Journalism students learning the dynamics of news reporting and writing.

Getting the scoop at NUHS

Journalism students work on how to construct stories for The Eagle Online

Peter Engeldinger, Contributor

February 13, 2023

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[This example story is written to illustrate the Inverted Pyramid model of news writing.]

1a) Students at NUHS can enroll in an elective journalism class their junior or senior year in which they both learn about the larger topic of journalism as well as write actual news stories about events happening at the high school.

Journalism class is offered two times during the day, pictured here as an ‘early bird’ class and also period 5 during the day shown above.

1b) The news site is called The Eagle Online and it is in its eighth year of publication, coinciding with the construction of the new high school in 2016.

1c) “It’s kinda like putting the horse next to the cart, ” journalism teacher Peter Engeldinger said. “We are learning about journalism at the same time that we are writing journalism.”

[1st pivot]

2a) Journalism has a long tradition at NUHS dating back to at least 1916 when the student newspaper was first introduced as The Graphos.

2b) NUHS Principal Bergmann was instrumental in reviving the paper in a digital format since it wasn’t doing so well in the printed version. He said that it would be a shame to not offer a high school journalism class and that with the new high school it should also take on a new format that reflected the digital age we live in.

2c) “We gotta have journalism. We’ll keep it in the course registration guide and then we’ll set up information areas to explain to students that and other areas we plan to explore at the new high school,” Bergman said.

[2nd pivot]

3a) Since the 2021-2022 school year, students have had the option of registering for Early Bird journalism, which meets from 7 a.m. to 7:55. Students in this zero hour class are then given an open hour during the regular school day.

3b) NUHS has expanded its offerings for students in an effort to accommodate the ever-changing educational environment.

3c) “We’ve progressed. We have flexible scheduling – Early Bird journalism, Wednesday night Psychology, college classes of all sorts. We’ll adapt and adjust in ways that help our students succeed,” Bergmann said.

[3rd pivot]

For students interested in taking the journalism class, choosing the early option or the regular day hour presents challenges.