The joys of journalism

From live game coverage to the Paw Print, the Wilsonville Broadcasting Network keeps our school up to date and in the know. But who is the student behind every article?

Picture+taken+during+WBNs+Media+Day+field+trip+to+the+University+of+Oregon.+Students+from+every+journalism+class+came+and+received+many+awards.

Claudia Molatore

Picture taken during WBN’s Media Day field trip to the University of Oregon. Students from every journalism class came and received many awards.

From choir showcases to homecoming games, and everything in between, Wilsonville Broadcasting Network provides coverage on everything students at Wilsonville High School could possibly need. Behind every article, social media post, and broadcast is a student journalist. 

Journalism is one of the many electives offered at Wilsonville High School. Most well known for their presence on social media and the school newspaper, journalism students are responsible for keeping the student body in the know of just about everything going on in the Wilsonville community. 

However, many students don’t know just how much effort and teamwork goes into planning, writing, and editing all the articles posted both on the Wilsonville Broadcasting Network and the Paw Print. The journalism teams dedicate hours upon hours of time in order to ensure that their sections are well written and cover a wide variety of topics.

Aside from writing articles, journalism students also have the opportunity to announce sports events, interview students from different backgrounds, and even create their own podcasts. Taking journalism as an elective allows students to develop skills that are different from normal core classes.

It’s almost impossible to describe all of the different ins and outs of being a student in journalism. However, nobody knows journalism like Mr. Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has been the journalism teacher for almost five years. Before journalism was even offered as an actual class, he was the advisor for the journalism club.

Having seen students come in knowing the bare minimum of what goes into reporting to becoming fully fledged journalists and editors, Fitzgerald knows that with the hard work put into making content comes the opportunity to develop skills that are beneficial to life beyond high school. “One of the best opportunities that students in journalism have is to develop communication skills. I always think that people are going to be ready to be active in their college community via social media communicating and just being able to address a broader audience in general,” he commented.

For those interested in journalism but not quite sure just what it takes to be part of the team, Wilsonville High School offers a variety of levels of journalism, with the primary one being Journalism 1. This intro class will help students learn how to write to an audience in the style of an article. For students who have already taken either Journalism 1 or AP Language and Composition and want to continue their journalistic aspirations, Journalism 2, 3, and 4 are available. 

According to the students in journalism, the best part about being a part of the Wilsonville Broadcast Network is the community. Alexis McIlmoil, senior, shared her thoughts on what makes journalism such a special class. “There is a lot of freedom of expression in journalism. It’s really self led, but we still have an amazing teacher to guide us. My favorite part of this class is that we get to build up the community through the work that we do.”