The Buena Park Junior High School Newspaper, The Chronicle, won second place from the American Scholastic Press Association.
The paper received accolades for both reporting, layout and design, and the school has been acknowledged by the ASPA many times.
Journalism teacher Naery Cho said said the students learn newspaper layout and design in addition to reporting.
The Buena Park Junior High School Newspaper, The Chronicle, won second place from the American Scholastic Press Association.
The paper received accolades for both reporting, layout and design, and the school has been acknowledged by the ASPA many times.
Journalism teacher Naery Cho said said the students learn newspaper layout and design in addition to reporting.
“The students use the computer lab to layout the paper, and they are equipped with In Design, Photoshop, and Illustrator,” she said. “They learned the programs after school this year, so right now they are in the lab working on their own.”
Cho said each student is in charge of their own layout.
“The only time I help is when they are putting together their first page,” she said. “They gather and write their stories and I never have any problems.”
When choosing stories to write about, each student must come up with a list of items that interests them.
“If it is not age appropriate for the school or out of the subject range I will eliminate them, but that usually does not happen,” Cho said. “We have a theme for each issue, so the students put together relevant stories based on the subject matter.”
The publication in production will focus on the future and what students plan to do beyond high school.
“The students will learn about how much they can earn if they attend or pass on college,” Cho said. “This edition will make them aware of how important education is. the articles are something the students can relate themselves to.”
Students that are doing a good job also get featured in the paper.
“That encourages students to do their best,” Cho said.
Fancy writing skills are not a requirement for the school newspaper.
“They need to know basic grammar, and I do give them a frame to follow through,” Cho said. “It is not that hard to pick up the skill.”
The paper and yearbook teams both deal with stress.
“We have deadlines,” Cho said. “Last year it was work, work.”
The current issue of the paper will be eight pages.
“Sometimes we do 12, it depends on the topic.”
Principal Luisa Rogers said budget cuts have left journalism students on their own to raise money
“We have endured so many cuts on our electives we can only provide basic necessities to provide for, so students take on activities like selling items like chocolate after school and benefit from the parent organizations that hold fundraisers on campus. Those efforts keep the journalism class going.
Student Christine Pamlasigui said writing newspaper stories requires different skills.
“Writing a newspaper story requires facts,” she said. “Creative writing is more imaginative.”
The first skill students learn is news gathering.
“The teacher assigns us articles in the beginning of the year and we learn about important world and school news,” Palasigui said. “We build skills by writing a prospective on those topics.”
Editor in Chief Himani Berma said her primary job is to guide the other students.
“I make sure they do their work,” she said. “If someone has a page layout or research question I help them out.”
The college and the future topic for the paper this month has Berma thinking about her upcoming endeavors in high school starting next year.
“I am still deciding what I want to do when I grow up,” she said. “The law interests me, so I might become an officer.”
If someone has trouble deciding on a story Berma is there to lend a hand.
“We can talk through it but it is going to be their choice,” she said.
Students who want to become Editor in Chief in the future need to be ready for some hard work.
“I did all my work in class and turned it in on time,” Berma said. “My mom and dad are proud of me.”
For more information about BPJHS, visit bpsd.k12.ca.us/schools/bpjh.aspx.
