where they were planning on flying the game ball out for a Uni-versity of Michigan football game, but

the Federal Aviation Administration halt-ed the plan the day before the game. Currently, according to the FAA, drones are illegal.

Although they are illegal, there are certain commer-cialization zones for drones, and Sky-

Specs flies them in one of these areas in Texas.

Ellis accredits much of what he learned in high school to his success. He took a drafting class, which was offered through EFE, and he said it pre-pared him well for engineering school. He initially took the class thinking he wanted to be an architect, but he said the 3-D drafting skills learned in the course are extremely important for engineering. Ellis also credits PC’s writing curriculum in history and English classes.

“I didn’t realize how good our writing programs were until I went to college,” Ellis said. “Writing is really im-

BY SCOTT SOLOMONEditor-in-Chief

portant in engineering. I was fortunate to have a good writing education for engineering.”

Ellis also said the math classes, par-ticularly Calculus with Kathleen Myers, helped him succeed in engineering.

Senior Jed Forster has also taken multiple math classes with Myers and strives to be an engineer one day.

“It’s very encouraging to see someone from PC succeeding in the engineering field,” Forster said. “It

provides a lot of confidence to see someone succeed that went to the same school as I did.”

While many students believe what they learn in high school will never help them, Ellis’s proves them wrong.

Photos courtesy of Danny Ellis

view4 Feb. 8, 2013

Stampede Staff

Rachel Bates.....................................News EditorScott Solomon..................................View EditorTaylor Fleck......................................Focus EditorMegan Conway..................................Vibe EditorBrett Kaufman................................Sports EditorLauren Ammar ............................. Online EditorKatie Drews.....................................Photo EditorAssistant Editors/Staff Writers: Grace Beverage, Will Jacobson, Ryan Krietz, Shelby Mannes, Caitlin Matthews, Mandy QuiňonesBusiness Manager: Tyler HarperAdviser: Cheryl Braford

The Central Stampede publishes approximately one publication a month, primarily by the Journalism II class at Portage Central High School, 8135 S. Westnedge, Portage, MI 49002. It also uses work from Journalism I students.

The Central Stampede is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA). The purpose of the Central Stampede is to act as an open forum for students of Portage Central. The staff will achieve a bal-ance between informing and entertaining our readers.

EditorialsStaff editorials are unsigned and represent consensus of the staff. The opinion of the staff is represented in the “Our View” column. The opinions of the editors, staff writers and guest writers will have bylines and will carry their own views.

LettersAs an open forum, the Stampede welcomes all mem-bers of the Portage community. However, the staff reserves the right to edit letters based on length and content.

Phone: (269) 323-5218Fax: (269) 323-5290Room: 2116

The Central StampedePortage Central High School8135 South Westnedge Ave.

Portage, MI 49002

Jessica Heimonen Hira AsgharEditors-in-Chief

Recent scandal illustrates need for stronger leadership

ur View

five on

Alex Beckman, 9th

I feel bad for all those computers’ families.

I don’t really care. To be honest, I didn’t know we lost any.

Computer labs equal technology and technology equals future, so the school is basically taking our future away.

It makes the media center more crowded.

five

1. What do you think about losing two computer labs?

Lesley Lurges, 10th Casey Shinabarger, 11th Monica Price, 12th Mr. Lane

2. What are your thoughts on Valentine’s Day?

3. Are there any cultural traditions you celebrate regularly?

4. Do you think ‘Mean Girls’ correlates with real high school life?

5. How do you feel about the new ski team?

Christmas, Easter, you know.

Considering I haven’t seen the film “Mean girls,” I cannot make a comparison.

It seems like a nice sport to do in the winter.

It’s not fun unless you have a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Not really, but I pray a lot.

No, but I wish.

I guess it’s kind of cool if you like to ski, but it doesn’t sound that enjoyable to me.

I think it’s a fun time of year, and if any of you ladies out there would buy me some chocolate I’d be happy to accept it.

Does Kwanzaa count?

Absolutely, but not at PC.

I think they’ll have a great season.

Valentine’s Day is for lovers, and I don’t know anything about that life.

Every day you live is like a celebration of life, and that’s the truth. Just live your life. YOLO.

It’s really sad, but yes. Just look around at all the cliques.

I feel it’s pretty chill, get it? But what about a sled team?

Lots of big name stars, not much in the way of plot.

National DNA Day, April 25. Culture - Biology Nerds

Last day of school, June 5. Culture - Teachers.

I prefer to think of high school as one long Taylor Swift song.

They might need to become the global climate change awareness team.

