From the Instagram page, PA announcements, Spotify, video announcements, articles and more, the journalism class contributes a lot to the overall West High experience. Without even knowing it, journalism is often behind the scenes of many of your favorite posts and events.

Throughout the semester, the class goes through the process of writing and approving articles to publish. At the same time, they are also taking pictures for Instagram, doing the daily announcements during second period, recording and editing the video announcements.

The course allows students to be in their element while also interacting with others who have different interests. If you enjoy writing; you can write, if you enjoy recording, you can record and the list goes on. The choices seem endless, which allows students to improve on the things they already enjoy while exploring new interests like photography, videography, interviewing, etc. Advisor Alana Escalante noted that the class is “very dynamic with lots of creative outlets.”

The class does so many things and it can be difficult to see where you would fit. When asked how students would know they are the right fit for journalism, Escalante responded, “What do you love? Photography? Videography? Writing? Social Media? Design? Talking to new people? Producing a video? There are so many places where you can be used and show off your talents. We welcome everyone!”

Because the class must juggle many different things and put out content consistently, it can be easy for people to feel overwhelmed. Senior Jose Lemus said that “a difficult challenge in this class is to stay consistent. We can get burnt out sometimes, and you can see it in the level of motivation in our video bulletins.”

Despite some of the stress, the class has formed connections and bonded over both the struggles and successes. When talking to seniors Vincent Cano and Jose Lemus they described the journalism class as a close group or community, Lemus even went as far as saying that the class “feels like a small family in a way.” Not only does the class prepare you for college and the world, by teaching you a wide variety of skills, it also serves as a second home with amazing people you can connect with. The experiences and bonds made in the journalism classroom are things that will last much longer than just a school year. It is unique to the class and cannot be replicated.