The Classroom Reporter

Former Spoke EIC has photo work published in Inky

2010-06-20T17:39:00.003-04:00

Jon Yu scored a space in Friday's Inquirer in Section B, below the fold. Jon's been interning at the Daily News over the past few weeks and taking photos for the Inquirer when needed. Jon photographed Mayor Nutter enjoying the first day of the city's pool season at Kelly Pool in West Philadelphia.

Back from Portland

2010-04-21T19:28:00.002-04:00

The Spoke is back from the JEA/NSPA convention in Portland and celebrating the latest achievement of EIC Seth Zweifler. Seth was named a runner-up in the National Student Journalist of the Year competition. Another notable event at the convention: former EIC and SJOY Henry Rome's keynote address to the convention. You can see the speech that earned Henry a standing ovation at friendsofthespoke.org.

Former Spoke EIC to intern with Philly Daily News

2010-03-25T18:58:00.003-04:00

Conestoga grad and current Haverford College student Jon Yu will intern with the Philadelphia Daily News this summer as a photographer. Jon got interested in photography as a staff member on The Spoke. He has his own photo blog.

'Stoga alum interning with Philly Union soccer

2010-03-25T18:49:00.004-04:00

Dan McKinney's first piece for the Philadelphia Union soccer team made it onto Major League Soccer's video page today. Dan, a student at Temple U., is interning with the team. The Union's inaugural season begins tonight in Seattle.

Spoke earns Columbia Silver

2010-03-25T18:46:00.002-04:00

At the Columbia Scholastic Press Association annual convention, the Spoke was awarded the Silver Crown Award. It's the first Crown Award for 'Stoga's student newspaper. Publications were judged on writing/editing, design, content, concept, photography, art and graphics.

'Stoga grad on Philly airwaves tonight

2010-03-16T17:55:00.002-04:00

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video.

Conestoga grad and current Temple University student Dan McKinney is not even close to graduating, but already his work has been aired in the Philly market. McKinney's package on Temple admissions aired on NBC 10's 5:30 newscast. Dan is majoring in broadcast journalism at Temple. He showed promise way back in ninth grade.

'Stoga "weatherman" now meteorologist at Cleveland CBS affiliate

2010-03-07T11:48:00.003-05:00

Jason Handman, who was already looking like a pro when he did the morning weather on Good Morning 'Stoga, is now a meteorologist at Cleveland's WOIO. Jason went to the station from AccuWeather last October. He works the morning shift.

Spoke EIC named PA student journalist of the year

2010-02-21T12:21:00.003-05:00

The Spoke's editor-in-chief, Seth Zweifler, was named PA Student Journalist of the Year yesterday by the PA School Press Association. Seth follows in the footsteps of last year's EIC, Henry Rome. The National Scholastic Press Association selected Henry as NATIONAL SJOY last year; here's hoping for a repeat!

Spoke editor selected for national student journalism board

2010-02-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

Junior Meghan Morris has been selected for the Student Partners program, part of the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Commission. Meghan joins seven other student journalists from around the country. Their objective is to plan and implement programs that will increase awareness of press rights issues and inform, encourage and support their peers. Their first presentation as a group will happen at the JEA/NSPA High School Journalism Convention in Portland this April.

Main Line Morning focuses on Haiti relief effort

2010-01-19T17:54:00.003-05:00

This morning, TETV's Main Line Morning focused on Red Cross efforts in Haiti following last week's devastating earthquake. Hosts Mary Bridget Kane and Brian Cizek welcomed Dave Schrader, the director of communications for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross. Schrader discussed how the country's collapsing infrastructure is making relief efforts difficult in a country where roads were already tough to navigate. Schrader reminded viewers that they can make monetary donations by texting "Haiti" to 90999.

stoganews.com featured in CSPA online magazine

2010-01-19T16:46:00.003-05:00

Stoganews.com is one of seven student news sites featured in the latest online issue of The Student Press Review, CSPA's online magazine. The article describes how these online newspapers are generating ad revenue. Stoganews.com was a recipient of CSPA's Crown Award last spring.

Lip dub rocks!

2009-12-24T10:31:00.004-05:00

My Intermediate TV class just wrapped a "Lip Dub" video, the phenomenon that's sweeping the Internet. Here's how it goes: the students lip sync a popular song; one student tapes the action as one student at a time sings a verse and then hands it off to the next student. The video moves throughout the hallways and rooms of the school. The whole video is only one shot. It took us more than a week to block and shoot the video. It took two days alone to pick an appropriate song. So, we ended up doing a lip dub to Justin Bieber's "One Time." Thanks to Mr. Smith for providing his Lit and Film class as our "extras." Now the students will be challenged to produce a final project that rivals what we've just done.

Alumni week on GMS

2009-12-24T10:26:00.003-05:00

Alumni Week on Good Morning 'Stoga just wrapped up. In all, we had 20 alums come back to anchor the show and appear on Main Line Morning: a record! They are Mel Catts, Courtie Jaffe, Will Simon, Justine Burt, Melissa Deutsch, Henry Rome, David Shapiro, Shawn Wagner, Dennis Chao, Mike Schon, Chris D'Angelo, Erica DiRico, Ryan Lojek, Christie Savard, Meredith Antoian Travis Eldridge, Christina Fiorentino, Sara Gladney, Dan McKinney and George Karalis. All went well except for Henry showing up very late, holding up Monday's show, and then allowing his mic to fall off so we couldn't hear him anyway. But he held true to his reputation of arriving late to class! Thanks to all!

