Spring 2021 Students How 2 Newsletter

Spring 2021

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A newsletter for you, the college student who wants to learn how to do everything better, easier or cheaper

How to cover high school sports

by Jackson Parrish

Portrayal

When covering a high school sport, the main goal of the reporter should be to portray the games to give the audience the sense they were at the game.

Creating imagery around what the athletes were trying to accomplish on the court or field can give the audience a lasting effect of pride for their local teams.

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South Lenoir Bias overing high school sports When a reporter is covering high Cross Country Team requires a sense of patience school sports, one of the most Photo By Jackson Parrish and determination to learn important aspects of their writing the sport(s). The ability to must be their unbiased reporting. understand high school students and their Reporters for a local newspaper passion for sports provides reporters a more in-depth should not have their biased opinions about a team analysis of the game. Of course, it is important for come up in their writing. reporters to show their love for the games they report, and also have pride in what they are reporting, but how According to facinghistory.org, straight news should else can one succeed as a sports reporter? allow readers to develop their own opinions.

Education

To become a high school reporter you must obtain a high school diploma, according to work.chron.com.

Most reporters also have at least a bachelor’s degree in communication. Getting an education is important because reporters must have the writing discpline needed to complete their stories.

Laieke Abebe, writer for WeJournalGreatSports.com, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication with a journalism concentration following the spring 2021 semester.

INSIDE:

Fostering a pet in college

Reporters can risk termination or backlash from the community if the reporter does not give respect to each local high school equally.

Continued on p. 2 Both the content for this newsletter and the design are created by students enrolled in COMM 3310 Copy Editing and Design in the School of Communication at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina during the Spring and Fall semesters under the direction of course instructor Barbara Bullington. We welcome suggestions for article ideas for future issues. For inquiries, please email bullingtonb@ecu.edu

Thank you to communication student Jackson Parrish for his work on the design of this publication.

How to change guitar strings—tips from pros!

High school sports continued from p. 1 Advice

Passion

Abebe stated, “Gain connections with the people who work in respective local athletic programs.”

passionate about high school sports. If a reporter isn’t passionate about the sports they are covering; their reports can come off bland.

Connections are a big key to success for high school reporters.

Being able to connect with the coaches and athletes can give reporters a sense of personal interest in their work. Having the ability to reach out to local programs gives a reporter a sense of confidence in the programs. Understanding how high school programs run their teams can also give reporters an edge when conveying information to an audience.

To be a successful high school reporter is to be

Abebe said, “My favorite thing about covering high school sports is being a mentor to the student-athletes—advising the athletes who need guidance while being objective about their overall goals.”

Maegan Parrish performing at a South Lenoir High School volleyball game

“Write with honesty, and try not to let your sense of pride get in the way of your reporting.”

Photo by Jackson Parrish

Scrimmage from the sidelines in a high school football game.

Public domain image

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How to foster a shelter pet as a student A tale of two roommates and a foster dog named Nori

By Miranda Palandro

“The hardest part about fostering is getting attached with the dog and knowing that they are going to have to leave you.”

Nori in the car

Photo by Miranda Palandro

F

ostering a dog can be life-changing for dog lovers. My roommate, Anna Otto, and I learned this firsthand, and now we want to educate others about the experiece.

We had been searching for a purpose and being responsible for a furry friend is exactly what we needed. If you love dogs, but do not feel like adopting one of your own is in your best interest at the time, fostering may be for you. Fosters give a homeless animal a safe place to stay while waiting for someone who is ready for their own pet to take them home.

Nori backstory

My roommate and I applied to be fosters on the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina’s (HSEC) website. For about a month, we were not able to host a dog because many of their dogs had been adopted.

After anxiously waiting, we learned of Nori, who was looking for some loving friends to stay with until she could find her forever home. Nori was a 1-year-old pit bull-mix pup. We began working with her through her little flaws, in hopes that she will be taken in by a family who loves her as much as we do. Our favorite things to do are take her to a field and watch her run wild, and take her on car

rides so she can stick her head out the window and bark at all the people and dogs on the street.

The end of your fostering journey can be tough, but the satisfaction can be rewarding.

Otto said, “The hardest part about fostering is getting attached with the dog and knowing that they are going to have to leave you.”

Although this is a common fear, the adoption is the happy ending for these animals.

Otto stated, “I will be happy when someone agrees to take Nori home, but I will miss her so much.”

Fostering process

The first step in this process is to look up a local animal shelter online and learn how their fostering program works. Most websites will have applications that one can fill out to apply for fostering.

After applying, stay in contact with someone who works there for updates about pets to foster.

