5 REASONS

4-YEAR PLAN

TO MAKE

PART OF YOURJOURNALISM

Alex Albanese, ’08 (Northwestern University, ’12): Joining the newspaper at Huntley prepared me more for college than all of the rest of the things I did in high school combined. Learning to manage my ti me perfectly was a great skill to pick up. My professors compliment me on the clarity of my writi ng all the ti me. Overall, I’m proud that as newspaper students, we can challenge the stereotype that all teenagers are lazy, irresponsible, and immature kids. Many of us are passionate, intelligent, hard-working people who are excited to do something producti ve and meaningful with our ti me.

Felecia DeJong, ’07 (Luther College, ’11): Newspaper was more than just some class; it was something bigger. It helped me prepare for life’s challenges, and taught me how to work hard. I was challenged to do my best, not just for myself, but for the staff as a whole, strengthening my ability to be a team player. The Voice gave me the opportunity to feel a sense of accomplishment and success. It helped build my accountability and understanding of responsibility, which are two very important things, especially aft er high school. Being on the newspaper was a truly great and irreplaceable experience. I truly value my involvement.

Erin Delahanty, ’03 (Drake University, ’07): I guess, more than anything, being in that class helped me fi gure out what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that I could combine the things I cared about-writi ng, people, community-into a career. I made new friends, was an acti ve member of the school community and was more aware of what was happening around me. I realized I could make change happen at the school by working for the newspaper. The newspaper helped to shape who I was in high school and I wouldn’t trade any of that. I had wonderful friends who I spent countless hours slaving over page design and copy edits with and in the end we produced a product that we could be proud of. Not a lot of high school kids can say they’ve been a part of something like that.

Meagan Flynn, ’11 (Drake University, ’15): Being a part of the publicati ons program was among my best experiences in high school. The countless awards, certi fi cates, and trophies were only the half of it. Aft er working so closely with many of the editors and staff , I’ve met some great friends over the course of those three years. Working on the newspaper taught me a great amount of professionalism, and Mr. Brown’s outstanding program has prepared us so well. We took a lot of pride in our paper as editors, and it was a lot of hard work. If you want to be a part of something great, this is a good opportunity.

Tony Merevick, ‘08 (Columbia College, ’12): Publicati ons Producti on set me at a signifi cant advantage as I entered Columbia College Chicago for my degree in journalism. I learned the ropes of writi ng, reporti ng, and editi ng through writi ng stories for The Voice and editi ng the entertainment secti on. I learned the importance of teamwork, and got a taste of what it’s like to work in a hecti c, challenging, and producti ve newsroom. That’s valuable. The point of Publicati ons Producti on is to do things and make things and make them well.

HHS PUBS ALUMS ON WHY PUBS IS WORTH JOINING

Dani Moritz, ’10 (William Woods University, ‘14): Being on the newspaper staff was the best thing I’ve ever done. It taught me so much more than any of my other classes could and inspired me to be who I am today. I am now a confi dent leader equipped with the skill I need to be successful in life. I’ll never forget all the laughs had and the lessons learned during my ti me on my high school newspaper staff . It was worth every second!

Cassandra Myers, ’09 (Lewis University, ‘13): Publicati ons Producti ons prepares you more for the real world than any class you’ll take in high school. I learned so much about how to interact with people and how to work in a team. The energy and fellowship I got from Publicati ons has followed me into my college career and has truly shaped who I am today. I learned superior interpersonal skills and greatly improved the clarity of my writi ng. Beyond that, I look back on Publicati ons as one of my fondest memories of high school. It was a lot of fun, you meet fantasti c people, and you learn so many life lessons.

Jake Sanches, ’07 (Washington University, St. Louis ’11): Enrolling in Publicati ons and becoming a part of the newspaper staff was without a doubt the best thing I did in my high school career. When I refl ect back, it is absolutely the most important infl uence on my life today, and some of my fondest memories come from being on the staff of The Voice. The life skills you learn in Mr. Brown’s class are invaluable when you get to college and prepare to enter adulthood. The best part is the fun you have and the feeling you get from working with other driven, talented people while putti ng together an impressive, nati onal award-winning publicati on. It’s unmatched by any other high school program.