Spoke presented with Keystone

2009-11-25T08:29:00.002-05:00

PSPA President Bob Hankes drove in from Carlisle to present the Spoke staff with its Keystone Award. Bob made the presentation at Monday night's school board meeting. The Spoke is one of four newspapers in the state to receive the PSPA's highest honor.

Big weekend for Spoke in DC

2009-11-17T10:13:00.006-05:00

As reported by Stoganews.com, The Spoke received more awards than any other high school newspaper in the nation at the National Scholastic Press Association’s annual journalism convention. Most notably, The Spoke was awarded its first Pacemaker, former-editor-in-chief Henry Rome won "story of the year" for "Obligation to Report," and current editor-in-chief Seth Zweifler received the honor of "best feature story" for his report "Carrying Hope." More details and photos from the big weekend in our nation's capital on stoganews.com

Spoke staff gets ready to head to DC

2009-11-10T17:19:00.003-05:00

About a dozen members of the Spoke's staff will head to DC this weekend for the annual JEA/NSPA Scholastic Journalism convention. Highlights of the weekend include participation in a seminar on ethics and a celebration: two of our editors are receiving SPLC's Courage in Journalism Award. Henry Rome and Seth Zweifler are also up for numerous national awards for their reporting.

Ethics seminar to include Spoke editors and advisers

2009-10-25T18:31:00.004-04:00

Temple journalism professor Dr. Tom Eveslage will lead a session on ethics at the NSPA/JEA convention in Washington next month. The Spoke's editor-in-chief, managing editor and the two advisers will engage in a panel discussion, focusing on ethical decision-making in the high school news room.

GMS alum week fast approaching

2009-10-25T18:29:00.002-04:00

As is the custom (at least for the past four years or so), alum of Good Morning 'Stoga and Main Line Morning will return to the airwaves the week before winter break. I'm hoping for a good turn out this year!

Spoke finalist for NSPA Pacemaker

2009-09-12T08:10:00.003-04:00

The Spoke is a finalist in the NSPA 2009 Newspaper Pacemaker contest. Conestoga's student paper is one of 17 finalists in the 17-pages-or-more category. This year's contest was judged by a group of Seattle area professional journalists. Entries were judged on coverage and content, writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, in-depth reporting, layout and design, and photos/art/graphics. The winner will be announced at the JEA/NSPA convention in November. This level of recognition is a first for The Spoke.

4 More NSPA finalists from the Spoke

2009-09-10T16:58:00.005-04:00

Today NSPA released the Story of the Year finalists . Spoke reporters were acknowledged in four categories: Feature story: "Carrying Hope," by Seth Zweifler; News story: "Obligation to Report," by Henry Rome; Diversity story: "Coming Out in the Classroom," by Seth Zweifler; and Multimedia story: "On the Streets," by Henry Rome. According to NSPA's news release, judges selected finalists based on the following criteria:

Value, importance or worth of story
Quality of reporting and quotes
Quality of writing and editing
Credibility and leadership

First place winners will be announced at the JEA/NSPA Fall High School National Journalism Convention in Washington, D. C., on November 14.

Spoke photog among the press as President addresses school children

2009-09-10T11:15:00.005-04:00

Spoke photographer Luke Rafferty was among the media at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday. He snapped hundreds of photos as President Obama gave a back-to-school address to the nation's school children. Luke also got some shots of protesters outside the school. Luke was the only member of the high school press to receive press credentials for the event.

NSPA national finalists

2009-09-10T11:11:00.004-04:00

Recent grad and former editor-in-chief Henry Rome is up for best news photo of the year from NSPA. The photo captures the mood at last fall's World Series celebration parade in Philadelphia. Current design editor Gabriela Epstein is one of three cartoonists competing for best cartoon strip of the year.

Columbia Gold

2009-09-03T15:26:00.003-04:00

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association award the Gold Medalist Certificate to The Spoke.
The paper received All Columbian Honors (special merit) for Coverage, Writing and Editing, Graphic Presentation and Business. This means that The Spoke received All Columbian Honors for EVERY category -- this special merit is given to publications that achieve the 95th percentile or higher in each category.

Recent grad now college newspaper reporter

2009-09-02T18:30:00.004-04:00

Former Spoke sports reporter Kurt Rohrbeck didn't waste time getting involved with his college newspaper. Kurt, now a freshman at Wash U, is covering sports for Student Life. His most recent article is about the university's women's golf team. Student Life is published three times a week.

The Spoke: Best of Philly!

2009-08-30T18:00:00.003-04:00

I enjoy reading Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of" edition each summer: it's good to know where you can find the best cheese steak, the best breakfast (yay Nudy's!), and the best day spa. So it was really cool to check out this month's edition where the mag celebrates local schools "that are the best at what they do."
When researchers from the magazine called me this summer to get some info on The Spoke, they told me there would be a write-up on our school's paper in the "back-to-school" issue of the publication. I had no idea that The Spoke would be recognized as "Best Student Newspaper" in the region. Here's what the editors had to say: "Nationally recognized and award-winning, Conestoga's seasoned journalists learn to tackle serious topics -- growing up gay, teen pregnancy, swine flu, illegal gambling -- for their published-seven-times-a-year paper and even richer, ever-updating website, Stoganews.com."
Awesome.

