Syracuse high school students test journalism skills at Newhouse School’s J-Camp

Syracuse high school students test journalism skills at Newhouse School’s J-CampJuly 15, 2009Wendy S. Loughlinwsloughl@syr.edu

Ten Syracuse City School District high school students learned to be storytellers in words, sounds and pictures at J-Camp, a program sponsored by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, during the week of June 29-July 3.

J-Camp-short for “journalism camp”-was created by three Newhouse faculty members: Charlotte Grimes, the school’s Knight Chair in Political Reporting; Bob Lloyd, professor of newspaper and online journalism; and Sherri Taylor, professor of design.

“We were just thrilled with the students’ dedication and the work they produced,” says Grimes.

Students learned to capture and edit sound and video, to interview, to research background information and to write stories. Their work is posted online at http://j-camp.blogspot.com.

Participating students included: Arielle Kaigler-Hall, Tonielle Moore and Riley Stroman from Corcoran High School; Caitlin Quigley, Jamal Reed and Tina Thach from Fowler High School; and Vivian Gunn, Molly Naef, Rylah Orr and Katya Waters from Nottingham High School.

Each student received a digital camera and learned to create websites in order to continue their storytelling in their communities. As graduates of J-Camp, the students will also be invited to return to the Newhouse School for special events throughout the school year.

Lloyd, who has researched trends in journalism, praised the students’ growth. “J-Camp took students with a moderate exposure to journalism and opened their eyes to the wonders of non-fiction storytelling. I was impressed with how far the students advanced in just four days,” he says. “At the end, they had produced quality work on several media platforms. That says it all for me.”

Taylor also runs a similar program, the School Press Institute, for high school students from across the country. “J-Camp provided an amazing opportunity for the students to immerse themselves in journalistic storytelling, both visually and verbally,” she says. “They left the workshop with the ability to continue to tell stories from their communities and share them online.”

J-Camp was funded by a special grant from Newhouse School Dean Lorraine Branham.