As we publish stories and photos from the first month or so of the school year, I’d like to remind students that Now is the time to contribute to our online publication.
There are several reasons why students should publish their work on the Talon. Most importantly, it’s a tremendous vehicle for highlighting the many great students and staff members that attend this school daily. A skilled writer, artist, and photographer can use this ready-made template to bring – as I like to say – a bit of “honor and glory” to the Amherst school community.
Secondly, published work can be used to enhance a student’s career portfolio, adding detail to one’s resume with the promise of awards and even scholarships. Multiple samples of student work are often required in scholarship and award applications and there’s no better way to gain “clips” than to periodically publish stories on the Talon (including opinion editorials) and then link or print them for future use (as needed).
The practice of publishing is a great way to refine one’s craft. Published articles must meet a standard; such articles are typically among the best in the class to begin with, and by going through an editing process, gain added attention. A student who has learned to package his or her work – text, photography, graphic design – is well on the way to one day being called a professional. Assorted skills are required to produce a quality product, and while many of these skills are new to some, students can quickly make up for their relative inexperience with youthful enthusiasm and the added energy they bring to the job.
Parents and staff can help by encouraging students to publish their work. Make note of the “bylines,” the names that appear with stories and photos. Provide comment. Provide inspiration. Appreciate students who work on behalf of the school community in this manner, a noble act of selflessness in my opinion.
We look forward to “harvesting” student work in the months ahead, and we will do everything possible to provide a publication worthy of the Tomorrow River School District. Students can help cultivate a journalistic culture with consistent submissions. Make the commitment now and reap both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits well into the future. The Talon is worth the time!
P.S. Middle school and elementary school submissions are welcome as well. We publish as we get’em so all are welcome. “Every word’s a pearl” as the late great John Patterson once told me.