NSPA gives The Spoke first class status

2009-08-08T10:34:00.004-04:00

NSPA has awarded First Class status to both the print and Web editions of the Spoke. NSPA cited the following as strengths of The Spoke newspaper: treatment of feature topics, organization of sections. The NSPA judge cited the following as the strengths of stoganews.com: depth and breadth of coverage targeted to student life, fun features catering to students, links to blogs with relevant content and compelling writing.

Former editor has letter published in NYT

2009-08-06T08:51:00.002-04:00

Former Spoke editor Saiontoni Sarkar, now a student at Duke University, had a letter to the editor published in the New York Times. She discusses the dangers of talking on a cell phone while driving.

The Latest News: Saying goodbye to the seniors

2009-06-04T08:52:00.006-04:00

Extra! Extra! Seniors say goodbye!

2009-06-04T08:45:00.009-04:00

Posing with my crew!

2009-06-04T08:41:00.005-04:00

All Smiles on Graduation Day

2009-06-04T08:36:00.004-04:00

Graduating members of 'Stoga's media know the importance of smiling for the camera.

THE GRADUATES!

2009-06-04T08:34:00.003-04:00

Graduating members of the Spoke and the morning TV crew gather before the ceremony at Villanova's Pavilion.

This just in . . . (not really, but I've neglected my postings)

2009-05-04T18:31:00.002-04:00

Henry Rome was named NATIONAL student journalist of the year by the Journalism Education Association. See his video resume online. The committee that selected Henry admits being blown away by his portfolio. I showed his video resume to my freshmen today, and we all felt inadequate. But it gives us something to shoot for. Henry will be attending Princeton in the fall, and words cannot describe how much we'll (I'll) miss him.
Filling Henry's huge shoes as editor-in-chief of The Spoke will be Seth Zweifler. Seth has done some impressive enterprising stories this year, including one on coming out in high school and one on teen pregnancy.

Stoganews.com wins gold after critical redesign

2009-03-23T19:08:00.005-04:00

So, a couple of years ago I designed a media convergence site for our high school and named it Stoganews.com. It wasn't great. This year, senior Bennett Colesberry redesigned the site for his high school culminating project. It was pretty good. Then I get an email from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association announcing that it will be recognizing online newspapers this year. So, I shoot off an email to Bennett and Spoke editor-in-chief Henry Rome, telling them to get busy working on the site. Already long story short: the result of their concentrated efforts was a blockbuster high school newspaper Web site that earned a Gold Crown at the CSPA convention in NYC last Friday. Stoganews.com is one of four high school newspaper sites in the nation to get this honor. The above photo shows the students accepting the award.

Big winners at PSPA conference

2009-03-23T19:06:00.001-04:00

The Spoke received the Keystone Award at the PSPA conference in State College this month. The Spoke is one of only two papers in the state to receive this prestigious honor. Plus, senior Henry Rome was named Student Journalist of the Year. Henry is the editor-in-chief of the Spoke and won News Story of the Year from NSPA for his investigation into illegal gambling in the high school.

TV sophs place in PSA contest

2009-03-23T19:03:00.003-04:00

Sophomores Rebekah Atchinson and Michelle Squitieri received second place in the Five Freedoms PSA contest. Their video, "We the People," illuminated the importance of students' first amendment rights.

Two sophomores are finalists in Five Freedoms PSA contest

2009-03-10T07:02:00.003-04:00

Sophomores Rebekah Atchinson and Michelle Squitieri's Five Freedoms PSA has made is to the finals in a national contest. The 15-second PSA is among 22 high school and middle school finalists chosen from 230 entries. The list of finalists and their videos are posted on the High School Broadcast Journalism Project Web site. The contest is sponsored by RTNDF’s High School Broadcast Journalism Project, the Student Television Network and SchoolTube.

Stoganews.com finalist in online newspaper competition

2009-02-27T10:30:00.003-05:00

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association announced yesterday that stoganews.com is one of the finalists of their 2009 online newspaper competition. There are seven high school and six college finalists. Each online publication will receive either a Gold or a Silver Crown Award. We find out during the CSPA Convention in NYC next month. This is the first time the CSPA has presented Crown Awards to online media. This is the first year that The Spoke has had an online edition. Click here for a list of the winners and links to their online publications.

TETV crew at WNEP

2009-02-27T10:29:00.002-05:00

TV crew visits "my old stomping grounds"

2009-02-24T18:22:00.004-05:00

Students in the broadcast journalism class at 'Stoga visited WNEP, the ABC affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. They got a good look at what happens behind the scenes in a professional control room and had a good time goofing around during the weather segment with meteorologist Joe Snedeker (to see us, go to WNEP, click on "weather" and "Joe's Noon" for today). The trip was not only a chance for my students to see a working TV news station, but to get some proof that their teacher actually did work in "the biz" before coming into their world. A special thanks to Joe, Corey, Marisa, Gerry, Dave, Mary Jane, Rick, Jim and everyone else at the station who took time before "the noon" to talk to the kids. And what a great day to do it -- on the 40th anniversary of the Tinker Decision -- the Supreme Court decision that defined student free speech rights in our schools.

