Gilroy High is home to a program that ironically gets little
press: The Free Press. The school’s newspaper is produced in
journalism class, a class of which I am very proud to be part.
Gilroy High is home to a program that ironically gets little press: The Free Press. The school’s newspaper is produced in journalism class, a class of which I am very proud to be part. Under the patient and wise direction of Ms. Mirra Shernock, the school publication has continued to improve this year, and the result has been a more professional and error-free newspaper.
The class is run differently from other electives on campus. Aside from instruction time by Shernock on the finer points of student journalism, the class is led by two editor-in-chiefs and one managing editor. Every page of the newspaper has its own page editor and every other member of the class is a contributing staff writer. In other words, everyone has a specific role on the staff, and all the jobs depend on each other. The Free Press also boasts a Spanish section, making it one of the few bilingual student newspapers in the nation. At a journalism conference we attended in Chicago last November, I was unable to find another school newspaper with such a distinction.
Journalism students are in a class, but they are also on a team. This means a fair acknowledgement of every team member’s strengths and weaknesses. Since everyone is still in high school, we all recognize from the start that the writing is not perfect. With Shernock as the coach, the editors designed a system in which every story is read once by a peer, the page editor, both editors-in-chief and finally by the advisor. This is the best way to catch all mistakes and to make the writing as succinct and fluid as possible. In the process, writers learn how to improve their work and make it more interesting for their audience of 2500 students and staff, not just one teacher.
The grading is done differently as well. Students are graded not only on their writing and the quality of the research and interviews they did for a story, but also on whether deadlines were met. Watching the clock in journalism means so much more than simply waiting for the bell to ring so you can see your friends because, like on any professional newspaper, deadlines are key.
The Free Press is modeled after professional publications in other ways as well, especially in the rules that must be followed. For instance, all newspapers worthy of the name have to be careful about libel and always printing the truth. Since The Free Press is a First Amendment paper, falsehoods that make it to print can have very negative repercussions. As students learn how to write, they also learn the importance of journalistic ethics as well as the dangers of libel and plagiarism. These lessons regarding the value of truth and honesty can be and should be applied anywhere in life.
The journalism class receives little money from the school district, hardly enough to print one issue. The “free” in the Free Press has multiple meanings, and with no money from subscriptions, the staff must sell advertisements to local business and organizations to pay for production costs. This helps teach the lesson to students that despite the name, nothing is free.
The community has been supportive, and we understand that many have benefited from their generosity. In fact, many of our advertisers prefer doing business with The Free Press because their product may be directed specifically to teenagers. For instance, we always have a high competition for ad space from tuxedo rental businesses during prom season.
Writing has long been a problem that has plagued GHS students, but personally I feel that being in the journalism class has helped to improve my writing. Sadly though, journalism is not yet under the category of a vocational education class.
This is something we have been trying to change. Hopefully, it will happen next year so students can use this valuable class for a graduation requirement.
If there is one thing I have learned working on this newspaper it is that one’s own personal writing can always improve. Knowing how to write, and write is a skill that students will use throughout their lives and will open up doors to many opportunities.
