Whitnall Student Blogs Offer Insight to School, Community Happenings

From prom preparations to powerlifting and golf to Godspell, students in Whitnall High School’s broadcast journalism class have been busy letting the community know about all the happenings in and around the school.

And the stories are coming right from the students’ mouths, or in this case, their fingertips.

For the third consecutive semester, teacher Taylor Townsend’s class has partnered with Greenfield Patch to provided students real-world news, feature and blog writing and publishing experience.

Students have been writing about things that are important to them and their fellow classmates. They choose a topic, do research, interview other students and teachers and write short stories that are turned in to and edited by Townsend.

The stories then are posted on Greenfield Patch, and are critiqued by Patch editor David Cotey, who offers written feedback to the students.

“I like that the students get to have their work published, especially for the students that are going into journalism,” Townsend said. “It’s something they can put on their resume and it’s good experience.”

The partnership is designed to be mutually beneficial. Students get tips geared to help them become better writers and to think critically about what and how they write. At the same time, their stories have become a valuable resource for students, parents and community members who are looking for updates from the high school on Greenfield’s west side.

Since last school year, students have submitted more than 75 different blog posts.

Townsend set up a rotation of four students who take turns submitting stories to Patch. Some students will get their turn after spring break. Billy Schmid is one of those who has not yet turned in a story, but he’s looking forward to the chance.

“I think it’s good that we can write stories about important things in the school that aren’t necessarily important to people who sit down and read the newspaper every day,” Schimd.

Read all of the Whitnall student-submitted Patch blogs.