I hope John Becklar finally gives me a chance.

After having engaged in an extramarital affair and possibly misused district funds, Ric Perry, former superintendent of Portage Public Schools, has resigned per the recommendation of the school board. Perry failed to conduct himself in a pro-

fessional manner. His conduct was irresponsible, and the fact that he repeatedly denied the affair make his actions even worse. Not only did he have an affair with Pa-tricia Koeze, he spent taxpayer money on hiring her. While students must supply lined paper and pay for the privilege of off-campus lunching, Perry was using district funds that could have been used for students. We fail to comprehend how a school superintendent, who is supposedly responsible for “ensuring that schools function within budget and provide quality education” could consciously throw money at something that had zero benefit for the students of Portage.

Perry granted Koeze a 17-percent raise within three months of working while teachers, who educate future generations and work on the front lines every day, will never be granted a double-digit raise. Perry’s blatant abuse of power reflected poorly upon the entire school district, as evi-denced by the sheer number of news reports the local media published on air, online and in print. The scandal was a huge embarrassment for the school district. We hope this ridiculous mistake will result in the Portage Board of Education taking more seriously the moral character of any potential administrator.

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This editorial I wrote on behalf of the staff discusses an extremely controversial issue in a mature, profes-sional manner. The editorial rightfully condemns the actions of the former superintendent by using rea-soned argument and supporting facts.

This feature story allowed me to share with our readers the story of an alumnus with a truly unique profes-sion. By interviewing the alumnus, I was able to comprehensively tell his story in an interesting manner.

Writing

Page 7: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

Many great athletes have walked the hallways at Por-tage Central over the years, but few have stories like Binh and An Le.

Children of Vietnamese immigrants, both will be play-ing NCAA collegiate soccer next year. Binh Le will play at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while An Le will play at Yale University.

Being identical twins, they can remember spending a lot of their lives together. Both brothers agree that growing up togeth-er meant they were always very com-petitive and people always compared them, but this only pushed them to work harder at ev-erything they did.

“I know that An's pushed me in ways no one else could because of the constant com-parisons and com-petition between us,” Binh Le said.

While both brothers said that there is great com-petition between each other, they both knew they always had each other’s support.

“At the end of the day,” An Le said, “I always knew I had someone supportive next to me.”

Brothers advance to next level of soccerBY SCOTT SOLOMON

Editor-in-ChiefThey grew up playing soccer, amongst other sports,

for their dad who is a volunteer as a coach for the Portage Soccer Club. Senior Lewis Kordupel has been a teammate and friend of the Le brothers for 10 years, playing on their club team and during the high school season.

Kordupel compared growing up with the Le brothers to having two brothers that demanded the best out of each other.

“We always pushed each other to make each other better and always found a way to have a blast,” Kordupel said.

The broth-ers have been playing under head coach Tim Halloran for four years as they played four years on varsity. Halloran said it has been a plea-sure coaching the Le brothers over the past four years.

“The same dedication they put into their schooling, they put into their soccer play,” Hal-loran said.

Halloran said that no matter what the broth-ers do when they

grow up, they will be successful human beings. Both Le brothers were named All-District and All-Conference, and An Le received All-Region honors, All-State First Team

honors, 2014 Kalamazoo Gazette boys soccer Player of the Year and was voted 2014 team MVP by his teammates.

“Being named First Team All-State was very rewarding,” An Le said. “It felt great to be recognized for my efforts especially this year being my last season of high school soccer.”

As well as playing soccer, Binh Le participates in com-puter science competitions for the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center Computer Science Team. Binh Le

hopes to pursue a major related to computer science or engineering in college.

“The programming competitions are something I enjoy,” Binh Le said, “in addition to the computer science classes I've taken every year.”

Both brothers said that their time at PC and KAMSC has prepared them for college, and they look forward to making the transition.

GoAAAl: An Le celebrates with his two older broth-ers, Viet and Nam, after scoring against Portage

CuttinG it up: Binh Le dodges an opponent during a game against Rockford, creating a scoring opportunity. Binh will continue his career at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Students participate in various extracurricular and community service activities throughout high school. Five students are participating in a unique international business service program called the International Business Alliance Program.

Students Aayushi Priya, Zoe Folsom, Shawna Huang, Veronica Buss and Lily Kitagawa formed their International Busi-ness Alliance Program team after Kitagawa heard Marshall Bailly, the founder of IBAP, speak at a National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

IBAP teams are matched with a business in a developing country and are tasked with helping the business in a variety of ways.

They seek to empower businesses and governments to help overcome the multitude of problems that face society in developing countries.

