EDITOR’S NOTE, Feb. 3, 2020, 11 a.m.: We originally stated that 42Fifty was the original journalism publication here at Oswego High School, which is incorrect. This piece has been edited to reflect that 42Fifty was established as the current journalism publication for the school.
Three years ago, Oswego High School officially established 42Fifty as the school’s journalism publication. 42Fifty is a student-led publication, which means everything is chosen and done by the students. This class was created to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions in a school setting, while also reporting on news that occurs throughout the school year. The class has a harmony between opinion and fact, and writers have the opportunity to work with this harmony to write about anything their mind comes to. To take this class, you must be a sophomore, junior, or senior at OHS. If you are looking at putting your work out to the public and having a voice in our school, this is the class for you.
Although this class no longer counts as an English credit, Digital Journalism provides many aspects to a student’s high school experience as you have the freedom to get your articles published for hundreds of people to view both inside and outside of the school setting. If you are planning on going to college, one of the best things you can do is be a part of your school’s newspaper. Colleges love when students use their voices to express their opinions to the public. Taking this class is one of the best ways for schools to understand your point of view on certain topics and how much time and effort you put into your work. Schools also like to see if you are going into the journalism field and you are an editor or a part of our Journalism National Honors Society, Quill and Scroll.
We have many different jobs when it comes to publishing articles in this class. We have different jobs such as multimedia and video design, photoshop work, sports writing, and many other jobs that you can do to help contribute to this class. In addition to that, we also have podcasts where you can pick a topic you want to talk about and then be able to converse about the topic. If you don’t want to talk over a podcast but still want to talk about what you want, we also have an “opinions” category where students can voice their opinion on a topic that they choose and give reasons on why they feel that way. If you want to talk about movies, albums, or anything else arts-related, we have an “Arts and Entertainment” section available as well. One of the best things about Digital Journalism is the connection it has between different classes. This class is not all about writing as it incorporates photoshop, video design, graphic design, and many other positions that have a big impact on our publication.
If you are interested in joining this class, you can find the application here. You will need to sign in with your student email address (StudentID#@students.sd308.org) and fill out the required questions that are listed during the application process. You will then be required to submit the name of an English teacher who may serve as a reference for your literary abilities. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to Ms. Sarah Hands, Dr. Amy Howerton, or any student currently enrolled in Digital Journalism (You can find the whole staff here).
Student Publication of Oswego High School, Oswego, IL
