By: Holly Newton, Raven Shields, Makenzie Bernard, Leigha Vivian, Chris Mattingly
On June 9-15, a group of high school students from across Kentucky attended a journalism camp on the campus of Morehead State University. The students packed their bags and took on a week full of diligence, hard work and passion.
The journalism camp, Power Your Story, created an opportunity for the students to experience journalism in the real world. Funded by the MacArthur Foundation’s Journalism and Media Program, offered through the National Writing Project (NWP) and the Morehead Writing Project (MWP), the students were given the chance to collaborate with WMKY Morehead State Public Radio, Morehead State’s Convergent Media Program and Morehead State’s newspaper, The Trail Blazer.
“Bring the tripod! If you don’t, you fail.” said John Flavell, Morehead State’s Instructor of Journalism, to the group of students who were given the chance to interview Raymond McLain for PBS’s new and upcoming documentary of bluegrass music, “Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music”. (See The Trail Blazer online and The Daily Independent (Ashland) for more detail). After the interview, Hanna Sargent, Holly Newton and Hallie Adams came together and wrote a joint article about the documentary and the interview as a whole. By doing this, the students were able to demonstrate the skills they had learned over the course of the week: how to write in AP style, how to properly use a professional camera and edit audio and video.
“Going to the WMKY Morehead State Public Radio Station was my favorite part of the week. I was able to see how involved journalism is in everyday life,” said Makenzie Bernard, a senior from Gallatin County High School. “Recording my voice-up was the most interesting, I never thought that I would get the chance to be aired on the radio.”
Students also worked with a current Morehead State University student, Chas Jenkins, on podcasting. Jenkins has his own experience with podcasting through his show, Unwarranted Music, aired on WMKY’s website during the school semester. “Podcasting was a very fun experience that was easy and enjoyable. Podcasting is something that I could imagine myself doing as a hobby in the future,” said Raven Shields, a sophomore from Gallatin County High School. Students recorded podcasts of their own about topics that they’re passionate about such as traveling, music and even conspiracy theories.
Holly Newton, a junior at Rowan County Senior High School, claimed “This has been the highlight of my summer so far. Through this camp, I’ve been able to be involved with something that I’m passionate about and make many connections within my community.” The students had the opportunity to live on a college campus, make lifetime friends and connections, and gain real-world experience.
The students would like to thank The National Writing Project and The Morehead Writing Project, along with WMKY’s Leeann Akers and Chas Jenkins, Chuck Mraz and MSU’s Instructor of Journalism, John Flavell. A special thank you belongs to Deanna Mascle, director of MWP, and Sarah Webster, Camp Director of Power Your Story- without these people, this week wouldn’t have been possible.
Students who also contributed: Hanna Sargent, Abby Hall, Hallie Adams
See camp coverage on Morehead State News and Morehead Public Radio.
