Students are provided with access to the yearbook, newspaper stories, and broadcast videos, and there is a lot that goes into creating each of them.  

Yearbook, Newspaper, and Broadcast Journalism are all classes that you can take through the high school. Senior and Editor-in-Chief of yearbook Kaylah Newman has enjoyed taking the yearbook class throughout her high school years.

 “[I] instantly fell in love with it,” Newman said. 

The yearbook and newspaper classes are both taught by Jeni Daley, who has an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and a masters in education from Fort Hays State University. 

“I was honestly afraid of the future for journalism, and whether or not there would be a career for me,” Daley said. “But I really loved journalism so I kept pursuing the degree.” 

Daley originally never thought about teaching until she started working for the Boys & Girls Club and had a shift of heart. When a job opened up for a journalism teacher she knew that was what she wanted to do.

“It’s kind of like all the stars aligned for me,” Daley said.

Broadcast Journalism is also a class offered through the school. The class makes videos that cover anything important that happens within the high school, and they also make creative videos. Blazers on the Street videos are examples of creative videos where the videos feature students at lunch answering questions the broadcast team comes up with. 

Brennan Cook is a junior in Broadcast Journalism who has helped make multiple Blazers on the Street videos. Making these creative videos is favored by him and junior Emerson Cortner. 

“I like, you know, doing my own style and creating what I envision,” Cook said. “You always envision the thing you want to make, and then watching it piece together as you make it is cool.” 

The making of a yearbook is almost a year-long task. Every year, the yearbook class works to make books sold to the whole student body. 

“The history of our school, this year, the only place it’s ever going to be recorded in permanent history is in the yearbook,” Daley said.

A basic rundown of how the yearbooks get made:

1. The class starts with a premade template that was made at the beginning of the year, then they plan out what they want the spread (a two page split in the yearbook) to look like.
2. They gather pictures and quotes together, then compile, with a rough sketch, of how the layout will be.
3. Next, they make the page with the layout.
4. The class editors and Daley will check each spread.
5. The spreads will get sent to a yearbook plant where it goes through “proof” to make sure everything is in place. 
6. The yearbooks get printed!

These classes help create relationships amongst students and are a great way to get involved. 

“I love just hanging out with everybody, it’s really fun. Mrs. Daley is really fun and she provides a lot of helpful advice. I think for being first year journalists we’ve all done a really great job,” senior and Editor-in-Chief of newspaper, Olivia Steele, said. 

“I feel like I can be myself, I can be creative, it’s a really fun environment,” junior Emery Watson said. 

When asked what the one most important thing Daley wants her students to learn in her classes, she didn’t give an answer about journalism, or about school at all. 

“We just live in such a toxic world and it’s so easy to get bogged down by all that negativity, but I feel like there’s always opportunity to find joy,” Daley said. “I hope that something I teach my students [is], how to be optimistic and how to be grateful for what you do have.”