Spoke attends mini-PSPA conference at Constitution Center

2009-02-24T18:15:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, several Spoke editors attended a mini-PSPA conference at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Howard Shapiro spoke to the students about newspaper writing and the importance and benefits of careful editing. Shapiro gave good advice about the give-and-take relationship between the editor and reporter. Students also got a chance to see the new America I Am exhibit.

Stoganews.com monetizes

2009-02-12T19:26:00.003-05:00

Today the Spoke staff succeeded in monetizing the paper's online edition, stoganews.com. The first paid ad comes from The Crimson Review SAT and ACT prep. The ad links to the Crimson Review's site. Another first for the Spoke!

Editors to teach lesson at Columbia

2009-02-12T19:23:00.005-05:00

The Spoke's managerial board has been selected to teach a lesson during a session at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association convention next month. The team will discuss effective investigative reporting. The lesson springs from Henry Rome and Seth Zweifler's recognition by NSPA for news story of the year. The boys wrote an investigative report last school year on student gambling.

Adviser pride

2009-02-07T16:53:00.005-05:00

Part of my job as adviser is making sure the students find interesting stories to tell and meet their deadlines. I really have no say on what they do when they are out of my classroom, though. So, when I logged on to stoganews.com just a few minutes ago, I was delighted by what I saw: a preview of articles that will be in the print edition this coming Friday and an online sports story on the basketball team's win over Upper Darby last night complete with game coverage and analysis. The story teases tonight's big Central League match-up against Lower Merion.
What's most satisfying is that these young reporters are eager to get the story and tell it. On the weekend, when many kids are kicking back and trying to put thoughts of school out of their heads, the Spoke reporting staff and even the TETV crew feel a pull to get their stories out to the community. I can only hope that future staffs stay this hungry.

Spoke becomes a sort of wire service

2009-02-06T10:05:00.003-05:00

The Spoke has taken on a new role -- sort of. I'd equate it to a scholastic press wire service. Yesterday, an adviser on the JEA listserv asked if anyone had a copyright-free photo of Obama. I wrote back that my students shot a bunch of photos during the primaries in Philadelphia. Since that initial request, we have responded to over a half dozen requests for Obama photos. It's great when we can share -- could a scholastic press wire service be on the horizon?

Another redesign for stoganews.com

2009-01-25T20:03:00.004-05:00

Just got off the phone with the boys redesigning stoganews.com. They couldn't wait to have me log on and take a look. The site is still being fine tuned, but it looks pretty darn professional, plus it appears that it will be easier to navigate. Aside from including news from The Spoke, the site features links to school information, such as the grade book, the student research guide and student E-mail. Thanks Bennett and Henry!

Live from D.C.

2009-01-20T16:27:00.005-05:00

Maybe it was fate, luck, the news gods or a combination of all three that allowed the GMS crew to broadcast a live phoner from D.C. this inauguration day. At first we worried that our technology would not accommodate our aspirations, but it did. Then we were concerned that cell service would be nonexistent: it wasn't.
English teacher Trish Ebarvia called in live from Washington and discussed the atmosphere as President Obama prepared to take the Oath of Office. Anchors Melanie and Chris asked her about the crowd, security and the general feeling on this historic day. Trish had a nice spot: near the MSNBC crew and behind Chris Matthews.

MLM focuses on inauguration day

2009-01-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

Minutes before the gates to the Inaugural Ceremony opened in D.C., the Main Line Morning hosts discussed the historic event with social studies teacher Deb Ciamacca.

Cooking Week comes to a close on Main Line Morning

2009-01-16T16:51:00.009-05:00

Mrs. Karalis joined Amina and Justine on Main Line Morning this morning and cooked up a yummy frittata. An overhead camera gave us a nice live shot of the cooking process.

Testing the phone lines for inauguration day

2009-01-16T16:49:00.003-05:00

Will, Shawn and PH tested the phone lines today in preparation for our live phoner from the Mall in Washington. English teacher Mrs. Ebarvia will be in the crowd and plans to report live from the scene during Good Morning 'Stoga on Tuesday. Our only worry is that cell service might be sketchy in D.C. that morning. We're crossing our fingers.

Melissa had the better hat

2009-01-16T16:47:00.002-05:00

Melissa and I braved the 14 degree temps this morning to do the forecast live for Good Morning 'Stoga. It really wasn't all that bad, and it brought back some nice TV memories for me.

Is it cruel to send your weather people out in the cold?

2009-01-15T16:27:00.005-05:00

I've come to expect seeing my local news' meteorologist standing outside no matter what the weather. When I worked at WNEP, I can't remember any time that the meteorologist chose not to do the weather outside because of heat, intense rain, snow, etc. In fact, I clearly remember doing a live report myself on I 81 outside of Scranton during a horrendous storm with ice pelting my face. So, I've informed our "weather girl" that she will go outside tomorrow morning despite the 18 degree prediction. As a form of compensation, I've volunteered to stand alongside her as she gives the forecast. Tune in if you can to see how that goes. I know for sure that she'll have a nicer hat than I. And if you know Melissa, you know I'm right.

