LACKAWANNA, NY (WKBW) — Students at the Global Charter Concepts High School in Lackawanna got a lesson in accountability. They are learning about journalism and deadlines for their work.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley was invited into their classroom to explore their work.
“You're in charge of the sail,” instructed Spencer Lee, teacher.
Students enrolled in a digital media journalism class were given a task as part of a lesson in accountability.
They were handed one sheet of paper, a paper bowl, a straw, scissors, and a hole punch and asked to build a sailboat with their team.
“If someone does not complete their portion of this, then the project fails,” explained Lee.
Lee is a literacy specialist at Global and a former journalist. He tells me the lesson was his idea as he co-teaches with Stacey Klimczak, digital media teacher.
"f they understand accountability and taking responsibility and then apply that into their life not only will they treat people better but at the same time they will be more employable,” Lee remarked.
“Their listening skills have gotten better. Their writing skills have gotten better. The way they talk to other people and they communicate with other people — that's gotten better,” described Klimczak.
The small group of students started writing a monthly newsletter, Global Compass, for the school community last fall.
“They actually make those decisions on what stories they want to cover and they write the story, and they just literally go through all the steps and we try to hit our deadlines,” noted Klimczak.
Once students complete work on their news stories, they head upstairs to their arts building where they work together with teachers to help build that newsletter.
I sat down with Logan Rivera, a sophomore, who's in his second year at the charter school, and tells me the lessons from this journalism class are really helping him.
“How to schedule things, so that you're not unprepared,” reflected River. “Also, I think it goes with life — helps you with life things.”
Rivera says his passion in the journalism class is video photography and he showed me some of his work shooting his school's basketball team.
“Creativity and like time management and stuff like that — how to properly write a good article,” Rivera commented.
Students say the big challenge of being a high school student is time management and this class delivers the lessons to work responsibly.