The team has been assigned the proj-ect of helping a Nigerian business expand and grow in the developing Nigerian econ-omy. Their assignment is a mobile textile company that is completely operated by women. According to Kitagawa, it is a “food truck” style company that moves from village to village selling clothing.

Part of the reason they are excited to work with this company is because it

Five students help Nigerian business grow

allows women who work for the company to be financially independent of men. The woman who created the business looks to hire women who would otherwise be forced into arranged marriages and hopes to ensure they can become financially independent, according to Kitagawa.

Kitagawa is extremely excited for this

opportunity to help a unique international business.

“I really am excited to be exposed to these real people living in Africa,” Kitagawa said. “You see the ads on television and you have no idea what it’s actually like, [but] now you have a real experience.”

According to Bailly, the work these

students do makes a huge impact on the countries they’re working in.

“The importance can never be under-stated. Businesses’ lives are changed all the time,” Bailly said.

Last year, according to Bailly, five students helped a small fish farming business reach out to more markets, and

the effects were huge. This caused the business’s profits to grow 15 to 17 percent in only a year.

“This allowed the business owner to send his last three daughters to school,” Bailly said, “which allowed him to hire two more employees, who are also able to provide food for their families and send their kids to school.”

Bailly also said that this helped the local population eat more because the business was then able to buy a larger tank for its farming. This project helps hundreds of people, according to Bailly.

In order for Portage Central’s team to have a similar impact, they will have to raise around $5,000, according to Kitagawa. She said they plan on starting a variety of fundraisers, including a culture fair where students and parents could experience different cultural goods and services for a small fee.

As a thank you for their service, the students in the team receive a free SAT preparatory program and letters of

recommendation for college. According to Kitagawa, one of the letters read by an ad-mission officer at Yale was one of the best recommendation letters the officer had ever read. The students also obtain busi-ness and fundraising experience through the program. More information about the International Business team can be found on their website at http://lichange.org/schools/portage-central/.

plAnninG thinGs out: Members of the international business team Lily Kitagawa and Aayushi Priya meet with their pro-gram founder, Marshall Bailly, at Biggby. The team plans to help improve a mobile textiling business in Nigeria.

Shawna Huang/STAMPEDE

BY SCOTT SOLOMONEditor-In-Chief

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This feature story tells of a unique activity that some students at my school partake in. It shows my ability to share interesting information about student activities in an enticing manner.

This story tells of the special story of the two students featured. I creatively used sources to tell the entire story of the students and their unique story.

Writing

Page 8: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

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This opinion piece shows my ability to write a well-reasoned argument about a controversial and emotion-al topic, while keeping strong poise and a high level of maturity for a student journalist.

view 5Feb. 8, 2013

Hira Asghar is Editor-in-Chief for the Central Stampede.

As told by Hira Asghar

Don’t hate, it’s a great state

As I walk around the halls of Por-tage Central with winter in full swing, all I hear is complaining. Students are quick to talk about how they hate the snow, the salt on the roads or the lack of entertainment. What you ungrateful students fail to realize is how fantastic of a place Michigan is to live.

This past summer I had the privi-lege of travelling to Paris, and although it was a great experience, being abroad really opened my eyes to all the won-derful things Michigan has to offer.

For example, in Paris almost every-one smokes cigarettes, and instead of taking the time to properly dispose of those cigarettes, Parisians just throw them on the ground. When I returned to Michigan, I’d never been so happy

to see clean streets. Yes, we have to put up with crappy roads and deal with salt all over our park-ing lots, but at least our streets a r e n ’ t infest-ed with left- over nico-tine logs.

Do I even need to explain the awe-someness that is the Great Lakes? We have access to an abundance of fresh-water and miles of shoreline. Even though it takes awhile for our be-loved lakes to warm to a bearable swimming temperature, that doesn’t stop piles of teenagers from heading to the beach almost every day of summer vacation. Imagine living somewhere where you didn’t have a huge supply of freshwater... I’m guessing that’s a pretty terrible image.

Of course some will claim they don’t enjoy being outside, so Michi-gan has nothing to offer them.

Wrong. Almost everyone has driv-

en past a blueberry field in mid-July and seen

the wonder of rows and rows

of fresh blue-berries just

waiting to be picked

editor-in-chief Last month, the school introduced a

new PED policy that essentially makes it acceptable to use cell phones dur-ing passing and lunch times, and elec-tronic devices during class time. The policy was initially greeted with a gen-eral sense of dissatisfaction. Students could be heard saying things like “it’s dumb,” “we already do that anyway,” or, my personal favorite, “how would the school know if we’re using our cell phone in the bathroom?”

