GMHS dual enrollment journalism course

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Granby Memorial High School and Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) are collaborating to create a new dual enrollment journalism course for high school students. This class offers a collegiate-level understanding of journalism by mirroring CCSU’s Journalism 200 course. The new curriculum provides more introductory level journalism content and three college credits. 

Mary Whittemore, a third-year English teacher at GMHS, is spearheading the dual enrollment course. Whittemore connected with CCSU to create this class by using a state grant specifically designed to fund dual enrollment programs. With the help of Central staff, Vivian Martin, chair of the journalism department, and Katherine Farrish, a former professor, this program was ready to teach by the fall of 2024.

This new curriculum consists of journalism basics including essential questions such as why journalism is important in a democracy, how a news article is different from an essay, the ethics of the profession and what journalism itself can provide for the community.

Whittemore has already seen the benefits of this collaboration because she is working with professional journalists who are “helpful with providing materials and insight.” The class has also had more opportunities to interview people this semester such as Dr. Laura Saunders, director of The Center for Gender at the Institute of Living in Hartford and Officer Nichole Abalan with the Granby Police Department. Whittemore hopes to bring her journalism class to Central next semester, where they will have the opportunity to explore the campus and look at the television studio as well as learn about the journalism program Central offers.

The final project in this course demonstrates what students learned in the form of a news article. This work is sent to Central, allowing them to look at the progress of the class. Most of the students chose to write about lockdown drills. In the brainstorming process, students came up with a list of what should be considered when looking at lockdown protocols. Some of them suggested requiring martial arts classes for students or adding baseball bats in classrooms to help students feel more protected. Others explored how video games factor into this issue of violence, and the realistic prognosis of what happens in lockdowns. From this point, each student got to choose an angle that sparked their interest. For their research process, they were able to interview Michael Dunn, principal of Granby Memorial High School, and Officer Abalan.  Whittemore noted that “it was probably one of the most excited I’ve ever seen students” when talking about how students reacted when recognizing the common interest in this topic.

Whittemore, Martin and Farrish continue to work in the journalism field because they know how special this profession is. Whittemore believes “journalism is not dead. We cannot let it die,” and emphasizes that the things society notices matter and should not go unreported. Martin reminds people that “given the times we are in we need strong journalists” and that you must be flexible with your career path because your dream career will not come right away. Farrish mentions that “we need independent ethical journalists more than ever in our democracy” and that the major itself teaches so many important skills that can be used in many professions. Because of their dedication to this field, GMHS students now get a more in depth look into this exciting and dynamic field.