Catching Up

2008-12-22T21:09:00.004-05:00

It's been FOREVER since I last blogged, but that doesn't mean that things aren't happening with 'Stoga's student journalists.
Today, the Intermediate TV students uploaded their Five Freedoms PSAs to SchoolTube. The High School Broadcast Journalism Project is hosting the contest that asks students how the First Amendment affects them. This year's crop of Intermediate students are very creative and are experimenting with what Final Cut has to offer.
Tonight, two Conestoga students anchored the Chester County Intermediate Unit's student update. Last year Dan McKinney worked on the show -- this year, Micki Fahner and Chris DiNardo are sitting at the anchor desk.
Last week the morning announcements crew welcomed back the alums. We had our annual alum week on Good Morning 'Stoga -- the grads were impressed with our new set and had to adjust to having the producer talk to them through our new IFB system.
On Friday, The Spoke learned it earned a "First Class" rating from the National Scholastic Press Association with marks of distinction in coverage/content and writing/editing. The staff is still working to get some positive recognition for design. Last year's redesign was just the start of what's become a mission to improve the look of the paper with each issue.

'Stoga junior to anchor county's student update

2008-11-04T07:01:00.003-05:00

Micki Fahner learned last night that she will be one of three anchors for the Chester County Intermediate Unit's Student Update. The first show will be taped Nov. 18. Micki is the second 'Stoga student to serve as an anchor on the show. Last year, Dan McKinney hosted the program.

New issue of Spoke focuses on election and Phillies' win

2008-11-04T06:55:00.004-05:00

The latest edition of The Spoke came out yesterday in hardcopy and online. My humble opinion is that this is the best issue in my seven years as adviser. The lay out is engaging, the copy compelling and the photos clear and action-packed. The opinion pieces are strong this issue and have a wider appeal than usual --veteran sports reporter Jon Jankowski pointed this out when he said that for the first time he had an interest in the topic of each opinion piece.
The paper was a down-to-the-wire achievement; editor-in-chief Henry Rome and news editor Seth Zweifler spent Saturday placing a last minute story on the Phillies parade and the 1100 Conestoga students who did not come to school that day. The back page of the tabloid features photos Henry took at the parade.
On a side note, the parade itself was a great experience for our student journalists. Several of them got press passes and were able to ride on the "press bus," which allowed them to get some great video and still shots of the players and fans.

A day in Washington: inspiration and evacuation

2008-10-17T22:30:00.003-04:00

The Spoke's first issue of the year is out and online. This year the editors are once again concentrating on layout. A field trip to the Newseum in Washington today provided seemingly endless examples of page design. Our visit was interrupted when an alarm sounded around noon. We were evacuated to the side walk. Fire trucks showed up but left the scene pretty quickly, and we were allowed back in. We ended the day checking out the new G-Men and Journalists exhibit, which features the Unabomber's cabin and plenty of mobster paraphernalia. We also watched the 4D movie --wearing special glasses, viewers take a trip through pivotal moments in American journalistic history. Special effects such as moving seats, gusts of air and spritzes of water add to the realism of the experience.

Spoke reporters' piece named NSPA News Story of the Year

2008-09-18T18:18:00.005-04:00

The Spoke's controversial piece on teenage gambling has earned national recognition. The National Scholastic Press Association is calling Henry Rome and Seth Zweifler's investigative article "News Story of the Year." The story on teen gambling appeared in the paper last spring; the piece was applauded by some as an enterprising story that needed to be told. Others, naturally, were not so complimentary about a tale that exposed the hundreds of dollars trading hands in halls and classrooms. The boys will be honored at the NSPA/JEA convention in St. Louis in November.

Spoke earns PSPA gold -- layout and design still a big issue

2008-09-12T13:44:00.002-04:00

The Spoke earned a "gold" rating from the Pennsyvlania School Press Association for last school year's publication. Despite the high ranking, the judge reinforced the need for the editors to work on design elements, specifically, using a dominant issue and minimizing gray space. Redesign was a priority issue last year; but the paper still fell short of the judge's expectations. This school year, the paper has designated several staff members to work soley on design.
Spoke staffers racked up 36 individual gold awards, 25 silver awards and 14 bronze.

STN Sudent of the year recognition

2008-06-08T17:02:00.002-04:00

It's been a year of recognition and awards for recent grad Dan McKinney. Most recently, he was named first runner up in STN's Student of the Year contest. The announcement was made via streaming video by two STN affiliate students. See it HERE.
Dan's leaving TETV to pursue a degree in broadcast journalism at Temple University.

Final Spoke issue of year featured on redesigned Web site

2008-06-02T12:28:00.008-04:00

Stoganews.com has a new look as of this weekend. The editors spent Sunday redesigning the site and uploading new content. The redesign coincides with the release of the final issue of the school year. The Spoke's "senior destination" issue came out today. The issue features a color map indicating the after-graduation destinations of every senior.

'Stoga students capture four STN awards

2008-05-11T20:19:00.002-04:00

The results for the Spring Nationals just went up on the Student Television Network's Web site. Conestoga students received the following awards:
First Place, Show Open: "Good Morning 'Stoga" open, Dan McKinney
Second Place, Live Coverage of Sporting Event: Conestoga Basketball Playoffs, Will Simon and Shawn Wagner
Honorable Mention, Animation: Stick Figures, George Karalis
Honorable Mention, Sports Feature: Squash, Dan McKinney
There were more than 600 entries in 23 categories -- it was the biggest year for the national contest.

