For the online school newspaper, Eye of the Bluebird, Junior Amyah Davis reported on the status of the SAT Test.
She did have her own feelings on the topic going in, "I don't think it should be a thing anymore, because I know I'm not a good test-taker. Personally I don't think the SAT shows my true academic abilities therefore I don't think it should be required for college"
But the article she produced, was balanced, with comments from students and teachers, on both sides of the issues, "Even her SAT story, the way she wrote it, you wouldn't know what her personal opinion was," explains teacher Angela Glenn.
The Journalism program at Kenwood High School started in 2018 as an after school club, there were about a dozen writers.
Now, in its fourth year, that number has grown to 70 students, with at least that many signing up for next year.
Sophomore Sam Thornton covered the controversy over remote learning, versus in-person learning, "I used some of my experience dealing with the pandemic, virtual and in person, and I realized that the teachers are right that they need to be open, but they also need to be closed for the safety of everybody." 9
After he did interviews he faced the challenge journalists face, deciding which quotes to use, so both sides are accurately shown, "I thought it was hard pulling the quotes from the teachers and students, because everybody was different."
Gensis Bonilla has written several stories, including one about Hispanic Heritage Month.
She got an interview with a person who made some negative comments, and made the decision not to focus on them. "I didn't include it because I felt it was unnecessary. but overall the story was just about how they celebrate Hispanic Heritage month rather than going into the controversy of it."
Mikayla Gillum learned what it was like to write about the COVID-19 vaccine and whether it should be required for students and teachers, "It was kind of hard to decipher what I should share and what I shouldn't. I shared a little bit of both sides, and kind of explained their reasoning behind what they believed."
News Literacy Week is a collaboration between the non-partisan News Literacy Project and Scripps Media, the parent company of WMAR.
