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| Photo by Greg Ruhland |
| Kelsey Tanner, of the University School in Nashville, Tenn., explains her yearbook theme idea to group members during the 2008 HSJI sessions. |
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More than 500 students will attend this month’s 63rd annual High School Journalism Institute workshops designed for students who have accepted positions in high school media or for those interested in learning more about journalism.
The Institute consists of three five-day sessions July 6 – 22, with workshops covering topics such as yearbook, television news, newspaper, desktop design, business and advertising, online journalism, and photojournalism.
According to HSJI Director Teresa White, the institute attracts students from many different backgrounds.
“We see a wide range of participants from home schoolers, to kids from gigantic high schools, kids from little country schools, international students. We’ve even had blind and deaf students,” said White.
Given the varying backgrounds, the students are also coming in with a wide array of journalistic experience.
“Some have scary publications, others have award-winning publications,” said White.
The assortment of participants leads to special programming considerations in order to ensure that those with the most experience aren’t bored and those with the least experience aren’t left behind.
“What really makes this work is the faculty,” said White, explaining that workshop instructors range from college professors to experienced high school instructors. “They all love being here and are very good at individualizing instruction. They come here with a plan, but they can adjust on the fly and be very interactive. They can really mold the lessons to the students.”
White’s assessment is based in years of experience. Though she’s been HSJI director only one year, she was an HSJI teacher during much of the 20 years she spent as a high school teacher and publications adviser.
HSJI gives students a taste of campus life. Their daily schedules include instruction sessions, tours, large- and small-group sessions, and recreational programs, but the interaction continues outside Ernie Pyle Hall. Many of the participants stay on campus in the residence halls, spending the evening hours flipping through one another’s yearbooks and newspapers and sharing stories from their high school news rooms.
“It’s more than just journalism,” said White, who as a high school student attended HSJI. “The students love to be here with other people who like what they like.”
Each session concludes with an awards ceremony, which recognizes students for outstanding work during the workshops. The institute offers scholarships for students who go on to enroll at Indiana University. As White says, in addition to teaching high school students about journalism, HSJI also serves as a recruitment tool for the school of journalism.
“About two-thirds of the Ernie Pyle Scholars entering last fall had been to HSJI,” said White, who credited Dean Brad Hamm for his financial support of the program. “It’s a little investment that pays off well.”
The student workshops come on the heels of the HSJI’s teacher workshops June 15 – 26, which serve high school publications advisers and journalism teachers. Each year, the Institute offers four workshops for these instructors seeking certification credit, recertification units or enrichment hours.
