Things to complete - a checklist - posted 9/3

1. BIOS

All staffers must complete a BIO by Monday, Sept. 8. 

Please go to the following folder: Online Bios

Make a new doc in there with your name on it. Write your bio.

Write about your experiences so far in newspaper, things you want to work on, things your are involved in here at Bowie, etc.

Examples can be found here, click anyone's name and you can see what they wrote: 24-25 Bios

2. STAFF PHOTOS

Each of you should have your photo taken sometime this week. We need to make press passes. These photos will also go online with your bio. We will also use these photos in the paper if you write an opinion story.

We need those ASAP so please make sure you get one taken today or tomorrow. Anyone who was absent on Wednesday will have to take this photo on Monday.

3. CAMERA CHECK-OUT

I will be bringing small groups back to the locker room today to learn how to check out camera equipment. It is important that you learn to do this correctly and that you use our systems properly. I also need you to return equipment immediately after you complete your assignment even if you don't have me that day. You can bring it in the morning, FIT or even lunch. That would help us a lot.

4. SYSTEMS

We have a number of systems that I will be going through with you in the coming classes. This includes organization in the Drive, how to upload images, create folders for social media, where to put your story docs, as well as art and podcast audio files. We will also be talking about recording interviews and how to get those audio files in the right place. I am trying to get Otter working and I plan to purchase a yearlong professional account that you can all use. This is new, so please give me time to make that happen. Remember you cannot use your devices to record interviews during school, but you can use them away from school. I would like you to put those audio files on the drive.

5. STAFF MANUAL

We will be going over the staff manual in the coming days. That is your go-to for information about how to do things in this class. Always start there and then move to your team to get support. You can always bring your needs/concerns to leadership people as well. Anyone who has been here before should be able to get you to someone who can answer your questions.

You can find the latest staff manual here - it has not been updated since last school year and I will need to take a look to see if there is anything that needs to be changed or updated.

Dispatch Staff Manual

6. FIRST ASSIGNMENTS

You should be getting your first set of assignments this week. We are on a short deadline, and will be for the first 4 issues. You will have to get used to the cycles. You might only have 6-7-8 classes to get your assignments done. In some cases you might be on a team that is doing work daily, but your work will be done on that day, example social media. Page editors should be able to see pages by the end of the week. We will go over the cycle soon, but if you have a story assignment, you need to get started ASAP.

7. DRIVE ACCESS

I am working diligently to get you all access to the common Dispatch Drive. You should have access to Adobe programs at this point. Once you get access, you will be linked to the drive and should use it regularly. Some of you will run into problems with syncing and making sure you are on the correct email to access the Drive. Make sure you get help as needed.

8. 3x5 CARDS

Each of you will need to fill out a 3x5 card with some information for leadership on the card. These are things that are only accessible by myself and leadership and will be used to contact you as needed for information, etc. What you need to put on those 3x5 cards is written on the board today. When you have filled those out, please come and put them in the blue box on my desk in the correct tab. Let's put them behind the tab with the correct letter - make sure you use your LAST NAME for organization.

9. DISPATCH CONTACT SHEET

We also have an electronic version of the 3x5 cards, but with some different data that I sometimes need to access. Please link to the following file and fill it out appropriately sometime during this class period.

Dispatch Staff Contact Sheet 25-26

All 1st year staff members must complete ASAP. Posted 5/19

This class articulates through ACC. That means if you enroll at ACC at any point, you can tell them you took this course, and they will give you college credit for this course.

1. Go here: https://austincc.tfaforms.net/f/HSStarsStudentLinks to an external site.

2. Complete the form - note you only have to fill out everything with a red asterisk *

3. If you are a freshman, your anticipated graduation is 2028. Sophomore: 2027. Junior: 2026

4. At the bottom, match yours to this:

 

New Voices - posted 5/16

As the 2024-2025 school year is wrapping up, New Voices Texas needs your help.

We will host a Zoom meeting on Sunday, May 18 at 8 p.m. for any student who wants to learn more about what it means to serve as an officer and how you can become a leader in the New Voices movement in Texas.

Please use the Zoom info below to join the meeting:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/89608953380?pwd=MGRFWnc2elJPYk5ESEh1RlYxVGNtdz09

Meeting ID: 896 0895 3380

Passcode: x3bVab

Outgoing student NVT officers and David Doerr, NVT's faculty adviser, will be on the Zoom call to answer questions.

Writing Contest - scholarship money available - posted 12/10

I sent this out on Remind a week ago, but I wanted to remind you that you could be working on this. I will pay for anyone who writes this piece and shares it with me. I will submit it for you.

For more information, talk to me.

Funko-Pop!!

 6th period - click the link

https://forms.gle/ZAnUxLgzVmndEiXc7

2nd period - click link

https://forms.gle/qaALbgpbE2YMBBA49

Teaming Form

Please fill out this form ASAP so I can make seating charts and start teaming you with your area.

https://forms.gle/fnWaz5HH3PWMm1BB9

New Voices and SPLC summer New Voices student leaders workshop

 New Voices Texas Needs Your Help

We will be heading into the 89th Texas Legislative Session in January 2025, and we are seeking a group of student leaders who will lead the charge in passing a New Voices bill like HB 5266 in the 2024-2025 school year. 

We are proud of the work of our current crew of student officers who have led New Voices Texas this year, but many of them are set to graduate soon. That means it is time to pass the leadership torch to new officers, which could include YOUR STUDENTS!

We have at least seven student officer positions that we will need to fill for the coming school year. And we are open to having additional students serve as "Specialists" for things like regional organizing and social media and all-around promotion.

New Voices Officer positions include:

• Legislative Officer
• Communications Officer
• Regional Organizer
• Educational Officer
• Club Development Officer

Read more about becoming a New Voices Texas officer or volunteering your support on the NVT website. The deadline to apply for an officer position is May 31.

New Voices Texas Officer Application and Volunteer Interest Form

SPLC Summer New Voices Student Leaders Institute Applications Open

Participants in the all-online program will be joined by Student Press Law Center staff, New Voices leaders and special guests to learn their unique capacity as organizers, deepen their understanding of civics, lobbying and press freedom, and expand their ability to act as advocates. By the end of the Institute, Student Leaders will identify the pressing needs in their state and local communities and the unique ways in which students can respond, as well as possess the tools necessary to combat these challenges. 

The Institute will run from July 16-25. Last year participants participated from Tuesday – Thursday from 1 pm - 4 pm Eastern/10 am - 1 pm Pacific time, with optional sessions until 5 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Pacific.

Participation in the Institute is free, but students will commit to serving as student leaders in the New Voices movement during the 2024-2025 advocacy year. For more information about the summer institute, visit the SPLC website.

The deadline to apply for the SPLC New Voices Institute is May 17.

Application for SPLC's summer virtual New Voices Institute