WARREN Most American companies assess writing skills when making hiring and promotion decisions, according to a National Commission on Writing survey.
According to the book ‘‘Journalism Kids Do Better,’’ research shows student who take journalistic writing courses score higher on assessment tests and college entrance exams, and outperform their peers in many other academic categories.
Those are two of the reasons the Page One journalism workshops exist, says Tribune Chronicle Assistant Managing Editor Guy C. Coviello.
‘‘We want Trumbull County students to become wise consumers of news and for the best and brightest to become outstanding journalists,’’ Coviello said. ‘‘But most of all we want them to succeed in whatever career field they choose.’’
The Page One journalism workshops will begin a new session at 6 p.m. Sept. 15.
High school students interested in journalism, photography or simply improving their writing skills should attend the first meeting to be held at the newspaper’s office at 240 Franklin St. S.E.
The Page One program offers a series of workshops held approximately two Thursday evenings per month. The workshops’ goal is to give teens the opportunity to be published in Page One. As the students progress, they may receive an invitation to join the Page One staff. Some teens use their training to improve their school’s student newspaper.
Parents are invited to the first meeting, which will last about one hour. The cost of joining is $20, though the newspaper waives the fee for anyone in financial need. A schedule, more details about the program and a question-and-answer period will be held before students and parents make a decision about joining.
“We’ve done a number of research studies that show that high school journalism is equal to or exceeds standard English (courses),’’ Indiana University Professor Jack Dvorak said. ‘‘Journalism students’ writing skills, their sensitivity to audience, their use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, their concern with accuracy, their use of sources all of these things tended to be significantly higher in their performances.’’
Page One has been nationally recognized as one of the premier teen sections in the United States. Page One and the workshops together form the No. 1 teen journalism program in the United States, according to the Newspaper Association of America Foundation.
Many past Page One staffers have obtained admissions into prestigious universities, college scholarships and internships. This year’s seven graduates received $200,000 in college scholarships.
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