Medlock-Green story ideas

Story idea #1: Different high schools in our District have different seat time requirements

Story mission and need:
Students at each high school spend varying time in class. The biggest discrepancy is between my school and the newest school in the District where students spend two weeks LESS in class at the new high school and teachers work a collective 10 days less than the other high school teachers in the District

Why report It now?:
The new high school has graduated its first four-year group of students, and it was just named the best magnet school in SC. Their test scores have also edged out the other high schools in the District.

Essential questions:
How does the seat time requirement provided by SC compare with Spring Hill’s seat time? If students are still performing well with less time in class, can the other high schools scale back their seat time requirements, too?

Sources to use, live and non-live (expert, authoritative, knowledgeable, bozo):
Principals of both high schools, District Superintendent, District Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Assistant Principals of Instruction at each of the high schools, students who have transferred between the schools, students who have a sibling at the new high school, teachers at each high school, DF English teacher whose spouse teaches at the new school

Potential issues with sources and how to solve them?:
District officials may be reluctant to bring attention to the discrepancy between the high schools; some teachers may not want to talk for fear of getting in “trouble” or being seen as rabble rousers

Medium/media to best tell the story? Why this or these choices?:
This story would work well in all forms of media, but I think an online piece or series would be best for it. Publishing online would take away the constraints of space in print or time in broadcast, but would still allow reporters to include elements such as photos, infographics, and maybe even videos.

Depending on the media used, what visuals would you suggest?:
Definitely an infographic comparing each school’s bell schedule, class time, and total instructional minutes over the course of the year–that is where the discrepancy is really obvious

Range of story angles, supporting materials:
Two angles could be focusing on one of our English teachers whose wife is an English teacher at the new school. Over the course of the year, he teaches 10 more days than she, but their salary is the same. Another option would be to look at siblings who are split between the schools. We have some kids who have chosen to stay at DF because of our STEM program or extracurricular activities such as sports or marching band (the new school does not have any athletic teams or band). We could look at the disparity between what’s offered at both schools and talk to students about their motivation for choosing the school they chose.

How will the various information pieces be visually, alternatively presented?:
We could have a slideshow with photos comparing the schools, but I think the infographic really breaking down how time is spent on each of the campuses (total class time, transition time, start and end times) would be the biggest visual to include with the story.

From infogathering to presentation, what legal, ethical and social responsibility questions might you face and what are some ways they might be handled?
We would need to make sure we don’t come across as “angry” or “bitter” that the students and teachers at the new school spend less time working but still receive the same credit/ compensation as students and teachers at the other schools in the District.

Other questions, points, approaches or media:
I would see this potentially being developed as a multi-part series, looking at the time difference and how it affects students and teachers at all of the schools in the District.

 

Story idea #2: School-based food backpack program

Story mission and need:
A growing population of free and reduced lunch students at our school depends on backpacks provided each Friday with food to sustain them through the weekend. The program began with just a small number of students who needed it, but has quadrupled in the past few years. We would like to let everyone know about the opportunity (that is provided District-wide) as well as what they can do to help the program.

Why report It now?:
Although this program has been around for several years, the population it serves has continued to grow. We would need to investigate the causes of that growth and see how it correlates to the overall free and reduced population at our school and within the District as a whole

Essential questions:
How are students and families made aware of this program? What are the qualifications for participation? Where does the food/ funding for the food come from? What happens to these students when school isn’t in session (summer, winter & spring breaks + any time we miss multiple days of school because of inclement weather)

Sources to use, live and non-live (expert, authoritative, knowledgeable, bozo):
We would begin with our School Counseling (aka Guidance) Director and the District Social Worker who is assigned to our school. Finding students and families who use the program would be the most difficult part, as confidentiality agreements would prohibit School Counselors or Social Workers sharing students’ names with us. We would also want to talk to the coordinators of the program at the District level about its funding, sustainability and outreach.

Potential issues with sources and how to solve them?:
Since we would not be able to directly acquire students’ names, we would have to use the School Counselors/ Social Worker as the “middle men.” They could potentially talk to the students and parents who benefit from the program to see if they would be willing to talk to the student reporters.

Medium/media to best tell the story? Why this or these choices?:
I think this story would have the most impact if it were told as a video news story/ broadcast package. There are a lot of great opportunities for video of the food banks/ food bank workers packaging the backpacks, as well as the potential on-camera interviews with both school and District personnel who work with the program. It would be amazing to have a student and/or parent willing to talk on camera about their use of the program–in an effort to let other families in need know that the program exists, but also to help with the destigmatization of food insecurity within our community. We are also a pretty affluent school in an affluent District. There would definitely be members of our audience who would not think food insecurity would be an issue in our school/ District as a whole.

