SLAS Times Q2 2019-2020 SLAS Times: Fall 2019 | Page 3

A
fter my first year at Livingston, I’m proud to be
back for the 2019-2020 school year (and beyond).
Everything was so fresh and new last year, and it was
fascinating to see our small journalism team grow
into their roles as wise young scribes of the school.
Both the team and I learned so much about writ-
ing, photography, illustration and team work. These
critical skills in collaborative content creation are of
the utmost importance in today’s knowledge-based
economy, and I hope this class made a lasting im-
pression on the team.
In this first semester, the team focused on writing
neutral, non-biased “hard news,” so that our readers
would be able to get an honest account of what is
happening on campus.
The team studied the basics of digital photography
and composition. Most of these students have never
taken a photography class, nor have they ever pub-
lished art. Some of the kids even created their own
digital illustrations for your viewing pleasure.
In the final weeks of the semester, the team learned
how to write editorial pieces that reflect their own
This year, the journalism team has doubled in size. ideas, arguments and opinions. With a school as di-
We also opened the door to four talented middle verse as SLAS, it’s important that we showcase stu-
school students, while our veteran team members dent life from the student’s perspective.
serve as model students for the newbies to look up
to. We also had a visit from CNN Korea editor Jake This group has impressed me so much with their ap-
Kwon, who gave us a fascinating look into the day to plication of core values, and I hope they will impress
day happenings of a professional, world class jour- you just as much.
nalist.
- Robert van West
Understanding journalism and new writing styles is
not an easy task, so I commend all of our brave stu-
dents for their hard work and determination.
A Message from the Editor