If you are lucky enough to take home a friend, that is when the real fun begins. This is when you can get to know the animal and make sure they are staying happy during this confusing time. Giving v

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Fostering continued from p. 3

How to foster a dog

Nori awaiting her forever home. photo by Miranda Palandro

this pet love is one of the most important things.

Preparing them for a stable home is necessary so they can learn how to act for their future family.

The Humane Society of Eastern Carolina

According to the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina’s website, the organization helped save 436 lives, including cats and dogs through adoption. As of Feb. 1, 2021, 50 of their animals have been adopted into forever homes, and this starts with fostering.

Shelby Jolly, shelter director of HSEC, said her favorite part of working there is, “pulling animals from shelters and finding them homes they deserve but never had.”

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Jolly’s love for animals allows her to “find hope and forgiveness in seeing animals that have been broken by the world light up with everything they do.”

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How to change guitar strings

By Robert Clark

A

round the 1850s, Spanish guitar maker Antonio Torres Jurado developed the modern acoustic instrument. Ever since, guitar strings must be changed and tuned at some point in time.

Richard Tubb, from Richmond, Virginia, who has been a guitar technician since 1995, said, “When they stop being bouncy and fun, it is time to change them.”

Here are four steps to get you through that process.

Step 1: Get the right tools for the job

First and foremost is a new set of strings.

But you will want to purchase two sets. The thought there is that in case you break one from the first set, you have a backup set to replace the string you broke off. Next you will need a string winder, or as they are sometimes called, peg winders, they have the look of a music box handle. This small gadget that will speed up the process of taking off and putting on new strings. Lastly, you will need a pair of pliers or wire clippers. Cut the old strings off and remove the pins from the back bridge of the instrument.

Tight shot o f headstock

Photo by Rob ert

Clark

Step 2: Remove old strings

There are two schools of thought here— whether you should take off one string at a time or take all six off at once. The answer really depends on who you ask. So, let us go with the six strings off at once scenario.

Slacken off all the strings at the headstock of the guitar with your peg winder, so that they are unable to play any notes. Next, cut the strings in half one at a time over the sound hole of the guitar.

Continued on p. 6

d hole and soun e g d i r b k ot of bac Tight sh ert Clark Rob Photo by

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Guitar strings continued from p. 5 Remove the pins from the back bridge; this releases the ball part of the string. Repeat this six times.

Some pins will pull out with finger pressure, or you may need your pliers to pull them out.

Now that the instrument body is clear, take a soft cloth and wipe down the guitar to clear out all the gunk from the fret board and dust off the body.

Make sure you wrap and throw out the used strings right away; they are dangerous for pets and vacuums.

Step 3: Putting on new strings Ideally you should start with the sixth string, which will be the thickest one in the packet. It is called the top E string. Manufactures now color code packets for each string, so getting the thickness right is easier.

“You want a good wrap on it. The string will slack or break, then you have to redo it,” said Scott Richards, country and folk musician since 1984. Richards is from Richmond, Virginia, and member of the band, The Parapets.

Place the ball end of the string into the hole where the pin would sit. Next, align the groove of the pin so that it faces the string, and then insert the pin into the hole. The ball end has to be wedged between the pin and the bridge body. This ensures that the round end becomes firmly secured against the pin. When you start tension on the string, you do not want the pin popping out.

You do not want to over tighten; just make sure it is enough to start getting a note out of the string. And be careful with the bottom E string, this is the thinnest, and tends to break.

Step 4: Tuning the Guitar

E-A-D-G-B-E are the six open string notes that generally correspond with an acoustic guitar—the top E being the lowest note and the bottom E being the highest.

There are many types of tuners out there. If you have a cell phone, you can find free ones to download; the microphone will pick up any note you are looking and listening for. The other option is a headstock tuner.

This product clips to the headstock of the guitar and reads the vibration of each note, and also displays a digital readout for your convenience. Keep in mind with both these types of tuners, you will have to retune a couple of times because the new strings are stretching during this process.

Remember, along with playing guitar, you are also learning the upkeep that goes with the instrument.

Changing strings is just one part of the maintenance that goes with this wood and metal music machine.

If you take care of it, you can play beautiful music for years to come.

“You do not want loose pins coming out when tightening a new set,” said Tubb, guitar tech.

Take the free end of the string and thread it through the hole of the corresponding tuning peg for the next step. Make sure you leave one and a half inches of extra length for the wrap around the peg. You want it to wrap towards the inside of the guitar head stock.

When you’re ready to wrap, use the over-under technique.

As you are slowly turning the tuning peg with your winder to tighten, make one complete coil on the peg above the thread hole. The remainder of the coils should be below the thread hole. This will lock the string into place.

c guitar

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Length shot of acousti Photo by Robert Clark