Did you guys just happen to for-get what you’re doing here in the first place? “I’m here because the govern-ment says I have to be” isn’t an answer. You’re here to learn, to become edu-cated, so that you can build a future for yourself and maybe one day contribute to society.

Anything that deviates from that specific purpose is superfluous. There is no rule that says the school has to accommodate you. The school’s only stated purpose is to educate you.

Therefore, when a few members of the staff pass a policy that is supposed to make you feel more comfortable, your reaction should be that of grati-tude, not of condemnation.

You’ve complained about no back-packs. You’ve complained about music being played in the hallways. You’ve complained about the tardy policy. You’ve complained about being able to use electronic devices during school. You’ve complained about the grading policy, assemblies, disaster drills, and, of all things, a brand-new building. Some of you have even complained about the excessive amount of com-plaints.

Since when did y’all get to be so high maintenance? What have you done that you think you deserve so much better? Absolutely nothing, that’s what. Yet, the school is willing to extend an olive branch and try to make your day slightly more enjoyable. The school is allowing you to use elec-tronic devices and playing music in the hallway just to make you feel less like you’re in prison.

I understand that there are some school policies that can be a bit frus-trating, let alone annoying. That being said, when the school puts forth a gen-uine effort to make life easier for you, just shut up and be happy that at least someone still cares enough about you to spend time thinking about ways to help you.

Next time the school announces a policy with good intentions, sit back and think for a moment about what you’ve done to deserve the school’s generosity. And when you come up with DIDDLY SQUAT, calm yourself down a bit, and move on with your life.

Jess ica He [email protected]

In the wake of December’s mass shooting at a Connecticut elemen-tary school, many people are asking questions about the place for guns in schools for protection.

Guns are not the answer to the problem. Although there is a small chance that an armed guard may have been able to stop the tragedy, the pos-sible catastrophic problems outweigh the benefit of possible protection.

First, an armed guard doesn’t stand a very good chance against a shooter armed with military-style weapons. By having an armed guard, you are es-sentially just creating another target for the shooter. Once the shooter takes out the armed guard, there is nothing to stop his or her reign of terror.

Also, it could be a long time be-tween when the shooter enters the school and when the armed guard can arrive on the scene. If the shooter en-ters one part of the school where the guard is not located, the guard is use-less.

In addition to not being effective, having armed guards in schools could disrupt the learning environment.

How would you feel about sitting in class and seeing a guy with a gun standing outside your classroom.?

There could be tragic ramifica-tions if the gun ended up in the wrong hands. What if a gun was left unat-tended or a student stole the gun? The consequences could be deadly.

The last of many problems with putting guards in schools is that no one wants to pay for it. The state always cuts the school budget as it is; there isn’t money to pay for an armed guard.

Many groups that support armed guards in schools, such as the National Rifle Association, are conservative in nature and won’t support any new taxes. There is no way to pay for these guards without more taxation, which wouldn’t pass in this economy.

There are a variety of solutions that float around after a crisis like the Sandy Hook one occurs, but bringing guns into schools is not the solution that would work. Instead of focusing on armed guards in schools, our lead-ers should focus on stricter gun regula-tion to keep Americans and their kids at school safe.

view editor

scott [email protected]

editor-in-chief

Hira [email protected]

Armed guards provide much needed protection

Guns in schoolsis not the answer to the problem

The debate on gun control has reached a peak in United States histo-ry, following one of the most notorious school shootings in history. While the issue of whether or not to make guns more difficult to obtain remains to be seen, the National Rifle Association has proposed a rational alternative: armed guards in schools.

The best way to protect the nation’s youth and minimize the effects of mass shootings is by supplying schools with armed guards. Had there been an armed guard in the building on Dec. 14, the 26 deaths at Sandy Hook Ele-mentary could have been avoided. The 36 deaths during the Viginia Tech Mas-sacre could also have been prevented if the school had bothered to put forth resources to protect its students.

With someone professionally trained in the use of weaponry pres-ent to prevent the unnecessary loss of life, schools would be safer and parents would be at peace.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. We collectively pay for our president’s pro-tection. We have agreed for policemen to secure entire cities. Why are we so

hesitant to protect the nation’s youth?The United States has the high-

est rate of gun ownership in the en-tire world. Furthermore, we also have the highest homicide rate among first world countries.

We might possibly be in the vicinity of guns every day, whether we know it or not. As the nation is so divided on the issue of gun control, we at least need to take steps to make sure inno-cent children are not harmed as a result of our political indecision.