Depending on the media used, what visuals would you suggest?:
NATS of the food being packed into the backpacks and the hubub of the District’s food pantry, as well as various types of shots of the pantry, backpack assembly process, distribution process (protecting/ blurring idenities as necessary)

Range of story angles, supporting materials:
Ideally, we would find a student and his/her family willing to go on camera to talk about how they have benefitted from the District’s program. We would need to back up their anecdotal data with statistics about the program itself: when and how it began, how many students it served then vs now, and also a breakdown of the number of students served by the program at the elementary, middle and high school levels (although we would primarily focus on its benefit to high school students). I think the program may have originated as a grant-funded one, so we would also want some materials about the program’s funding and its sustainability.

How will the various information pieces be visually, alternatively presented?:
There are several different options to present this as a video news story–it could be a NATS piece where we just allow those affected by the program to tell their own stories, or it could be more of a traditionally-reported BC story with voiceovers and SOTs.

From infogathering to presentation, what legal, ethical and social responsibility questions might you face and what are some ways they might be handled?
I think the biggest issue would be maintaining the privacy of the students and families who use the program while still putting a human face on the program’s effects. We could potentially “disguise” the identities of the program recipients as they appear on camera by blurring faces or through creative videography that doesn’t show their faces at all.

Other questions, points, approaches or media:
This is a sensitive topic at our school, and it unfortunately comes with a lot of stigma for those students who use the service. Our school counseling department goes out of its way to protect the identities of these students, and we would want to make sure no negative effects of our coverage would reach the program recipients.

 

Story idea #3: “Fox Focus” program

Story mission and need:
Last year our school implemented a program designed to allow students and teachers a longer lunch period (35 minutes instead of 23) and an additional 35 minutes for tutoring/ academic assistance/ make-up work/ club meetings/ “recess” and general down time. We had a huge problem with students not being where they were supposed to be and/or being in an unsupervised area during their “Fox Focus” time. For the last nine weeks of the year, students were required to report to a “homeroom” during that time every day. At the end of the year, we were told juniors and seniors would be allowed to have their free time T-Th and report to homeroom M & F. Freshmen and sophomores would have to report to homeroom every day.

Why report It now?:
The latest update from our admin is that ALL students will report to homeroom EVERY DAY. Since the rising juniors and seniors were told they’d be allowed to return to the free “Fox Focus” time T-Th, I predict a lot of unrest once they hear about the mandatory homeroom requirement.

Essential questions:
Why did the administration change its mind about allowing juniors and seniors to participate in their free “Fox Focus” time next year? What opportunities will be provided for students who need academic assistance/ make-up work completion and for the teachers who need to provide those services? Teachers were also required to serve at duty posts around campus during that Fox Focus time. If all teachers are required to monitor a homeroom, what will happen at those duty posts?

Sources to use, live and non-live (expert, authoritative, knowledgeable, bozo):
Members of the admin team including the principal and the assistant principal who is in charge of the lunch duty roster/ schedule, rising upperclassmen who were under the impression that they would get some of their free time back this year, freshmen who can provide comparison between the lunch/ homeroom schedule at the middle school vs. the one at the high school, teachers who are affected by the change (especially club sponsors who were using that Fox Focus time for club meetings, too). We should also talk to teachers/ students/ admins at the other high schools in the District who can offer points of comparison b/w our lunch block schedule and theirs.

Potential issues with sources and how to solve them?:
The admin team may be reluctant to admit defeat of the plan they’d put in place last year; employees of other high schools in the District might not want to go on the record with their opinions of our program vs theirs

Medium/media to best tell the story? Why this or these choices?:
This story offers several options: an online story with multimedia elements could work well because there could be embedded video with MOS clips of students talking about the benefits and drawbacks of the program as it was last year, but there could be hyperlinks to other schools’ schedules/ descriptions of how each manages common issues like homeroom, academic assistance/ tutoring, club meetings, make-up work, etc. A slideshow or photo grid could also be used to illustrate the options students HAD during their Fox Focus time last year.

Depending on the media used, what visuals would you suggest?:
We’d have to be careful about not seeming biased or one-sided about the loss of Fox Focus, but it would be interesting to juxtapose photos or video of students participating in club meetings, academic assistance, sports (like basketball in the gym or soccer on the field) as well as one of the most popular programs to come out of Fox Focus last year: the “Expression Session”–an open mic talent show that took place in the auditorium every Thursday.

