John Jay Journalism

Yes! Yearbooks matter! And, for those students who have not purchased one, ONLY 29 of the 2008 yearbooks are still available for $65 on a first-come, first-serve basis in room F126; see Mr. Serna. Don't miss out on this highly pictorial, memory-filled issue.

"Photographs may be more memorable than moving images because they are a neat slice of time, not a flow. ... Each still photograph is a privileged moment, turned into a slim object that one can keep and look at again." ~ Susan Sontag

Yearbooks, through their photos and feature articles, provide the "slice of time" that Sontag speaks of; moreover, they also provide a slice of student life, which becomes more than a historical record. With time, memories fade. However, a photo, caption and short article, help recall those special occasions, classmates and teachers.

Jay's Yearbook Journalism curriculum will integrate feature writing, designing pages and photographing students and faculty to help students build on their journalistic and artistic skills. Students will write regularly, design an entire yearbook, Hoofprints, and search out the images needed to illustrate the articles and theme of the yearbook.

Our goal: To work together as a team — students, parents, advisor and administrators — to achieve success in Yearbook production and begin to prepare students for careers in journalism, photojournalism, magazine design and college. Students are encouraged to seek out their own story leads, as well as produce feature and news-style writing on specific assignments. Many assignments, such as sports and club activities, happen after school and Yearbook staff need to cover these events to supplement the academic portion of the Yearbook. Students will need strong parental support. Every section of the Yearbook is crucial to providing an accurate time capsule of John Jay during 2007-2008.

| Period 2 | Period 5 |

Advanced Photojournalism: Producing Hoofprints Photos
2nd Period
Yearbook Photography — We will concentrate on acquiring the best digital images for use in the 2007 edition of Hoofprints, John Jay High School's yearbook. In addition to focusing on the elements of sports, feature and portrait photography, this course will delve into the digital darkroom with Photoshop. Additionally, photojournalism students will learn the 5W's and H: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. By learning to answer these, we will begin the journalistic style of caption writing, which will involve the recursiveness of the writing process.
Our assignments will involve acquiring feature photos of students, sports photography and "Student on the Campus" lifestyle images. Other objectives will include using voice, some descriptive language, dialogue, in the form of quotes, and concentrating on a good lead for short feature stories. Along the way, we will read news and feature stories, learn from them how authors use words to bring us into their worlds; we will ultimately produce our own stories. Our photo research will include Time, Newsweek and National Geographic online magazines, as well as the San Antonio Express-News.

| Period 2 | Period 5 |

Advanced Journalism Yearbook (1, 2, 3): Producing Hoofprints
5th Period
     Yearbook Production— We will focus on theme, feature writing (concentrating on the 5W's and H: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How), basics in photography that includes obtaining the correct caption information and basics in layout and design with the InDesign CS program.
     In this course, setting deadlines and adhering to them is tantamount to succeeding with a great product — a visually appealing and well-written Yearbook. We will determine the production schedule needed to obtain the elements of this year's edition of Hoofprints. Additionally, staff positions and assignments will be determined to obtain the most efficient features and photography. Along the way, we will read news and feature stories, learn from them how authors use words to bring us into their worlds; we will ultimately produce our own stories. Our image research will include Time, Newsweek and National Geographic online magazines, as well as the San Antonio Express-News.
     Students will also attempt to sell ads for the yearbook. Marketing techniques, which are part of advertising a product, will be introduced, discussed and implemented.