Adviser Profile: Jeff Carter, Hartford Union High School by Haley Walters
students who didn’t really like to write but still needed the credit,” Carn the 12 years Jeff Carter has adter said. “It took a few years to realvised Hartford Union High School’s ly change that stigma that had been newspaper, The Hartford Chroni- created through the school prior to cle, he has incorporated his experi- me getting there.” ence as a journalist to improve the He started by recruiting students quality of the publication and teach through English classes who had his students. strong writing abilities and work ethBefore coming to the HC, Carter ics to report for the newspaper. Stuworked as a sports reporter, photog- dents then had to go through an aprapher, disc jockey, and radio sports plication process to be accepted onto director. He also reported for his high the staff where they were expected to school and college newspapers. write, take photos, design pages and “Having the professional experi- generate story ideas. ence has given me a better idea of “I tried to turn [The HC] into somenot just academically how to teach it, thing that’s more professional and but also how to prepare students for for students who are more high-level what their general experience would students and who could handle the be when they may go to work for a responsibility of independent work newspaper or go into college,” Carter and being able to write in a lot of said. “I saw a lot of what worked and different styles,” Carter said. “[The what didn’t work from the managers HC is] for students who are ready for and advisers. I took a lot of that and thinking and writing and working toadapted what they did well and did gether collaboratively.” that with the newspaper.” Throughout his years as an advisLast year, the HC took first place at er, Carter said he has seen a shift in NEWSPA for a newspaper publication the way news is delivered and written produced in a class at a large school. as the HC starts to adapt to online Carter attributes the win to the hard journalism. work and leadership skills staff mem“Journalistic writing and reportbers demonstrate while producing ing, whether it’s in a print format or the monthly paper. online hasn’t really “When you look Go with what your passion altered that much, at the newspaper is. If you love it, don’t listen it’s just the way it’s itself, whether it’s going out to the to the people who say jour- public,” Carter said. print or online, most nalism is perishing and you “The only nuance-y people don’t appreciate how much efthings with digital won’t make any money. fort goes into makJeff Carter is that things have ing it what it is,” to be a little more Hartford Chronicle Adviser concise and the Carter said. When Carter importance of the came to the HC, he began working on headline has value.” transforming the publication from a Carter said he has been attendnews magazine with sub-par content ing NEWSPA for about 12 years and to a newspaper utilizing journalistic it has become huge help in pushing techniques similar to professional his students to take the newspaper publications. seriously and produce a good publi“When I first started, it was more cation. of a magazine format and the class “The editors who are returning was sort of a dumping ground for know what the NEWSPA conference is
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Photo courtesy of world wide web
Jeff Carter is the adviser of Hartford Union High School’s student newspaper The Hartford Chronicle. coming since they’ve been to the conference and understand they can get awards and they get recognized for their work and the paper as a whole,” Carter said. “It really becomes a strong motivator for the students, especially the returners, to make the paper great.” According to Carter, one of the best aspects of NEWSPA is the individual recognition it gives to students. “A lot of the other organizations, like KEMPA for example, only recognize the publication as a whole,” Carter said. “It’s nice to get the students recognized individually for what they were able to do.” Carter said students who love writing and are determined to succeed shouldn’t be afraid to pursue a career in journalism. “Go with what your passion is,” Carter said. “If you love it, don’t listen to the people who say journalism is perishing and you won’t make any money. With any profession those things can be very true, but with any profession somebody who is determined and focused can accomplish those things.”