Advanced journalism course will continue building students’ media skills

By Evelyn Archibald

Staff Writer

Summit Shasta is wrapping up its first year offering Multimedia Political Journalism as an Expeditions course, and student journalists are ready to continue. While the intro class won’t have the opportunity to be taught at Shasta next year, students can choose to take Advanced Multimedia Political Journalism as an independent study course.

The AMPJ course will use the skills journalism students developed this year – interviewing, reporting, photography, editing articles and video – and build on them in a more self-directed curriculum. Because it is an independent study, students will lead themselves and their peers in the class, taking more responsibility on deadlines and finding stories, going off campus and working in specialized beats such as politics or sports. 

“It’s a really cool opportunity to have at Shasta, especially since we don’t have a normal school newspaper. It’s useful to have that resource, to write and have the freedom to express yourself,” Shasta sophomore Albert Chang-Yoo said about the journalism course.

The class is mainly geared toward students who have taken MPJ already; however, if you haven’t taken that course but are interested in journalism, photojournalism, working in an independent study and current events, you can still apply! 

Rising sophomores and seniors are the target grades, as it is a full-day independent study. If you are interested, have an English teacher, history teacher or Expeditions teacher fill out this form and email the course instructor, Elizabeth DeOrnellas, at edeornellas@summitps.org for more information about the required paperwork. 

Although AMPJ is a form of independent study, students will submit projects through the platform and receive grades based on cognitive skills and focus areas. The course is UC-approved and a VPA credit. For more information, see Shasta freshman Evelyn Archibald who will be the Shasta Editor-in-Chief next year! She can be reached at earchibald.sh@mysummitps.org.

See below for a video about the Advanced Multimedia Political Journalism course:

Featured image (at the top of this post): Shasta freshman Melissa Domingo practices her photography skills.