Most people are taken back when I mention that I started writing formally as a journalist as a 14-year old freshman in high school. Immediately I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, Sachem afforded me the opportunity to write for a school paper, broadcast on a radio station and manage web properties, not to mention learn from talented and inspired teachers.
The point of this is to highlight the 9 and 10-year-old student journalists at Tecumseh Elementary School who make up the staff of “The Roar,” a bi-yearly publication.
Last week I spent an hour talking journalism with them, answering questions, telling stories, and getting a close look at a brilliant segment of Sachem’s future. Maybe none of them will grow up to be journalists, or maybe one will, but they can all say they were given an opportunity to learn a specific form of writing and publishing that many are not subjected to until college, let alone high school.
In Sachem, the Covey initiative has been sweeping through all 18 buildings, allowing students and administrators to adapt to improved forms of leadership. You’ll hear the term “proactive” a lot. It’s a diverse word and in this case insinuates that the staff members of “The Roar” are all taking a proactive approach to their careers and academic lives, even if they don’t know it yet.
They’re required to read and write, research and analyze for their stories, and of course practice strong grammar, punctuation and adhere to the normal ethics and standards of journalists. It’s pretty impressive for your average bunch of 9 and 10-year olds who could just be at home playing video games or watching television instead of staying after school. Wise choice, I’d say.
Led by Matthew Jurgens, the club advisor and a teacher at Tecumseh, the class asked tons of questions about story inspiration, article formatting and newsroom structure.
When they found out I’ve covered the last two Super Bowls, the Olympics, the MLB All-Star Game, and have appeared on television and radio multiple times, that kept them occupied with plenty of things to talk about. They loved the picture I took of Eli Manning at the podium after last year’s Super Bowl, and had no idea who Joe Namath or Jim Brown were when I showed photos I took of them at a red carpet event also around last year’s Super Bowl.
One of the most important ingredients in being a journalist is curiosity and asking the right questions. I left Tecumseh impressed by their intuitiveness and preparation, and by their unguarded sense to raise their hand and ask away. They’d all do wonderful in a real life press conference.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro