Plan for s2 feature & update

This weekend/ monday: Get interviews from a few (at least 2) students and hopefully mrs.Timberlake
Next week: Rough draft of piece
Thus far I have emailed a few students to ask if they would be willing to be interviewed.

Questions to ask:
-Basic background questions about how long they have been going to TA, where they went to middle school, what grade they're in, etc.
-How old were you when you realized your identity?
-When you came out, how did you identify yourself (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, etc.)?
-How old were you when you first told someone?
-What was that persons reaction?
-If you have been "outed" unwillingly, what happened?
-When would you say were you really "out" to everyone or most people?
-Was there something in particular that drove you to come out at that time?
-What have peoples reactions been in general?
-How did your friends take it?
-How did your family take it/ have you told your family?
-At TA, how accepted do you feel/ is there a lot of support?
-Have you ever experienced homophobia here at TA or elsewhere?
            ~Elaborate?
-What advice would you give to someone wanting/trying to come out?
-If you could do it all again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
-Are there any other experiences that stand out to you in regards to coming out?

Vocab lesson 6

Sedulous scientists with great affluence have been conducting research in Chile to determine if stress has an impact on the sex of a newborn baby. The scientists carefully perused the records of a a stressful 2005 earthquake. The bedlam the earthquake caused was definitely a sudden wake up call from their normally banal lives. One can imagine that the imminent danger would cause pregnant mothers to panic, being momentarily scurrilous, but what does this have to do with the sex of a baby? Based on the study, extreme stress during the third month of pregnancy reduced the ration of male to female births, which is normally 51:49. During times of stress this is reduced to 45:55. This is related to previous research, which shows that male fetuses need more recourses from their mother, and be less robust than females, and less capable of adapting to a stressful environment. It would be extremely amoral for a women to induce stress to try and influence the sex of her unborn child, and she would likely feel much antipathy from others. It is recommended that pregnant women try to eschew from any onerous situations, such as stress.
While fetuses in non stressful situations can often be obdurate during birth, the study shows that stressed fetuses are often born premature. The study of the 2005 earthquake was used to elucidate that idea as well. The denouement of the article concludes that in some way, stress and sex of a child is related. This is not a parody.


http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/stressearlyinpregnancylinkedtofewerbabyboys

Story Idea for s2

I'm not sure exactly yet what I want to do, but I was thinking of profiling a few students about what it is like to come ut in high school. I could also talk to ms. Timberlake, as she is the faculty advisor for GSTA. Do you think this is a good idea?

Quick Story- Pink Ribbon Club

Thornton Academy has always been a powerful force in the Saco community when it comes to breast cancer awareness. One thing in particular that student have participated in is Marys Walk in the spring. In the fall, students rallied together on pink week to support teachers and friends in the school by wearing pink. As winter approaches, students of TA are coming together again, by starting the Pink Ribbon Club. The Club was started by Chloe Eisenhaur, Sam Schildroth, and teacher, Mrs. Arenstam. The club wishes to raise awareness about breast cancer. It is the second high school chapter in Maine of the Pink Ribbon Club. The first meeting will be on December 15. Chloe and Sam approached Mrs. Arenstam about being the faculty advisor for the group, and since then they have had their first meeting, and even a few fundraising ideas. January 24, there will be a basketball against Biddeford, in which a portion of the ticket sales will go toward the group and their efforts. They will aslo be selling pink ribbon lolly pops. The group will likely be meeting once a week to start, and then a few times each month. Although they have only had one meeting, “There has been a huge interest from students,” says Mrs. Arenstam. The group is bound to be a success among TA students.

Final Draft of Model UN

The basement I walk into is painted a stark white. The air smells of floor cleaner, and the rug beneath my toes is still lightly damp. The large room is practically bare of furniture, a single couch, a television, and a ping-pong table. The ping-pong table is half folded up and pushed against the wall. Scattered across the top are a dozen thick-paged books, a laptop, and a stack of notebooks. Sitting at the end of the table, she closes her laptop and looks at me. “Welcome to my bat cave,” she says in a joking tone. It is a much different Amelia than the assertive senior who stepped up on stage during a school meeting, sporting a faux leather jacket and sexy high heeled boots, to present the new Model United Nations club to students.

Model United Nations is a program that is modeled after the real United Nations, an idea originally presented by Woodrow Wilson. At first called the League of Nations, the group held simulations of real life problems going on in the world. Model UN’s main goal is to educate school aged children about other cultures and other countries. It strives to allow them to experience and solve the sorts of problems that countries are, or potentially could be, working through. It’s overall goal is to promote world peace. Model UN is not like speech or debate, it is less of a competition and more of a learning experience. There are several huge conferences for Model UN world wide, and also many smaller ones. TA's Model UN will be attending a Harvard conference this spring to show off their skills.

Model UN is in its first year at Thornton Academy, and was founded by senior, Amelia Courtney. The group of 15 or so has no officers, and is “not about a hierarchy,”  the whole point is to promote peace. Amelia sought out history teacher, Mr. Grasso, to advise and run the group. Amelia first got the idea about starting the club when watching the news one day. Amelia clearly has a thirst for knowledge that is uncommon in most high school students. With all of her AP and honors courses, it’s hard to believe that she has time to devote to the group, let alone the will to do so.

Don’t get the idea that academics and success is Amelia’s only concern. What she really wants to accomplish this year, is for the group to have a fantastic time at the Harvard conference. She wants the group to be educational beneficial, of course, but more importantly she seems to want everyone to just have a good time with it. Amelia is quite obviously excited about the club, and what it could lead to in the future, “Not only do I get to be a bad ass in a suit and be smarter than everyone, but I get to share that with my friends and peers.”

Before going to the Harvard conference, the group will receive one or two countries to research inside and out. At the conference, they will be presented with a number of problems, and expected to communicate with other countries to solve and respond to issues and disaster situations. The UN itself acts as a sort of referee for other countries, and Model UN is a simulation of that. Although titles and awards can be won for the school, it is not the purpose of the group. It creates a positive environment for debate, teaches students to work with others, and gives them the tools they need to respond to emergencies as a group.

Amelia is hoping to be assigned Egypt as the group’s country. “It has such fantastic problems to fix.” With the recent revolution, and with all the ancient civilizations to research, it’s no wonder why she is so eager to study the country.  Amelia is currently enrolled in the X-block Arabic class, a common language in Egypt, and has always been in love with learning about Egyptian culture.

Ultimately, she believes that as a whole, the group is going to learn a lot, and she couldn't be happier that she decided to get the group started. In the future, she believes Model UN will group tremendously, and be a truly positive and influential force in the school community.


I was having a hard time attaching the picture onto here, or even dragging it in.

Quick Story Monday

Quick Story Monday
Breast Cancer Awareness Interview With Mrs. Cody
By Rachel Chenard, Damion Taylor, Allyssa MacCabe, and Ian Maksut

Breast cancer can affect men and women, and here at Thornton Academy, it seems most people you talk to has in some way been affected by breast cancer. A beloved Latin teacher, Sally Cody, knows all too well the effects that breast cancer can have on ones life. As a breast cancer survivor, along with Patty Parisien, the two spearheaded Pink Week this past week. The two shared their very hopeful stories at school meeting last Monday, kicking off the week. Their stories raised many questions from both students and teachers alike, causing the week to be both educational and hopeful for many whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. Mrs. Cody seems more than open to answering questions, “If it helps somebody out, I’ll share.”

According to Cody, pink week was a huge success, “The pink was amazing...that kind of support means a lot.” Cody mentioned that it was the little things that effected her most, for example, “many kids showed me their pink clothing. In study halls they would ask me to make a pink week sign.” Although the money has yet to be tallied, it seems that it really is not important. The goal of the week was simply to raise awareness of this disease. Whether it be the jar of coins from the middle school, or the 20 dollar bills contributed by staff, all the donations are greatly appreciated. Ultimately, the success of pink week was profound, showing how caring the school community is.

Vocab # 3

2 12 year old girls who had previously lived a fairly pedestrian life just discovered that they had been switched at birth. After the adventitious discovery, the parents were offered the bona fide offer to switch the girls back, but both the children and parents refused. It began when the ex husband of one of the mothers refused to pay child support because of the lack of resemblance to his daughter. His ex wife tried to extenuate the situation by getting multiple DNA tests, revealing that neither parent was biologically related to their daughter. Both parents were completely obfuscated. The event was obviously a cataclysm in both families lives. After importuning their parents, the girls lives are now very much intertwined. Many would think that the experience would have impaled the family bond, but in reality it brought them closer, and in many ways even edified them. They all had to deviate from their normal lives, and expand their once parochial view of life. In the end it turned out to be an optimum situation, and gave them a much more ambiguous view of the world around them. The family brought the hospital to court, and the judge glowered at the culprits, ordering that they pay the family 160,000 dollars for emotional damage.


http://gma.yahoo.com/switched-birth-girls-want-stay-wrong-moms-160048481.html

Photo Captions

Captions: little titles
Cutlines: Words describing the picture
Information you should have:
-Who is that?
-Why is the picture here?
-What's going on?
-When and Where?
-Why do they look that way?
-How did this occur?

-Don't editorialize
-Explain unknown
-Reflect image
-Check spelling
-Shorter is better
-Don't elaborate too much

Great Picture

Prakash Hatvalne (Bhopal, India)
Photographed June 2008, Bhopal, India

Hatvalne, who has worked as a photojournalist for the past two decades, was taken by the dancers’ fastidious preparations before a performance. “I love photographing people,” he says. “I also sometimes photograph landscapes as well, but there is no better landscape than a human face.”

What I really liked about this picture was the perspectives. It almost seems like the photographer was in the camera taking a picture of what was going on. In addition to that, the girl in the background is reflected in the mirror, making it almost seem like there are more people in the room. I also like that the photo is not specifically focused on either of the girls. In relation to my own picture, I could maybe use some of these different perspective elements. 
For my own photos, I will probably have one of Amelia next to a UN flag, and maybe an artsy kind of picture of her desk. 

Profile of Heidi

She stands quietly in front of a small group of teenagers, catching her breath before beginning. She shuts her eyes, takes a moment to herself. As she begins, she transforms, a much different women than the one who stood, breathing deeply, only seconds earlier. Her voice rages across the once silent library, commanding all to listen to her story. She gasps for breath, as one line of poetry feeds into another, and suddenly ends.


-Met Wil at a manchester reading and the "immediately clicked"
-Lives in a poet house in portland
-Started sharing in high school
-In college brought poems to a cement bench and would stand up and read them
-"A women, a red dress, lighting a cigarette on a lonely street corner in the middle of a snowstorm."

Chapter 4 notes

-Inverted pyramid= facts descending from most to least important
-Answer what, who, where, when,  why, and how before lead and body are written
-Writing a focus statement is helpful and keeps writer on track
--"fleshing out" in the body paragraphs
-paragraphs should be brief
-Save an especially interesting quote for near the end to keep the reader hooked
-Use third person pronouns
-USe transitions to tie words together
-Using quotes and citing is vital to establishing credibility
-editorializing: Unattributed and attributed opinion in a news story
-Opinions and facts should be quoted directly
-What would this direct quote contribute to my story?
-Ask questions that will elicit quotes
-Good news writing doesn't lack color and occasional drama
-Begin each paragraph with a significant or interesting fact
-using familiar words is a good thing
-Active-voice verbs are better than passive

Homecoming- Quick Monday

Rachel Chenard

Damion Taylor

Just as the sun is rising on the horizon, a small group of seniors gathers. With buckets of glitter glue, and dozens of posters, they begin putting the final touches on the senior homecoming float. It is a tradition that has been part of the TA community for as long as anyone can remember. A hectic day, starting with the parade, followed by the homecoming football game, and ending with a dance. This years homecoming was particularly special, as it was their 200th.
Homecoming, this year, went beyond the regular crazy day. For the first time ever, the halls of the school were decked out in maroon and gold streamers, and it seemed like every day there was some sort of alumni event. Although it as a shortened week, spirit week still went on. The days this year were tie-dye, western, and maroon and gold. Winner of spirit week for the boys was Goliath VanAlphen, and there was a tie for the girls between Miranda Gionest and Darian Jenkerson. As a whole, the Junior class dominated in both spirit week and the tug of war. However, at the night rally later that evening, the alumni won out over the Juniors.
Senior, Alex Vieira, a member of student council spent the whole week involved with homecoming events. Led by president Amanda Robinson, the senior student council worked non-stop to make a winning float for the parade, decorate their hallway, and decorate for the dance.
The dance this year was a huge success, says Vieira, despite the threats of the “spotlight.” About a thousand tickets were sold, a record for the Homecoming dance. “It being the bicentennial year was really special, and everyone was really involved,” states Vieira, who knows first hand how hard students worked to make this a homecoming to remember.

Christenbury for Mayor

Christenbury for Mayor.

Jeffrey Christenbury has lived in Saco since the age of five and currently works for Thornton Academy as the head of TATV, aired on channel three. Christenbury states that he has always been interested in politics, being a former city council member, has recently had the desire to run for the Mayor of Saco. Christenbury will run against Mark Johnston, a former 6 time mayor in the November 8th election.

If elected mayor, he hopes to bring small business back to Saco and “continue to make it a destination” He stated he would like to “bring life back to the Saco downtown and create business appealing to the students of Thornton.” He hopes that if downtown becomes a hot spot for shopping, it will bring people into the local restaurants and stores and put money back into the community to prepare for the economic rebound.

Christenbury is determined to set a positive tone for the community by continuing with our education, low taxes, and keeping fresh ideas flowing in the community.Throughout the beginning stages of his campaign he has started a website and a Facebook page, which currently has “77 likes”, hoping to continue with the younger generation movement. Within the next week he hopes to put yard signs up in the local area. He also stated he will go “door to door” to meet members of the town, instead of doing more of the talking he will do more of the listening, to understand the citizens concerns.

Ways to begin a feature story- notes

-Delayed lead (anecdote or description)
-After the lead comes the "nut graf." This tells the reader what the story is actually about
-The opener has to make sense with the article, and not just be colorful for the sake of being colorful
-If the writer can startle you at first, they will likely have you hooked the whole time
-Resist the urge to start with a quote

I'll probably start my article (at least the rough draft) with a description of the setting I am interviewing Amelia in. Where we are, how she got there, etc... try to paint a picture of the type of person she is without actually saying it. This might change in the final draft, as I may use an interview with Mr. Grasso, or of when I sit in on a meeting.
Another idea is that I could start off by describing a super intense news story that Amelia, or one of the other club members, is learning about so that they can discuss during one of the meetings. I think I will wait to make that final decision on the first few paragraphs until I see what my realistic possibities are, though.

Still life photo

My Feature plan

I've decided that for the first feature I write I am going to write about the Model UN club that is starting for the first time this year at TA. I will sit in on one of their meetings to observe, and hopefully get an interview with Mr. Grasso, who is the advisor for the group. I will also be interviewing Amelia Courtney, who originally started the group and who I believe is president of the club. If I can, and if it works in my feature, I may interview another person in the club to get their perspective.
As far as the rough draft goes, it may not be as complete as I would hope, depending on when the next meeting is, and when I can talk to Mr. Grasso. I plan to get in touch with him on Monday. For the rough draft though I will have at least an introduction, the nut graf, and 1 interview, and then I can add to it later for the final.

Vocab Lesson 2

Almost anyone who has seen TLC's show, entitled Toddlers in Tiaras, would greatly appreciate this article.   The show, which the article says sexualizes young girls, depicts crazed mothers, and impotent fathers. As the girls mothers dance wildly in the isles, the fathers bury their heads in the audience, clearly feeling great chagrin.
A three year old child, dressed up as Julia Roberts in Pretty Women, is the antithesis of what an innocent toddler should be. As she struts around in slinky and diaphanous clothing, her mother does nothing but gloat to other parents of her daughters beauty. All the girls appear on stage dressed in elaborate costumes and all kinds of pointless bauble. If you have seen the show, you will know that some of the girls "trainers" take an almost bestial delight in pulling the girls hair up into giant do's, or putting on excessive amounts of make-up. In fact, girls who don't take these drastic measures appear bland and effete in comparison.
The toddlers emotions are like a maelstrom, screaming and crying one minute, smiling on stage the next. Although some would describe the pageants as nihilism, there are in fact an obscure set of rules and regulations.
The article describes that this type of sexualization of women is extremely harmful. Science has found that the sexualization of young girls is an impediment to their future education. In addition to that, it encourages eating disorders and low self esteem. It can be difficult for a grown women to navigate this labyrinth of emotion, let alone a toddler. In order for any shard of these girls' self esteem to be saved, pageants must emendate what they want their message to be. Female sexuality, or female beauty and empowerment?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/12/opinion/henson-toddlers-tiaras/index.html?hpt=op_bn4

Life in the Dorms

In the loud obnoxious cafe, we talked to Melo Geng, from Bozhou, China. In his quit voice he explain to us his first day, was exciting and felt like it was a new start. It’s now his third year, and although he does get home sick, he plans to go to college in the US. He says it’s a dramatic change from 7-10 hours 6 days a week in school to only 5 days and only 6 hours per day. When asked about changes between US and China, his first response was food and driving age.

O’leary has been apart of TA for 7 years. A so called “prep-school guy”, him and his family have been a part of the dorm school life since the beginning. When they first moved in they were worried about privacy, but soon realized they were just one big family. He says that TA is more of an open community, than what the dorm students are used to. He found that despite some differences all teens have the same needs.
Filip Takac from Slovakia, didn't come necessary for the languages or learning so much as the good old american sports. he thinks Thornton Academy has a great team, with a faster pace. There isn't a big difference between school, he has 8 hours and only 45 minutes per class, where we have longer classes, shorter hours. Unlike others that get home sick, he denis that he misses his home.

Reflection Pictures

Pulitzer Prize Feature

The story is so horrific, that it is hard not to be pulled in. Beyond that though, the author is careful to set the scene. It is clear from the first few sentences that this will be no happy story. This is attractive because humans are so strangely drawn to morbidity. When you first hear the tale, all you can think of is how horrible the parents must be. By the end of the piece though, there is definitely more sympathy felt for the parents.
I think on a deeper meaning, the stories in this article taught you that you have to examine a story from all sides. This appears repeatedly in feature pieces, the fact that the author looks at something from all angles. This gives so many different perspectives that by the end of it, the reader doesn't really know what to think.  For this reason, they are then left to their own devices and must form their own conclusions.
I noticed that this read a little more like a short story than any news article would have read. The author set the scene, and got to know the characters. He did not just relay facts to the reader. In relation to my own feature piece, this is definitely something I will have to keep in mind.
This article influenced me for sure. I had heard stories about parents leaving their children in cars before and always asked myself, "how could a parent do that?" However, after this article, it's more easy to accept that people are only human, and that no matter how horrific, things do happen.

Summary of Chapter 2

Three important questions to ask:
-What is the story?
-Where are the facts?
-How do I report it?

Primary source: eyewitnesses to an event
Secondary source: Someone who has some knowledge, but got their information from someone else
Beat System: Plan to cover all potential news sources in a specific area. Each contact or information source is known as a beat.

Information sources:
-School calendar
-school handbook
-a current student, faculty, and staff directory
-bulletins from the school
-Back issues of the school paper, yearbook and tapes of former broadcasts

Before an interview, one should get some back ground information and plan their questions. The list should begin with easy questions to establish comfort. Reporter must be flexible and in control. The "why" and how" should be emphasized. Shouldn't read directly from the paper.

Although internet can be helpful, it should not be the only source of information.
-use 'help' advice or shortcuts if available
-choose keywords search method
-review lots of the adresses that the search engine produces
-review the sites domain addresses

On google:
-ask direct questions
-quotations
-Common words are ignored, use + sign
-"OR"
-use a minus sign for a word to be excluded
-search dates choose from within the last 3-6 months of 1 year

Vocab 1

It seems there is a catfight brewing between Susan Eman of Arizona, and Donna Simpson of Ohio. The argument, however, is quite obscure. One women, Donna Simpson, holds the record for the heaviest women to ever bear children. Her rival, Susan Eman is striving to hold the record of World's Heaviest Women. While neither of the women live a very opulent lifestyle, they clearly are never dingy when it comes to food. The women's figures seem almost amorphous at first, lacking the normal human shape. Simpson first started packing on the pounds when she noticed her partner found larger women intrigueing and erotic. It seemed that her boyfriends wishes besieged her brain, and she was unable to say no to the food. Although the relationship may have been ephemeral, her passion for gaining weight certainly was not.
The real  issue is that Simpson is afraid to lose the so called "prestige" that comes with having that record, despite the fact that she has recently decided to go on a diet and rectify her bad habits. A clealrly un-altruistic friend of Simpson's argues that her statements are only a ploy to get her a reality show. The factious women both deny that they want publicity based on their weight.
Both of the girls are immobile, and their doctors frequently warn them of the carrion that can develop due to bed sores. Beyond this, Eman's doctor seems oddly unconcerned with her health. The man has the perspicacity to say that the 728 pound women is perfectly healthy, and has no psychological problems. Many believe that the weight gain is only an aegis for a much bigger problem. This ignoble doctor can be called nothing but a boor of a man. It can be assumed that others in Eman and Simpson's life are making fervent attempts at convincing them to lose weight. They fear that the women's weight is enervating both their bodies, and their minds.

What is a good piece?

Quietly, the scene is set for what blossoms into a heartfelt feature. The scene begins unassumingly, like the beginning of your favorite novel. A yellow house next to a stream in Maine. Not only is the image eye-catching, but it sets the stage for what eventually develops into a bigger concept.
Ultimately, this is what makes a feature piece great. It is the ability to connect with the reader on a person level, to make them imagine the scene and situation in a way that the news does not. It does not simply state facts and statistics, but delves into the world of the story.
Ultimately there is no "formula" for a perfect feature piece, every one is different. Yes, there are similarities in all of them. Such as the ability to grab the readers attention, and to deliver a powerful piece of information. Yet, this can not be accomplished by following a set of rules. It must be a story that is meaningful to the writer, something they enjoy and can write persuasively about. This alone, is the key ingredient to a well written feature piece.