Range of story angles, supporting materials:
Approaching the story from the perspective of a teacher who used FF time for club meetings or academic assistance, a student who used it as a midday “brain break,” a student who benefitted from club meetings during FF because they rely on bus transportation (and couldn’t otherwise participate in extracurricular activities), and maybe even a student who will benefit from the regularity of the new schedule would all be possibilities.

How will the various information pieces be visually, alternatively presented?:
I would see developing an infographic illustrating the different ways students and teachers used their FF time last year–conducting a schoolwide survey to compile that data.

From infogathering to presentation, what legal, ethical and social responsibility questions might you face and what are some ways they might be handled?:
One of the key reasons the admin has made this switch is because of the fear of liability over what could potentially happen to a student who is left unsupervised during the FF period. The potential for fights, sex, smoking/ drug use, bullying increases when students have unstructured free time. This would be the key focus of the ADULTS’ reasons for taking FF away. Students are angry about the change, so making sure they approach the story without that built-in bias will also be a challenge.

Other questions, points, approaches or media:
We definitely need to reach out to the other schools in the District to see how their lunch time is structured, what issues they’ve had with implementation of their campus’ bonus lunch time program, and whether or not their student media programs have covered them.

 

Story idea #4: Registration for 2020-2021

Story mission and need:
Our school and students have “suffered” with the creation of our master schedule for the past two years. Our school counseling team has had a 95% turnover rate, and most of our current counselors are not familiar with many of our extracurricular programs. As a result, students have been wrongly advised to take classes that do not count toward the completion of their major (SC students choose a major at the end of 7th grade) or have pointed students in the wrong direction for their college and/or career goals.

Why report It now?:
We would run this story around the end of October/ beginning of November when it’s time for students to register for classes in the 2020-2021 school year.

Essential questions:
How are school counselors informed about the choices available to students in the District’s Course Catalog? Where do they find the prerequisites for students prior to enrolling them in a course? How do counselors advise students about which courses to take the next year? What suggestions do counselors offer students based on their current course schedules?

Sources to use, live and non-live (expert, authoritative, knowledgeable, bozo):
Director of School Counseling, Assistant Principal of Instruction (former dance teacher who became an admin last year and was just promoted to API as of July 1), Principal, students who take all classes at DF, students who take some classes at DF and some at the CATE center, electives teachers and/or academic elective sponsors (such as newspaper/ yearbook)–while making sure we don’t become the story

Potential issues with sources and how to solve them?:
Since our API is new, she won’t have gone through the process yet. School counselors have been the ones who have consistently made mistakes in students’ schedules, so they may also be reluctant to talk. We may need to branch out and speak to Curriculum Coordinators at the District level.

Medium/media to best tell the story? Why this or these choices?:
I think we could do this story in print or video. Print would be interesting b/c we could also produce a supplemental “Registration Guide.” Our District’s Course Catalog is clunky and difficult to maneuver. It would be good for our kids to consolidate the most important info into an easy-to-read infographic, too.

Depending on the media used, what visuals would you suggest?:
That infographic would be good, but it also might be interesting to adapt the Registration process into something like a board game that students could use to make their way through the Course Catalog. If I had super clever/ technologically-talented students, it’d be really awesome to develop it as a video game/ choose-your-own-adventure type of story

Range of story angles, supporting materials:
We’d really need to create one master guide to help students navigate and understand the Course Catalog, but there are also specific things each grade level needs to consider as they register for the upcoming year. We would use the actual Course Catalog as the main reference source, but would also need to include the info gathered from the interviews with counselors and admins, too. We would also need to talk to students about their misconceptions/ misunderstandings about the registration process, too.

How will the various information pieces be visually, alternatively presented?:
I don’t think I have anyone on next year’s staff who’s artistically or technologically skilled enough to pull off the board game/ video game idea, so we might need to outsource those ideas to the art or computer science departments. Could be a good opportunity for collaboration, though.

From infogathering to presentation, what legal, ethical and social responsibility questions might you face and what are some ways they might be handled?:
The topic of Course Registration doesn’t really have the same legal or ethical dilemmas that some other topics might carry, but we would still need to make sure we are fair and balanced and that we make sure we cover all of the possible majors and student groups on campus.

Other questions, points, approaches or media:
If we build some sort of website/ Adobe SparkPage/ game concept to display our information, it could potentially be something we could update for the following year. It might take a lot of legwork and manpower to create it to begin with, but the potential to use it more than once might be a positive motivator for the students involved in its creation.