Those opposed to armed guards in schools are clearly not thinking of the safety of our nation’s most important resource. Unfortunately, it will prob-ably be months, or even years, until the people who have misguidedly been given the job to represent us are able to come to a consensus on the issue of gun control. Therefore, the fastest way to prevent the unnecessary loss of life, is to put armed guards in schools.

We have devoted countless resourc-es into educating our youth so they may have a stable future. It’s time we put resources into protecting them, as well.

Arming the nation’s schools

Seriously, stop complaining, Michigan is wonderful and eaten. Sure, I’m a little biased, but I’ve tasted other blueberries and none of them are remotely comparable to Michigan blueberries. People from all around the world are partial to Michi-gan’s fruit crops. If seeing the beautiful colors of leaves change in the fall or all the other wonders Michigan has to of-fer doesn’t entice you, at least you can

eat some delicious fruit. I’ve heard numer-ous people say they can’t wait to get out

of Michigan when they get older. To those people all I

have to say is you’re go- ing to miss the trees,

the clean air, the changing sea-sons. You’re going to miss all of it. So the next time you

want to complain a b o u t

how Mich-igan is a ter-

rible state, just remember how much

this state has to offer.

Keep whining, I dare you

5 Oct. 3, 2014view

The beginning of senior year is sup-posed to be a new, bittersweet experi-ence, but instead, the disdain shown to-ward teachers is so distracting I struggle to enjoy it. This year’s changes detrimen-tally impair teachers’ morale and overall ability to teach, and I find this dishearten-ing. Teachers are the backbone of our so-ciety. They are responsible for educating future generations. I am honored to say that I go to a high school with some of the best teachers in the state. Our high

BY SCOTT SOLOMONEditor-in-Chief

Waterpark will revivePortage’s economy

test scores reflect this at both the local and state level.

Our teachers consistently perform at a high caliber and deserve more respect from the district. This year, many teachers’ classes are filled to capacity, with not even enough desks for all the students. Smaller class sizes lead to better student-teacher relations and an improved chance for aca-demic success. Collaboration in classes with small numbers entice students to engage in critical thinking, as opposed to falling through the cracks in classes with students packed in like sardines.

It is undeniable that state-wide edu-cation funding has been cut by a billion dollars under Gov. Rick Snyder, which is an entirely differently problem in itself, but our district needs to find a way to appropriate funds in a manner that al-

lows for a suitable number of students for each teacher. According to the District’s Adopted Budget Revenue, a 15-percent increase in revenue has taken place, while the teachers’ union says it has taken a 2-percent cut. This means that while the district is taking in more revenue, teach-ers are being compensated less.

The district also made the decision this summer to change grading software, which has proved problematic for many teachers. Instead of being able to focus their attention on teaching, they must learn this new system instead. This deci-sion exemplifies how our district’s admin-istration doesn't always think “teachers-first” when making important decisions.

The handling of the new earlier start time also displays how our district’s ad-ministration shows a lack of respect to-

Teachers deserve respect from PPS administrationward teachers.

As opposed to informing the teachers collectively of the decision and explain-ing the rationale behind it, the teachers found out the same time the general pub-lic found out. This lack of communication is an embarrassment.

To make matters worse, teachers report early to school every day, while continually working under last year’s con-tract, working harder and longer without being properly compensated.

Instead of constantly placing barriers in front of teachers and impairing their abilities to teach, our district should give our phenomenal teachers the respect they deserve.

The Board of Education should start by settling the contract dispute with its teachers.

‘Early Action’ is worth the additional stress

Is applying early for college the right choice?

When applying to colleges, seniors face two major decisions: where to apply, and when to apply. Most seniors are trou-bled by college application deadlines, for both early action and regular admission.

Applying for early action is beneficial because the ap-plicant has more time to think about his or her final school decision. Ap-plying by Nov. 1 and receiving an answer mid-December may seem early, but in the long run it’s nice to know where you are able to attend in the spring.

As the regular admission deadline ap-proaches and the rest of the senior class is running around trying to finalize applica-tions and scholarship essays, the students

BY SCOTT SOLOMONEditor-in-Chief

BY CLAIRE ABDOPhoto Editor

‘Regular Decision’ is the best way to go

Choosing a college is one of the most difficult decisions a person makes in his or her lifetime, and the process can be ex-tremely complicated.

Students are not only forced to make decisions about where to apply, but also when. Although applying early has some benefits and expedites the process, there are also benefits to applying regular decision.

Students applying regular decision have a few extra months to truly prove their capabilities to their po-tential colleges.

