Many students when choosing course electives go for ones that are interesting to them but also provide valuable skills for the future. One such course at Mount Carmel High School is the Honors 21st Century Media class, where students produce the school’s newspaper, The Caravan.
While some students might overlook this class as just another elective, it actually offers an experience that goes far beyond the classroom. By improving writing and communication skills, preparing students for college and careers, and giving them the opportunity to publish real stories, the class is a valuable opportunity for students who want to challenge themselves and make a lasting impact on their school community.
The first major benefit of the 21st Century Media class is that it helps students improve both their writing and communication skills. Unlike other classes where students primarily write for an audience of one–their teacher–students in this class write for an actual audience, including fellow students, teachers, parents, and alumni.
“Almost everything that a student would have to write in this class requires doing one or more interviews for that piece,” explains Mr. Tim Baffoe ’00, the course instructor and newspaper moderator. “It helps students gain skills in asking questions of people, asking follow up questions, and just having conversations with people that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
These interviews help students develop confidence in speaking to others, even if they are initially shy. Junior Derek Ozuna said the class helped him talk to more people.
“I think I got to know more people,” he says. “I talk to more adults, and I know them now.”
By writing articles, conducting interviews, and learning to tell a story students gain skills that are essential not just in school but in everyday life.
Another important benefit of the class is that it prepares students for college and future careers by teaching discipline and time management. Students in 21st Century Media follow a strict weekly schedule that includes pitching article ideas, conducting interviews, completing peer reviews, and submitting article drafts.
“Any professional journalist is working on a deadline,” notes Mr. Baffoe. “These routines help students develop time management and responsibility.”
Also Senior Rocco Lopez feels that the class has taught him skills that he can use in this future sports media career, as he plan to pursue that as a major in college next school year.
“Definitely discovered a lot of new words,” Lopez says. “A lot of people skills, becoming a better interviewer and a better writer. Definitely time management too, because if you’re not on time, it kind of messes up your groove for the whole week.”
Students learn to meet deadlines even when obstacles arise, like rescheduled interviews or unexpected events. These skills mirror real world expectations and prepare students for the work that they will receive in college and professional life.
The class also allows students to publish real stories that connect with the Mount Carmel community, which makes the work feel meaningful and rewarding. Students write feature articles, opinion pieces, news stories, and sports coverage, all of which are published online for the Mount Carmel community to read. Students are “writing with the Mount Carmel community in mind,” Mr. Baffoe says.
Senior Anthony Chavez said it is exciting to see his work published. “It just feels good and saying that you wrote that and the whole school could see it,” he says.
This experience is unlike writing a paper for a core class because students are telling a story that impacts their community, and the work is publicly accessible online to a wide audience. The class also encourages creativity, allowing students to explore topics that interest them from school events to alumni success stories and to find stories about the MC community that might fly under the radar.
The class continues to inspire new students as well. Sophomore Bishop Daymond says he is taking the class next school year because he is passionate about writing and wants to cover news around the school, while sophomore Joshua Ngchee plans to take the class because he hopes to major in journalism when he gets to college.
Beyond writing and discipline, students gain confidence in communicating with adults and peers, which is a skill that will serve them after their time at MC. Mr. Baffoe points out that many teenagers today communicate mostly through electronic devices, and face-to-face conversation is becoming less common. This class counters that trend by requiring students to conduct interviews with MC community members in-person and engage with people they might not otherwise interact with.
“A lot of people skills,” says Lopez about strengths that he has gained in the class this year. “Becoming a better interviewer, and it’s really cool to meet alumni and professionals in my field of interest.”
By learning to tell stories and interact with a wide audience students leave the class more prepared to communicate effectively in other environments.
So the Honors 21st Century Media class is much more than a typical elective. Interest in the class continues to grow, inspiring the next generation of writers and journalists. Mr. Baffoe believes that students who write for the school newspaper are “contributing to the cultural fabric of the school.”
For any student looking for a class that challenges them, builds real world skills and leaves a lasting impact, the 21st Century Media Class is an opportunity worth taking.