Devon Thompson, ’09 (Roosevelt University, ’13): Publicati ons changed how I think. The skills I honed during Huntley’s Publicati ons Program made me into a bett er college student, a bett er prospecti ve employee and prepared me in a way nothing else in high school could have- it prepared me for life. The Publicati ons class creates an atmosphere of such friendship, camaraderie and passionate work that you learn how to be more than a one-trick-pony and to actually be challenged by your work and to relish that challenge. The class changed the kind of student, thinker, and writer I am; High school wouldn’t have been as great without Pubs, I wouldn’t have been as successful without Pubs. It changed my life.

Dennis Brown teaches Newspaper Producti on, Yearbook Producti on, and Criminal Law. He has advised both the newspaper and yearbook at Huntley HS for 15 years and has spoken on numerous topics in journalism at local and nati onal conferences. Mr. Brown is the president of the Northern Illinois School Press Associati on and in 2007 was named a Special Recogniti on Adviser by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. In 2011 he was chosen as one of eight “Those Who Excel” teachers in the state of Illinois, a fi nalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year. He has a bachelor’s degree in English/theology from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in Secondary Educati on (English) from Roosevelt University.

About the adviser:

Whether it’s the ability to lay out a page in InDesign, interview with confi dence, set up a Web page with Wordpress, post stories to the Internet, problem solve, use social media for marketi ng, work with a business owner on adverti sing, shoot quality photos, learn customer service in the School Grounds coff ee shop, or write an eye-catching lead paragraph, skills used in the journalism program stretch far beyond the fi nished product. Former Voice and Chieft ain staff members have taken their abiliti es to top presti gious colleges around the country – whether they are journalism majors or not.

1. learn skills

2. garnish your resumePublicati ons staff members have plenty to brag about; Huntley HS has one of top journalism programs in the state. Members of both staff s have won numerous awards. A few highlights:

NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION:

• Two-ti me All-American publicati on, The Voice (2007, 2010).• Four First Class Designati ons (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011), The Voice.

COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION:

• Five gold medalist certi fi cates (their highest honor) in fi ve years for The Voice newspaper.

IHSA STATE JOURNALISM TOURNAMENT:

• Six top 12 team fi nishes at the state fi nals in the last six years, in-cluding one second place fi nish (2011) and two third place fi nishes (2007, 2010).

• Four secti onal championships (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011) and two second place fi nishes (2008, 2009).

• Five individual state champions: Mike Sitko, Editorial Cartooning (2006); Britt any

Manning, Adverti sing (2007); Zack Wagner, Newspaper Design (2009); Seth Boster, Sports Writi ng (2011); and Amanda Svoboda, Copy Editi ng (2011).

• Five second place fi nishers at the state fi nals: Katelyn DeAlmeida, News Writi ng (2007); Alex Albanese, Copy Editi ng (2007); Matt Bakke, Yearbook Design (2008); Michelle Lisack, Yearbook Design

(2010); Grace Borhart, Editorial Writi ng (2011).

QUILL AND SCROLL SOCIETY: Nineteen nati onal award winners since 2002, including Sweepstakes Award Winner Seth Boster (2011) whose “Sammy’s Story” was named best feature in the nati on.

3. go placesPublicati ons staff members have att ended nati onal conferences in Chicago (2005), St. Louis (2008), Kansas City (2010), and Minneapolis (2011). Pubs students also att end numerous regional and state conferences, including the KEMPA workshop in the fall at the U of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the NISPA conference at the College of DuPage in the spring. Throw in the summer workshops at the University of Iowa and you can learn and have fun in many places.

Wearing PUBS shirts on distributi on days. Secret Santa and a Christmas party in Decem-ber. Individual awards given out for each issue. Shift s in the School Grounds coff ee shop. Games of spoons in hotel lobbies at conventi ons. Marathon layout sessions. End of the year get-togethers. Ulti mate frisbee at Mr. Brown’s house. Summer barbecues. Journalism camp for editors at the U of Iowa. Someti mes hard work is just worth it.

4. have lots of fun

5. look to the futureIn 2011, the Huntley High School Journalism Program launched huntleyvoice.com. Now, more than ever, students are challenged to report stories in a ti mely fashion, corresponding with editors online and posti ng news as it happens. In additi on, students are encouraged to embrace new techologies such as social media (Facebook and Twitt er), Internet content management systems (such as WordPress), and the use of video, podcasti ng and other forms of multi media that are being used by professional journalists throughout the country to deliver content in new and exciti ng ways.

FIVE GOOD REASONS. . .

INTERESTED? Go to huntleyvoice.com and apply!