First semester senior-year grades come into effect, which can help students show colleges their either improvement or their achievement in rigorous courses.

Applying regular decision also al-lows students to round their application off with activities they previously may not have tried before in high school, or did not have to participate in. This helps

students ensure their complete high school career is represented on their applications.

In addition, waiting to apply allows stu-dents to spend more time writing and revis-ing their application essays.

This gives students more time to work

with teachers outside of class. It also gives teachers and counselors more time to craft their recommendations.

While applying regular decision may not be as convenient as applying early, there are numerous benefits to waiting.

Memories of the old administration building are deep-rooted in the Portage community. After all, since 1922, it was one of the most prominent skyscrapers in Portage’s extensive skyline. The building was home to the 1932 Portage Agricul-tural High School state champion basket-ball team - hoopers who lacked cultural diversity, but not the ability to get buck-ets. However, after more than 90 years of use, the historic building was reduced to rubble this past summer. While it is appropriate to mourn the loss of a local monument, we must move on and look forward to an imminent bright future. And why is the future so bright? Quite simply, the district can profit off the prop-erty by converting the unused acreage into a waterpark. Sure, we could only use the park for a fraction of the year, and it would only exacerbate our well-docu-mented water issues (first-floor floods and bathroom sinks that shoot out at wa-ter at the most inconvenient water pres-sure possible), but a waterpark wouldn’t be all that bad. Opening the park would offer several benefits. The swim team would no longer have to practice at the middle school. Instead, they could swim laps in the lazy river. Let that wave pool freeze over the winter, and the hockey team gets to recre-ate the NHL Winter Classic every practice. What better way is there to spend a semi-nar than to sign out, bring your planner and go ride massive slides? While you probably won’t finish any of your home-work, you will look back at high school 20 years from now proud of your decision to cruise down a 100-foot slide and not com-plete your English flashcards. With the opening of a waterpark, Portage would no longer be a small city marked by its “squad rap scene” and ama-tuer photographers, but rather an area of about 50,000 inhabitants with one world-renowned waterpark remarkably close to to a high school parking lot. Most importantly, the slippery slides, wave pool and lazy river would help im-prove the economy of Kalamazoo County. Tourism would skyrocket, boosting the economy strongly supported by lifestyle apparel brands and B&G Discount. Tour-ists will travel hours for the opportunity to spend a day at a waterpark in a city that averages a temperature of 49 degrees. Kalamazoo Public Schools may pro-duce stars like Derek Jeter and Greg Jennings, and offer free in-state college tuition to its graduates. But would that match a school with a 1932 state basket-ball championship and hella cool water-park?

VS.

who applied for early action can just re-lax.

Some seniors think that early action is too challenging, as it forces students to have a shorter period of time to pull to-gether their applications and accomplish-

ments. Applying for early

action does involve getting a huge jump start on your senior year, but it allows for more “wiggle room” later in the year when senioritis is kicking in.

Also, according to inlikeme.com, the

regular admission rate for the prestigious Boston College is 26 percent but the early action acceptance rate is 36 percent.

Even though early action can be more stressful than regular admission, it is worth it in the end.

“Applying for early action is beneficial

because the applicant has more time to think about their final school

decision.”

Early Action acceptance rate

“Students applying regular

decision have a few extra months to truly prove their

capabilities to their potential colleges.”

At Kalamazoo College...

86%There’s an And a

70%Regular Decision acceptance rate

At Georgetown University...There’s an And a

Early Action acceptance rate

Regular Decision acceptance rate

13% 17%

BY BRIAN TAGGETTView Editor

Source: inlikeme.com

Thisstrongly-wordedcolumnillustratesmywillingnesstotakeastandagainstauthority(ourschool’sadministra-tion),whenIthinksomethingisn’tright.Whilethecolumnmaynothavebeenpopularinsomecircles,Ithoughtwriting it was the right thing to do.

Writing

Page 9: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

NOVEMBER 07, 2014

MICHIGAN’S FUTURE COLUMNby SCOTT SOLOMON

For the state of Michigan, Tuesday night brought little to no change for the makeup of Michigan’s government. Gov. Snyder won re election, and both chambers of the state legislature remained in control on the Republican Party.

Whether you believe this is a good, Michigan undeniably needs to see change moving forward if they want Michigan to be a vibrant, prosperous state. Over the past few years, Michigan has taken a step back, and time is running out for the state to reverse its path.

Most young people in this state no longer desire to stay here. While many high school students choose to attend a public university in state for financial reasons, Michigan lacks the incentive to retain these talented young people. There is no lack of talent and knowledge coming out of Michigan’s prestigious universities, but as a young person my-self, I see no reason to stay in Michigan to look for work.