Dan with his video awards (see related blog entry below)

2008-05-05T15:12:00.004-04:00

Spoke names new managerial board

2008-05-04T21:40:00.003-04:00

The current managerial board has selected the 2008-2009 leadership team. Congratulations to Editon-in-Chief Henry Rome and managing editors Meredith Mayer and Anika Mehta.

McKinney wins four video awards

2008-05-04T07:57:00.003-04:00

On Friday senior Dan McKinney received four first place awards from the regional NATAS chapter for his work in student television production. His pieces "All Out," "iPhone Release," "Fourth of July Parade," "Whiffle Ball Championship" and "Storm Warning" earned him recognition from National Student Television. Dan also received the Jerry Trently prize, which includes $1,000 to be put toward Conestoga High School's television program.

Spoke's Web presence expands

2008-04-22T20:44:00.002-04:00

I had to read about my student reporters' political blog in the paper. I didn't know that they were posting their campaign coverage on the Net until I read Dan Kristie's article in The Daily Local. I just took a good, long look at spokepolitics.blogspot.com. It appears the Spoke has officially gone digital. Great job!

Spoke's April edition, with complete election coverage, out tomorrow

2008-04-20T19:47:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow's issue of The Spoke features extensive election coverage. Spoke staffers have spent the last three weeks following the candidates on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday's primary.
See online exclusives, including photo galleries and The Spoke's political blog, on www.stoganews.com.

Area paper tells story of Spoke reporters' tenacity

2008-04-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

The Daily Local featured a story Sunday on the Spoke's team coverage of the Pennsylvania primary. The story, High School Writers Cover Big Campaign, details the editors' adventures on the campaign trail.

'Stoga students Dan McKinney and Glen Morgan interview Barack Obama at Great Valley High School

2008-04-10T10:16:00.002-04:00

'Stoga reporters on the campaign trail in PA

2008-04-09T18:28:00.002-04:00

Conestoga's student TV and newspaper reporters are diving head first into the primary stomping. Editors are taking turns attending the Clinton and Obama appearances in the Philadelphia area. A Daily Local reporter, spotting them at a recent event, commented that 'Stoga reporters have probably been at more events than he. So, reporter Dan Kristie is now doing a story on THEM.
Today, three of our TV staffers went to the Obama rally at Great Valley High School. Reporters Mike Schon and Dan McKinney are pictured above, just minutes before they left to cover the story. They assured me that they'd get a one-on-one interview with the candidate. I bet them they wouldn't. They called me this afternoon to tell me it's time to pay up. The boys were allowed to ask one question of Obama, so they asked him how important the young adult vote will be in this election.
The Spoke comes out the day before the primaries with comprehensive coverage of the candidates' appearances in the Philly region plus the results of a student-body vote.

Spoke photo gallery updated

2008-03-07T16:42:00.002-05:00

New photos on stoganews.com. Check out the photo gallery for hockey playoff pics. You'll also see why the high school was without power for a short time last Friday.

'Stoga student's story is Video of the Day on Schooltube

2008-02-29T14:12:00.003-05:00

Dan McKinney's "Summer Wiffle Ball Classic" story is today's featured video on schooltube.com. The site also recognizes'Stoga's TV production program. Dan's video now moves on to the video of the month competition.

Spoke featured in Main Line Today

2008-02-21T19:08:00.007-05:00

The latest issue of Main Line Today includes a story about the Spoke staff. The article's writer, Joe Pirro, called a couple of months ago requesting to visit the staff during one of its production periods. Pirro expressed an interest in focusing on the Spoke in an article he was writing on Sunshine Week. Pirro talked to the students about their efforts to work with the administration and public officials in order to obtain information for articles. Sunshine Week is March 16-22 this year. It's a week set aside to highlight the importance of open government and freedom of information.

Feb. issue of Spoke controversial

2008-02-15T17:54:00.002-05:00

The front page story in this month's Spoke is a feature on high school gambling. The students who tackled this story spent two months investigating sports betting among teenagers. The reporters interviewed students, law enforcement officials, and were knee-deep in research for this article. It's impressive and getting a lot of attention, not all of it positive, from the student body. The reporters knew they'd get some backlash, but believed it was a story that needed to be told -- now they're learning what it's like to stand by the story and its facts.

Girls basketball senior night

2008-02-01T18:36:00.000-05:00

Videographer Dan McKinney was at the girls' senior night game against Strath Haven. The girls clinched the Central League basketball title on this special night.

Student vids featured on Schooltube.com today

2008-01-30T11:10:00.000-05:00

Senior Dan McKinney's videos are featured on Schooltube.com today. His promo for boys' lacrosse is front and center on the homepage. McKinney's story on a neighborhood wiffle ball championship is the feature piece on the site's sports page. This is 'Stoga's first time contributing video to Schooltube.

Using AIM for remote editors meeting

2008-01-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last issue, four of The Spoke's editors and I hopped on AIM prior to putting the paper to bed the following day. We spent a Sunday evening going through the print-outs page by page -- then commenting on the content and layout via instant messaging. It took us about two hours to get through the 24 pages, but it proved to work as well as a face-to-face meeting. While we critiqued the pages, the students took notes on what would needed to be fixed before the paper went to press. When we came in Monday morning, the students got to work making the final edits and design adjustments.

