By Joe Skoog ’13
THE ROUNDUP
For the students in Mr. Mica Mulloy’s ’99 Journalism I class, things can seem quite daunting.
Introduction to the writing styles of journalism is a new experience for many, and there are a lot of pressures that spawn from the “hit the ground running” mentality that The Roundup has.
The Roundup staff consists of two groups of students that meet during the same class period. First year students make up the Journalism I class and second year students make up the Photojournalism course.
Most learning is done on the job which causes many skills to be learned by the staff members as they go.
Certain lingo is picked up upon, such as “graf,” “nut graf,” “lede,” and “slug.”
Writing “ledes” and bylines, completing budget forms and multiples rounds of revisions become standard practice.
The writing done in Journalism class is a far cry from the traditional Jane Schaffer format that many are used to at Brophy.
Despite this new writing style, and other various quirks of the journalism world, all of the students in Journalism I catch on quickly.
This introduction of new students to The Roundup helps add new perspectives and ideas to the paper and can help show the talents of students.
While most of the layout/design work on the paper is done by the Photojournalism students, specifically the editors, the opportunity is given to the Journalism I students to help out and make a difference on the paper.
Late Night Layout, which takes place once a month and involves formatting and laying out the paper after school, is a good experience for Journalism I students who want to see how a lot of the work is done on The Roundup.
Over the course of the year, Journalism I students usually find their very own writing niche on the paper.
For instance, I have taken a keen interest in writing opinion articles.
This sentiment of attachment to specific kinds of stories can be echoed by many students in Journalism I.
Next year, the Journalism I students have a chance to be more involved in the creative process of The Roundup and can help shape it to remain as good as it is this year.