Where are the vibrant cities bursting with modern, high-tech businesses? Michigan used to be the epicenter of inno-vation, but we are now left in the dust. Our state’s government needs to create an incentiveincentive innovative com-panies that attract young talent. They should look at areas of the country like Silicon Valley, which are prosperous, and model our state after them.

Michigan’s state government also needs to re-evaluate some of their social policies that push young people away. As things are right now, our state puts up a “you’re not welcome” sign to various groups of people. LGBTQ people do not have the freedom to marry and are not protected from employers. Women are forced to purchase insurance for abortions, even in the case of rape. These are not the ideals that young people stand for, and if Michigan wants to be a prosperous state again, it needs to acknowledge the ambitions of young people.

Our state government also needs to reinvest in public education in order to keep Michigan competitive and continue producing top students for their prestigious universities.

As a large group of new legislators move into office, I hope they consider what it takes to become prosperous again by producing attracting young talent, then keeping them here in Michigan.

7

This column, which ran on our website, shows my ability to write opinion on very current, relevant issues. The topic of this column affects the greater community of all of our readers - the state of Michigan. It also shows some of my personal beliefs while maintaining fair points.

Web

Page 10: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

8

STAMPEDE

What’s Inside...

2page

7page

6pages

centra

l

Volume 20 Issue 7 May 21, 2014Portage Central High School Portage, Mich.

New officers ready to lead

[SEN

IOR

ISS

UE

INSI

DE!

]Congratulations,

Class of

4!20

Teachers in transition

Senior kindergarten pictures

Goingout with style

341 seniors to graduate tonight

&7[SENIOR ISSUE]

This front cover I designed shows my ability to both take photographs and design pages. The photo de-picts the senior award ceremony by maintaining the recognizable location of our gymnasium.

Design

Page 11: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

What’sInside...

page 6

StampedeOct. 4, 2013

Gardening Club blossoms into active group

Mr. Freeland uses new

technology in his classroom

page 5

C E N T R A L

Nov. 7, 2014 Vol. 21, Issue 2Portage Central H.S. l 8135 S. Westnedge Ave. l Portage, MI 49002

Senior athletes achieve

great featsPage 10

page 3

Reminiscing on the ‘Oregon Trail’

Brian Taggett’sopinion column

centralstampede.com

Students support teachers in contract disputeBY MADISON JAQUA &

NICO SCHUENEditor-in-Chief & Focus Editor

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE

@CentralStampede

More than 200 students gathered outside the Administration Building last week in a show of support for Portage teachers who continue to work under last year’s contract. They also united with stu-dents from Portage Northern at the Oct. 31 football game to demonstrate their support.

Just days earlier, hundreds of Portage teachers took to the streets, picketing for a “fair and equitable contract.” Afterwards, more than 200 attended the school board meeting and urged school board mem-bers to end the contract stalemate.

All of these activities are a result of stalled negotiations between district administrators and about 500 Portage teachers.

Senior Molly Brown, who coordinated media coverage of last week’s student protest, said, “I’ve been in Portage schools since I was in kindergarten, and my teach-ers have always stood up for me. Now that they need us, it’s important that we stand up for them.”

GoinG Green: Above, teachers picket before the Oct. 27 school board meeting. Top right, students show support for teachers at the Oct. 31 Portage Central-Portage Northern football game. Bottom right, English teacher Jeff Rehm speals at the last school board meeting, asking for a fair contract for all Portage teachers.

Teachers showed gratitude for the students’ efforts.

“I think it is incredible that the stu-dents have rallied themselves and are showing the public that they are in sup-port of what we do,” said Theresa Mills, an English teacher, who also added that while teacher morale has suffered as a re-sult of the issue, she personally feels sup-ported by colleagues and administrators in the building.

Earlier this week, Superintendent Mark Bielang said, “Students have the right to express their opinion, and this can be used as an opportunity to get the facts from both sides.”

Last week’s school board meeting, which was moved from the Administra-tion Building, to the Community Room, and finally to the band room to accom-modate the large crowd, ended well af-ter midnight. At that time, the Board of Education voted to possibly file an “unfair labor practice” against the Portage Edu-cation Association, the teachers’ union, if the union were to officially file a similar complaint against the district.

Contract negotiations, which began in April and stalled in late August, have not moved forward since a second me-

diation session on Oct. 16 failed to resolve anything. Mediation is used when labor unions and management cannot reach an agreement in the negotiations process.