Inky story about Henry now online

2008-01-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to the story I blogged about below: "High School Journalist in Hot Pursuit of News."

Student's photo blog makes news

2008-01-10T18:14:00.001-05:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer featured Henry's photo blog in its Neighbors section today. The article discusses Henry's initiative and motivation when it comes to following the story and seeking out photos that tell a story. Henry's latest blog entries focus on his experiences while photographing petanque, swimming and wrestling. To get an idea of how well received his photos are in the 'Stoga community, check out this excerpt in his swimming entry: "The swimmers were happy for the publicity. While the other team chanted something to the tone of 'Go us. Beat 'Stoga!' the 'Stoga swimmers shouted 'H-R-O-M-E. What does that spell? HENRY ROME!'"

Kurt's blog

2007-12-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

So it's day six of winter break, and you'd think I could find something to do other than read my students' journ. blogs. But I hadn't looked at Kurt's sports blog in awhile, so I thought I'd take a peek. Turns out Kurt's blogging is as good as his sports writing. I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, but I find it interesting reading about how Kurt tracks a story, covers it and then writes it up. He began the blog not really knowing what he was supposed to do, but I think he's done an admirable job of showing what goes through a sports writer's mind as he tackles (pardon the wordplay) the story. Recommended reading for all high school sports writers, if you ask me.

GMS alumni week begins

2007-12-18T19:06:00.001-05:00

Good Morning 'Stoga started off its alumni week with a strong anchor team -- a couple of college seniors who even the high school freshman remember, thanks to the popularity of their former show "Snews News." Hoyt Bangs now attends Syracuse. His partner, Dan Kaslow, is a student at the University of Miami. Both young men are pursuing careers in television production. While they attended 'Stoga, they produced the sketch comedy show "Snews News" every two weeks. Think of "The Daily Show" meets "SNL." It was a thrill to have them back in the studio and to talk to them about their current aspirations.

SchoolTube MVP

2007-12-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

SchoolTube.com just released its movie video player, featuring some of the best work of student video journalists. I've added the mvp to this blog. Scroll down -- you'll find it on the left of the page.

Spoke offers unpublished content online

2007-12-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

Convergence is in full swing in this month's issue of The Spoke. In Friday's issue we're including an ad that promotes additional news content that you can find on our online site www.stoganews.com. Online visitors can view a photo gallery of sports teams in action and watch a video news package on two seniors who recently signed to play college basketball.

New 'Stoga sports photos on stoganews.com

2007-12-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

The release of the latest Spoke is a week away, but some new photos of 'Stoga's sports teams in action are on the web. Take a look at some pics of boys basketball, petanque, and swimming in our photo gallery.

November Spoke articles online now

2007-11-27T16:37:00.001-05:00

You can see the online version of The Spoke at www.stoganews.com. Click on the Spoke link. This month's version features a photo gallery of the girls' soccer team's state championship win. You'll also find out how Philadelphia is turning into a new movie mecca. And you'll get a seat at one of the newest eateries in town.
Spoke is back in production next week -- look for the December edition in a couple of weeks.

Alumni week preps

2007-11-21T21:23:00.000-05:00

In the TV Studio we're getting set for Alumni Week, which takes place the week before Winter Break. This will be the second year we feature Good Morning 'Stoga alums on the morning announcements program each day for a week. These current college students take on their former roles of anchors for the daily show. To all of you alums reading this blog entry, please email me if you haven't already so we can get you on the schedule! It's a fun week for the crew in the studio; we're all looking forward to it.

Student focuses on refs at championship game

2007-11-21T21:13:00.000-05:00

Student photographer Henry was on the field when the Conestoga girls' soccer team won the state championship last weekend. Not only did he get amazing action shots of the game, Henry also captured some nice pics of game officials at work. Henry actually received a request to photograph the refs; he refused payment, but may accept an invitation to photograph from the sidelines of a Penn State football game next fall. Better yet!

Student reporter covers "suspicious death"

2007-11-16T18:08:00.001-05:00

Just got off the phone with a Spoke reporter who decided to cover a "suspicious death" in the school district. The reporter headed over to the scene after school to find a home surrounded by police tape and thick with cops and reporters. It's the first time one of our reporters has covered this kind of "hard" news; we're entering uncharted territory that will challenge this young reporter's decisions (both ethical and journalistic). Our reporter talked with police officers and took photos at the scene. His next step is to track down court documents. Naturally, the pros are way ahead of us, but this reporter is finding what it can be like to show empathy while still digging for the truth.

Henry's new photo blog

2007-11-13T18:01:00.001-05:00

Henry's photo blog is making its debut on stoganews.com. The blog, "From Behind the Lens," showcases some of Henry's best photos and provides commentary on the shoot. Henry discusses what inspires him during a shoot and how he works to get the "good" shots. Check back often to see where Henry's been and what he's captured. If you're a photojournalist, you may be able to relate to Henry's experiences behind the lens.

See the latest from 'Stoga sports in the photo gallery

2007-11-11T09:51:00.001-05:00

Photos fresh from Friday night's game against Hendersen are now on www.stoganews.com. You can also see the waterpolo team practicing.

