For the rest of you I want you to be armed with the best information possible about what it means to be in the print journalism department.
You have three options next year: You can take Advance Graphic Design and Illustration for Newspaper, Advance Graphic Design and Illustration for Yearbook or a class called Commercial Photography.
The sequence looks like this:
Year #1 - Graphic Design and Illustration for Photojournalism or Journalism I (the class you are currently taking)
Year #2 - Advance Graphic Design and Illustration for (newspaper or yearbook) OR Commercial Photography
Year #3 - Newspaper 3 or Yearbook 3 OR Advanced Commercial Photography
Year #4 - Newspaper 4 or Yearbook 4 OR Problems and Solutions for Commercial Photography
You need to complete at least 3 of these classes to qualify for the major in the academy - meaning you get a cord to wear at graduation. For incoming freshmen and sophomores next year, your major would shift to the New Tech academy. If you are a junior, you would likely stay in the AHA academy if you have a journalism related major.
Here is a simple description and a rough explanation of the options you have in each class:
Newspaper: Publishes the Eagle's Eye newspaper once every 6 weeks. Typically the paper is 12 pages long, there are about 50 stories written for each newspaper and about 20 photographs published. Every newspaper student is expected to write at least one story per issue and some people write three or more. Photographers are expected to write, but if they attend multiple photography assignments the writing can be limited.
There are multiple editors on staff and they are selected by current editors at the end of the school year. There are generally openings for students who enter the class at the beginning of the year. Layout and design is handled by editors, but there are assistant editor positions available for each section. They help with the creation of the pages.
The Eagle's Eye newspaper is "The Voice" of Akins High School. Students in the class get to decide the coverage each issue and there are multiple opportunities for individual expression on issues that impact students at our school. Its the only place where students can share their opinions in first person and have it published for the school to read.
One new aspect to the newspaper is our online version. We are always looking for talented people to work for the online version. It can be seen here: http://akinseaglespublications.com/
Mr. Doerr teaches the newspaper class.
Yearbook: Publishes the Aerie which is worked on throughout the year and publishes sometime in May each year. The book is about 170 pages long and students in the class are responsible for the creation of two-page spreads. You will learn more about these "spreads" later this semester where we will create some together. Students are responsible for all the content on their spread, including taking pictures, writing captions, headlines and some years writing a short story.
There is typically a little room for creativity with a portion of the spread, but most of the lay-out and design is done ahead of time by a group of editors selected towards the end of the school year. Much of that work is done during the summer or very early in the school year by a dedicated group of editors. Most of these people are picked in advance and have been in the program for multiple years.
Advance Graphic Design and Illustration for Yearbook is a separate class from Yearbook 3 and 4, those students get a more detailed year of design, photography, and writing. Some students work on the actual yearbook, others work on aspects related to the publication of the book. The book covers all areas of the school, but its primary objective is to record and summarize the highlights of the school year. The yearbook class is taught by Ms. Fleming.
Here is a link the Akins Yearbook twitter: https://twitter.com/AkinsYearbook
Commercial Photography: This is the second year this course is being offered here at Akins. It is being offered as an alternative to newspaper and yearbook for students interested in learning advance photography skills. Students will learn more about the following types of photography and concepts: studio photography, action/sports photography, fashion photography, product photography, night/star photography, painting with light, lighting, make-up and hair, etc.
Students who enroll in this class are highly encouraged to have their own camera. Individuals who take commercial photography will be required to participate in after-school projects and will have to be available to shoot after hours events like sporting events, theater/fine arts productions, night photography, etc.
This is a serious class designed for students who are interested in pursuing a career in photography after high school. You can see student work by clicking here: http://akinscommercialphoto.blogspot.com/
You will need to go to the blog list and click on people's names - you should see a lot of the photos they have taken. You can also see a link to their online portfolios.
Mr. Doerr teaches this course.
If you have questions about which class might be best for you, please talk with me privately and I will make a recommendation based on what skills I see in you. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses and we want you to be in the class that interests you the most and will better prepare you for the real world and you plans for the future.
On your blog today, I would like you to tell me which publication you think you might join next year and what aspects of that publication influenced your decision. Write at least a paragraph. I will be calling you back to speak with you individually and record what course you think you might want to take next year.
Second: I would like you to go to the following websites and look at various publications from around the United States. Pick one yearbook spread that you think is cool looking and link it on your blog and pick one on-line newspaper that you think looks cool and link it on your blog.
Yearbook websites:
Google the following: "yearbook spreads" as an image
Newspaper websites:
and
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