Assistant Superintendent Larry Kil-lips points out that the fact that although contract negotiations have taken longer than expected, this isn’t the first time this has happened.

“It’s not unusual to go this late to set-tle a contract,” Killips said. “This has hap-pened in the past. It’s not uncommon.”

Portage teachers across the district have been working under last year’s con-tract, which expired on June 30. They say they haven’t had pay raises in the past four years while at the same time taking on more of the costs for health insurance and working longer and more school days, without compensation.

Portage administrators say that the district is dealing with a lower student enrollment, and as a result, will not be re-ceiving close to $1 million from the state for the 2014-15 school year.

Brad Galin, director of human resourc-es, said that the administration doesn’t see the halted negotiations as a failure.

“A lot has been accomplished, a lot has been solved,” Galin said. “There are

still big issues left to agree on, but it’s a process, and we only have a couple more hurdles to clear.”

Eric VerHey, president of the teachers’ union, says union leaders were hoping to start mediation sooner, but agreed to wait until the official student count date on Oct. 1. This is an important date because it sets about 90 percent of district funding, said VerHey, a science teacher at Central Middle School.

Sarah Baker, communications direc-tor, said that “from what we’re able to tell, we’re down by about 100 plus students, 123 students is the last I’ve heard…” and that the district is in the process of sub-mitting student enrollment to the state.

The next mediation session for both sides is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 21, which according to Baker, is the earliest date that all parties could get on their calendars. While teachers have expressed frustration at the slow pace of the process, the administration doesn’t feel that the speed of the process is as important as the quality of the contract decided upon, Baker said.

SeeTEACHERSPage 3

9

This cover layout effectively uses space and utilizes the photos and text necessary to present the story. The dominant art displays the most intriguing part of the story.

Design

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9

Thiscoverexemplifiesmydesignabilities,asittakesapictureI

Online Story Rotation for Second Semester

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Madison* Scott* Jared* Brian* Caitlin* Devon Nico Lucy Shawna Dakotah Jori Dayton Malak Nolan Zach Kelsee Brianna Olivia Bella Sharwari Kate

Weeks you are required to upload online content to centralstampede.com Feb. 9 Feb. 16 Feb. 23 March 2 March 9 March 16 March 23 March 30 April 13 April 20 April 27 May 4 May 11 May 18 May 25

Where do I find stories?

Remember, publishing online gives you the opportunity to be timely. Embrace it! “Previews” of upcoming games, events, programs are wonderful for online content and don’t require a lot of time. Same thing with coverage stories. Cover some of these events, interview a few people at the event, take a couple photos, and you are good to go! Listen to the announcements, check the school website/calendar, plug yourself into the many clubs and groups here and the stories will come. If you are PART of a club or group and are worried about a conflict of interest, then pass the idea onto someone who can use it.

“What counts as online content?” news stories coverage stories features on students previews of upcoming events or programs features on teachers features on staff sports stories sports previews reviews, but MUST BE TIMELY opinion columns (again, timely) photo packages / photo galleries

Requirements… • Content must be uploaded by the close of the day on Friday of each week. • Get these dates in your planner. I will post this in the lab, but I don’t have time to remind you. • If you know you will have a particularly busy week, you may switch dates with other staff members. Please let

me know if you do this. • Photos… ALWAYS aim for a photo or two to accompany your story. You will get more clicks if there’s a visual. It

doesn’t have to be anything fancy… just use the cameras on your phones. • Every story needs to be edited before being posted. You will turn in a hard copy to the designated editor (*)in

your group. Journalistically, your online content is held to the same high standards as your print content. • IMPORTANT!!! When your content has been uploaded, you must email me a brief announcement for the next

day ([email protected]). This is an important step because it is verification that your story is “live” on the website. If you fail to complete this step, I will assume you have not met deadline. To upload content… 1. go to centralstampede.com 2. scroll down to “Log In” and click 3. Username: firstname.lastname

Password: your cell phone (not including area code) 4. It’s pretty self-explanatory after that, but get help if you don’t understand what you’re doing! 5. Tell Scott to tweet it.

9

This program developed by my advisor and I is used to keep out website consistently updated. This form displaysmycreativeleadershipastheeditor-in-chiefofmyschool’snewspaper.

Leadership and team building

Page 13: Mipa Student Journalist Staff Portfolio

10I would like to humbly thank you for taking the time to look at my

journalist portfolio for the MIPA Student Journalist Staff award. Journalism given me so much throughout high school, and I am glad for this opportunity to have so much of my work reviewed in one place. Thank you for this opportunity.

Thank you,

Scott Solomon