New Spoke hits 'Stoga this week

2007-11-04T15:43:00.001-05:00

The November issue of The Spoke features team coverage of the filming of "The Lovely Bones." The front page features a photo of director Peter Jackson at work on the set. Our staff of reporters cover the filming, celeb sightings and the influx of movie makers to the Philly area. As usual, Henry contributes some outstanding sports photos this issue. You can get a preview of the pics at www.stoganews.com.

Good Morning 'Stoga photo slide show

2007-10-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

30

2007-10-26T18:38:00.000-04:00

The Spoke will be wearing new "team" t-shirts when the paper comes out on Nov. 8. On the back of the baseball-style tees: "Can I Quote You?". The number assigned to each "player": 30. The "30" should generate some conversation. When I took my first print journ class at Penn State in the 80s, none of the students questioned the prof when he told us to put the number "30" at the end of our stories. The first time I taught journalism to a group of high school students many years later, they all wanted to know what "30" means. I did some google research and found out that no one really knows why journalists end their copy with that number. There are several interesting theories out there, but no consensus.

'The Lovely Bones' photo gallery on philly.com

2007-10-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

The Stoga News crew was caught on camera while on the set of "The Lovely Bones." Dan and Henry are featured in a photogallery on philly.com. Dan's quoted in "The Philadelphia Inquirer". He told the reporter that his perseverance was prompted by his teacher's mandate, "This is a big story; we need team coverage." Yeah, that was me.

The Spoke rewarded with Columbia Gold

2007-10-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

Got the news this afternoon that The Spoke received a Gold Rating from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The judge suggested we might want to try a redesign (that's the same message we got from the PSPA). We're already working on it, as evidenced in our first edition of the school year.

Update from Malywood

2007-10-23T20:37:00.000-04:00

The 'Stoga News photographers returned from Malywood (that's what I'm calling Malvern for the duration of the filming) with some candid shots of director Peter Jackson at work. "The Lovely Bones" people allowed the photographers entry provided the pictures do not show up on the Internet. So, you won't see them here. But viewers of Good Morning 'Stoga will see them on tomorrow's show. And the next issue of The Spoke will feature the shots. Congrats to Dan and Henry for getting on the set and coming home with the pics!

Hollywood comes to town

2007-10-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

A Hollywood movie crew and a cast of actors are in Malvern this week. They are filming the film adaptation of Alice Sebold's best seller "The Lovely Bones." Students have reported seeing actors around town. This afternoon, a Spoke photographer and a 'Stoga TV videographer are in the neighborhood where the filming is taking place. They called in just a few minutes ago to report that streets are blocked off and camera equipment is taking up residents' driveways.
The girls at Conestoga moped a bit when they found out that Ryan Gosling dropped out of the film (he was spotted at a local gym a couple of weeks ago). But they are heartened that Mark Wahlberg will take his place.
Today we decided to dedicate a portion of the next issue of The Spoke to team coverage of this event. Reporters have their angles and are set to track the filming in the weeks to come.

Professional photog shares his work, insight

2007-10-22T18:54:00.000-04:00

John Welsh, a photographer for The Suburban, visited The Spoke today. He showed us some of his photos and discussed composition and cropping. John also reinforced that photojournalists are JOURNALISTS. Therefore, they often conduct interviews, take notes, and do some digging. Perhaps most interesting, was John's discussion of Photoshop ethics. He is a stickler for maintaining the integrity of his photos, even during the layout process. He insists that a photo not be inverted from its original position in order to accommodate page layout.

To expurgate or not to expurgate

2007-10-21T18:22:00.000-04:00

Ethical dilemma tonight. One of the Spoke editors sent me some photos he'd like uploaded on the stoganews.com website. The photos are of fans at a high school soccer game. Some fans have taken to wearing t-shirts in support of the team. Problem is the t-shirts bear an offensive slogan, a slogan with a pretty crude sexual reference. My news judgment tells me not to upload these pics. I know I'd be turned off if I opened up my daily newspaper and saw a photo of some students donning offensive t-shirts. It actually happened last year when I picked up Penn State's Collegian and there, on the front page, is a male student wearing a shirt with a very raw four-letter word adorning the front. I wasn't alone in my assessment. Several alums wrote critical letters to the editor of The Penn Stater magazine. I think good taste is a no-brainer. Ah, a teachable moment.

Good Reads

2007-10-19T16:19:00.001-04:00

My colleague invited me to "friend her" (is that what you call it?) on Goodreads. The site allows you to list and rate the books you've read and share them with friends. You can also see what your friends are reading.

'Stoga's Biggest Documentary Yet

2007-10-16T18:32:00.001-04:00

So Dan, student videographer prodigy, says I haven't blogged in awhile. So I'll blog about him. Dan has created a 50-minute documentary about the school's football team. He did something similar a couple of years ago, featuring locker room/sideline video and audio. His last documentary brought the coaches and players close-up, allowing fans to see what goes on during team meetings and in the huddle (yes, he actually got in the huddle). He promises that this documentary is much better (I thought the last one was fantastic) and plans to submit it to the Student Television Network's Film Festival. The documentary category is something new in this contest, and I'm eager to see what students submit.