What is the Journalism Two Program?
Are you a NERD, YERD, or MERD?
Amaya Wagner, 24’
Embedded Files
The Journalism two program contains multiple different opportunities. It consists of three classes that each have their own attributes. The titles NERD, YERD, and MERD, stand for Newspaper, Yearbook, and Muskie Minutes. Which class do you think suits you best?
NERD: School Newspaper or the MHS Auroran Today
If you are a writer, this is the one for you. Along with writing, other strong suits an Auroran Today staff member needs to have are:
good interviewing skills
being up to date with current events in the world
the ability to work well independently
and more
Taco Guy - Simon McFate, MHS Junior, who facilitates "Taco' bout it Tuesdays." Simon is unsure about how he landed the gig, but it works.
Newspaper staff working on an editorial by starting with a "word vomit" writing task where staff members write as much as they can about a topic or opinion.
Newspaper is a yearlong class that is responsible for weekly publications. Student journalists use the publication for a collection of feature stories that are of interest to the MHS student body. You have to be open to revisions of your writings, and also help fellow staff members with thinking of story topics and peer-editing. “My favorite thing about being a staff member is the relationships I’ve made with everyone else on the team,” said Junior, Kenzie Lemkau, staff writer. If you’re interested in joining, contact our editor, Lanie Weikert, or Mrs. Rauenbuehler.
YERD: Yearbook
If you are someone who pays attention to details, yearbook is the pathway for you. Good attributes for a yearbook member are:
being interested in aesthetics
graphic design
and more
Yearbook is a yearlong class to develop the MHS Auroran Yearbook. The class's purpose is to capture the student body and highlight the school year through a series of photos and written memories in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. Throughout the duration of the course, students continue to refine skills of interviewing, designing, writing, revising, and giving and receiving feedback. The course is also meant to expose students to various interest pathways like journalism, photography, marketing, public-relations, communications, and graphic design.
Taya Melendez taking pictures for the yearbook
“My favorite part of being a part of yearbook is getting to work on a project we are proud of with such great people,” said Senior, Aubrey Haney, head yearbook editor. If you’re interested in joining yearbook, and are a student who enjoys attending school events, contact Mrs. Rauenbuehler.
Muskie Minutes members, Luke Dalbey and Gabe Salazar, shooting an episode
MERD: Muskie Minutes
If you are outgoing and spontaneous, broadcasting is for you. The school’s broadcasting team is known as the Muskie Minutes crew. Muskie Minutes is a short 7-12 minute student-led broadcast that covers important announcements, updates on various extracurriculars within the building, and short feature stories meant to highlight aspects of the school. The attributes most qualified for a member of Muskie Minutes are:
enjoy being on camera
creating social media content
meeting quick deadlines
and more
Muskie Minutes is a yearlong class where students work collaboratively and independently to learn the flow of producing content. This includes skills like writing scripts, receiving feedback, implementing plans, and strategically editing content. This production also requires the ability to work with new technologies, backgrounds, images, graphics, sound effects, and music. “Muskie Minutes has really allowed me to find interest in something I never thought I would like. I really enjoy what I get to do and now I am even going to pursue it in college,” said Gabe Salazar, Senior leader of Muskie Minutes. If you are interested in joining Muskie Minutes, contact Mrs. Huot.
How do I join?
In order to participate in any of the programs listed up above, you have to take the Journalism one course. This semester-long class will teach students the history of journalism, the laws and ethics that go with journalism, and key terms associated with journalistic writing. Students will also learn how to conduct an interview and structure questions that appropriately format the interview within writing, researching skills, and concepts of design and photography.
Journalism is a really good way to be active in your school’s community. If any of the pathways it contains are something that you want to be involved in, consult with your counselor or contact the following people:
Newspaper: lw110285@mcsdonline.org or alex.rauenbuehler@mcsdonline.org
Yearbook: ah111046@mcsdonline.org or alex.rauenbuehler@mcsdonline.org
Muskie Minutes: gs110348@mcsdonline.org , kh110943@mcsdonline.org or rebecca.huot@mcsdonline.org
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