THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 1, 1995 TAG: 9509290149
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
STANDING ATOP a stool in the middle of Room 308, dressed in a hot pink suit, Kellam High School teacher Karen Johnston reminded a group of students of their course's unique philosophy.
``It's different,'' she announced to the handful of sophomores and juniors, who were startled by her pose. ``That's what this class is all about.''
She was referring to Print Communications, a two-year pilot program introduced to both Kellam and Bayside high schools this year.
The class is a student-centered elective designed to expose high schoolers to the print communications industry through avenues such as journalism, photography, publishing and marketing.
``We look at how the various publications are fabricated from conception to generation,'' said Evan Jackson, core teacher at Bayside.
The class is taught by one core teacher, who consults and team teaches with those experienced in the related disciplines. Jackson co-teaches with English and journalism teacher Sheila Cooper at Bayside.
``The teachers are the textbook,'' said Johnston, the lead teacher at Kellam. Team members there include marketing teacher Linda Babb, as well as technology education teachers Wayne Pond and Michael Vanture.
The course not only gives students what it takes to compare and contrast publication aspects such as layout, content and purpose, but Print Communications also seeks to teach them real skills. Hands-on activities will allow them to utilize desktop publishing hardware and software, so they can work in various departments of student publications, as well as develop marketing strategies to promote publications and events.
``That's what we're trying to stress here,'' Jackson said of the academic and vocational relationship. ``We want the students to physically apply their academic learning.''
Creating greeting cards, bumper stickers and T-shirts are some of the upcoming projects, while the students' final activity will require them to make a newspaper, magazine or book.
``We're going to produce a final product,'' Jackson said. ``That's where our course is unique.''
Teachers of the course are also looking outside of the classroom, so students can see their studies come to life in the real world. Guest speakers, field trips and job shadowing experiences are in the works, and teachers hope to link classroom activities to the work place by involving professionals from the community.
``Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, a job is worth a thousand words,'' Jackson said. ``It's hard for students to understand it until they actually see it.''
Although the curriculum was written over the summer, it was first introduced last spring, after being passed by the School Board in March.
The interest outweighed the availability, especially at Kellam, where 158 students signed up for the 24 available spots. Johnston said the students were hand-picked after everything - from their semester grades to their writing skills - was reviewed.
Only one section could be offered at each school because of teacher availability.
Students involved said signing up was a good choice.
``It's interesting, it's fun and we're going to be doing a lot of things,'' said 14-year-old Toni Cerino, a sophomore at Kellam who is considering a career in journalism. ``The experience with computers will always come in handy.''
Bryan Walker, 17, a senior at Bayside, agreed. ``It just interested me from the start,'' he said. ``I'm really into computers.''
Benefits of Print Communications extend beyond the students in the class. Involving teachers from different subjects gives them the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience outside of their territory, as well as work with another batch of teachers.
Other students are profiting also since many have access to the labs at the schools, each housing $50,000 worth of new equipment, including 15 IBM computers, two laser printers and a scanner.
``This stuff can be used eight bells a day,'' said Johnston, referring to both school and after-school time.
Next summer, the developers of the curriculum will meet to compare notes and see what has worked and what hasn't. Since it's a two-year pilot, the earliest Print Communications could hit other schools is 1997.
``I'm hoping that we get enough stuff out there and into the hands of the right people,'' Jackson said. ``We need to make a real concerted effort to have more sections of this course in the future. It's preparing the students for the world of work - they're not all going to go to college.''
He added, ``The more technical skills a student has, the better off he or she is going to be.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by HOLLY WESTER
Karen Johnston teaches news elements to Print Communications
students at Kellam High. Ryan Anderson, a 10th-grader, listens in.
Toni Cerino, left, and Shivhan Daniels, both sophomores, look over
magazine layouts in Kellam High's Print Communications class.
Graphic
PRINT COMMUNICATIONS JOB MARKET
Print Communications has significant employment implications in the
job market, according to the Virginia Employment Commission's
``Industry and Occupational Employment Projections: 1990-2005,''
issued in May 1994. These are some of Virginia's projections:
Occupations 1990 2005<
< (employment) (projected)
Artists, commercial artists 2,654 3,743
Marketing, advertising, PR managers 9,764 14,689
Offset press operators 1,540 2,061
Technical writers 1,407 2,127
Writers and editors 4,296 5,405
Photographers 2,654 3,565
by CNB