SPOKE Statement of Interest 2020-2021

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Conestoga High School’s STAFF STATEMENT OF INTEREST 2020-21 Who We Are: The Spoke is a co-curricular class that produces Conestoga High School’s nationally recognized and award-winning student newspaper. The paper is student-run and a public forum for student expression. A managerial board of student editors oversees all staff members and the production of The Spoke, including editorial decision-making, story selection, editing and layout. Staff members cover events and issues concerning the Conestoga and Tredyffrin/Easttown communities. They contribute to the paper by covering beats, generating story ideas, engaging in research, conducting in-the-field interviews and writing one to two stories per issue. The Spoke is published seven times a school year. In addition to reporter positions, specialty areas on the staff include business, photography, videography, design for print and web, audio production and social media management. What is Required of the Staff: The Spoke involves work completed mostly outside of the classroom. Research, interviews and writing are expected to be accomplished outside of class time. During class, students engage in activities to strengthen their reporting and media skills; however, students who join The Spoke are expected to possess a strong ability to write effectively. Being an effective reporter involves writing with attention to detail and economy of words, while still exhibiting creativity. In addition to their out-of-class reporting duties, students will also be assigned homework to be completed outside of class as a means of strengthening their reporting skills. Students applying to The Spoke should be interested in journalistic writing and able to meet deadlines daily. All staff writers are supervised by the editorial board and must work with editors during newspaper production. Staff members meet days 1, 2, 3 in the six-day cycle. Editors meet every day. If You Wish to Express Interest: Forms are available in Room 280, Student Services and can be downloaded from spoke.news. Your packet must be completed and returned to Mrs. Gregory or Mrs. Hyatt, either in their mailboxes or Room 280 by Wednesday, March 4.

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SPOKE APPLICATION 2020-21 Name

Grade Next year

School (Circle)

Conestoga High School

Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School

Valley Forge Middle School

Current English Teacher

Homeroom

Have you expressed interest in the Spoke before?

Yes

No

Please answer the following questions. Type and tape onto this document (preferred). 1. Keeping in mind what you know about The Spoke, please describe how you would be an asset to the newspaper (100-150 words). Consider work ethic, writing ability, interpersonal skills, interest in journalism (reporting, writing, design, photography, multi-media).

Please circle any other school activities/extracurricular activity you anticipate joining in the 2020-21 school year. Fall Sport

Choral Group

Student Council

Winter Sport

Band or Music Group

Yearbook or Literary Magazine

Spring Sport

Key Club

Drama or Theatre Production

Model UN

Peer Mediation

Stage Crew

Other (this may be an activity inside or outside of school):

Will you take a class that will also occur 8th period (band, choir, etc.)?

If yes, what?

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AREAS OF INTEREST Please rank the following areas of the newspaper in the order in which they interest you. Number the areas 1, 2, 3, etc. (1 being of most interest to you). _____

Covering sports events

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____

Covering news events

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____

Opinion pieces

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____

Free-hand cartooning/illustration

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____ Graphic design (using Illustrator to create graphics)

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____ Photography

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____ Digital media

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____ Website and social media

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

_____ Advertising/Business Administration

Do you have experience? YES

NO, but I’m willing to learn

Page Layout (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop)

If you have experience in any of these areas (if you’ve circled “YES”), please elaborate in Q #1 on the preceding page.

Please see below for requirements. Provide samples according to the position you are interested in. Work Samples (if you are applying for cartoons or graphics, skip #1) 1. Submit an original news article with a proper headline. The article should deal with a school activity or event and include facts and multiple interviews. Word length: 300-400 words. Include your word count at the end. You must include at least two photographs from the event. 2. Submit a story idea sheet (one page) that pitches two possible stories that the Spoke could cover. For each story proposal, you should include the 5Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why, how). You may write this in list form; no need for complete sentences and paragraphing. 3. If you are interested in cartooning or graphics, please include at least three samples of your work.

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TEACHER RECOMMENDATION FORM FOR THE

SPOKE

English teachers: THANK YOU for taking the time to fill out this recommendation form for this Spoke applicant. We appreciate and value your feedback! We’d like to have all application materials back to us by WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, if possible.

Student Name: _____________________________ Current English Course: ________________________Level: Academic/ X / H / AP Student is on-time, focused and meets deadlines. Never

Rarely

Most of the time

Always

Student’s writing is CONCISE, yet engaging. Never

Rarely

Most of the time

Always

Most of the time

Always

Student acts upon teacher feedback. Never

Rarely

Student possesses a go-getter, take-charge attitude and would feel comfortable seeking out sources, conducting face-to-face interviews with peers and adults. Never

Rarely

Most of the time

Always

Student demonstrates problem solving abilities and resilience. Never

Rarely

Most of the time

Always

Did the student attend class regularly, or were there frequent absences? _____________________________ Overall, do you recommend this student for newspaper (circle your response)? Strongly recommend

Recommend

Recommend with reservations

Do not recommend

Additional comments: Teacher Name: ________________________________________________ Signature:

Date:

Thank you! Susan and Cyndi

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