Now that my time in this class is coming to an end, I thought I might share some of my wisdom that I learned this year with the students that will be taking this class in the future. I really liked how laid back this class was. We would got to pick our own seats, and Mrs. V didn’t care if you listened to music while you did your work. I also liked some of the projects we did. Some of them you could do in a group, and you got to pick who you wanted to work with if you didn’t work by yourself. I didn’t really like how we had current events pretty much every week. I thought it was kinda like busy work most of the time. I also HATED how we had to watch CNN student news every class, sometimes more than one episode. I get it, Mrs. Vagnini wants us to know what is going on in the world, but that news was boring and a bit childish for high school students sometimes.
How did I spend my time in class? Most of the time I was working on my current events. Current events is a chart you have to fill out after reading four to six news articles depending on how many classes you had that week. You have to tell if it is a hard piece of news or soft, summarize the article, and write your opinion on the article. The second half of the year, we had to write many blog posts on our own blog. We were basically in charge of running our own blog on anything you want. Each blog post obviously had to be about something different but still stay within your topic. We also had more than one historical news projects. One of them was a project on news events that have happened since 2000, and the other one was news events that happened before 2000. In both projects, you had to describe the event in detail, and include at least six news headlines from newspapers that covered the event. Through out the year we had to write several articles of our own. There was the fairy tale re-write, the article on Morristown, and the holiday editorial. Each article had a different teaching element included in it. In the Morristown article we had to do a story on something that was happening in Morristown and/or something that could happen in the school or town, and we had to interview someone on the subject. The holiday editorial taught us what an editorial was (if you didn’t already know), and how to properly write one. The fairy tale re-write was our first article of the year, and it taught us how to properly write an article as well as how to write our own lead in a story. What will I be taking from this class? I will be taking a vast education on how to write articles and run a blog, and more knowledge on events that happened in the 20th and 21st century. Needless to say, I learned a lot this year.
What did I learn in this class? I learned many things throughout the year that are very helpful, not only in my writing but also things that could also someday help me get a job with a newspaper or magazine. I learned the seven deadly sins of journalism, the difference between hard and soft news, also what hard and soft news is, how to properly conduct an interview for an article, also how to properly write an article. Mrs. Vagnini had a very interesting and fun way of teaching us all these different things. After we learned the seven deadly sins we watched the movie, Broken Glass, which is about a man named Stephen Glass who broke almost all of the rules of journalism and managed to skip under the radar for a while, but he got caught eventually.
Do’s and don’t of Mrs. Vagnini’s digital journalism class:
Do: show up on time with a good attitude and ready to do work. Like any other class, participate in discussions that you have on current news events. Turn in all your current events, blog posts, articles, and projects on time. It is so easy to get an A in this class if you just do the work and turn it in on time. Share your opinion and thoughts on what you are talking about in class, no one will judge you on what you think.
Don’t: come to class late without a pass or excuse. Never use your phone or any other electronic device while watching the student news. Always do your work in class, never just sit there and do nothing. Class will get boring real quick if you aren’t doing anything. An over all don’t for any class, don’t skip. Skipping any class is stupid because you will get caught and you will get in trouble.
It is very important for high school students to aware of what is going on in the world, not just because your teachers tell you to, but also because being aware of what is happening is very important. Having a vast knowledge of world news can be very helpful for many reasons. Understanding what is happening in the world now, could help you understand past events in history that are the cause of current issues. Learning about world news is easier than you might think. All you need to do is read an article online, watch CNN student news (or any other news show), or read an actual newspaper. I know reading a newspaper isn’t that common anymore, but it will help to widen your palate on world news. Most students think that all news is boring or for old people who are interested in that because they have no life, but not all news is boring. There are some really fun and interesting stories that are for teenagers that are reported on.
If you do all your work, participate, and show up to class you will have a great time in class next year! Have a good time because it is a very fun and creative class!
“So OK, you're probably thinking, "Is this, like a Noxzema commercial, or what?!" But seriously, I actually have a way normal life for a teenage girl. I mean I get up, I brush my teeth, and I pick out my school clothes,” are Cher’s first words in Clueless. It really leaves the viewer wondering, how normal is this teenage girl’s life? She then continues to select her outfit for the day through a 90’s touchscreen computer and revolving closet. Definitely normal.
Teenage girls today share some similarities and differences with 15/16 year old Cher. Obviously, most teenagers in this day and age are not gifted with a jeep which they're allowed to drive without a license “just for practice” or manage to convince their teachers to change their report card grades all through the power of persuasion and lies. If a teen attempted that today, they’d most likely get their permit revoked and would have to deal with the couple of C’s given on their report cards. Cher also continues to set up her teachers and falls in love with her past step brother who happens to be in college. Something like that is not very typical.
Although Cher’s life is a very unique one, she does have some very relatable aspects, something which definitely made this movie such a hit. The boy drama, the popular cliques, and the feelings that Cher experiences throughout high school are engaging. Her confused feelings for Josh and Dionne’s relationship with her boyfriend are definitely something that many people in high school deal with. Also, the cliques are definitely apparent in high school in the movie, and high school now. The popular girls only date the popular boys, the skater-dudes, etc. and this whole stereotype is definitely still alive. At one point in the movie, Cher really struggles with her feelings; she feels lonely and confused and that's definitely something all high school students experience. These moments create a clear connection between Cher and the viewer, where some people realize that maybe her life is not all that different than theirs.
Everyone knows the saying, “Only 90’s kids will remember this,” which in most cases is true. The 90’s began the generation of technology, and really good movies. There were so many movies that came out in the 90’s, it is so hard to keep track. Like any decade, there were some duds and some amazing movies. There were some that just stood out, and are still watched on a regular bases today. A few are even some of the most watched movies on Netflix. I guess you could say that the 90’s was a pretty decade for the film industry.
#1- Forrest Gump Tom Hanks stars in this tale about a boy named Forrest Gump. While he and his mom see him as special, the rest of the kids at school would pick on him when he was young because he was “stupid” or “slow”. One day he found his strength when he discovered that he was an amazing runner when his best friend Jenny yelled that famous quote, “Run Forrest, run,” when some of the bullies at school were chasing him. Through out his life, Forrest goes to college, meets more than one President, joins the army and becomes a hero, he opens his own shrimp company, he falls in love and gets married, and becomes a world renowned ping pong player. While life may seem lovely for him, a lot of bad things were never easy for him. In life, everywhere he went, people either loved him or hated him. Along his astounding journey he made many lifelong friends, and memories that he shared with those few people who were sitting on the bench waiting for the bus with him that one day. this classic came out on July 6, 1994.
#2- Titanic This movie depicts the disastrous voyage of the RMS Titanic, and the love story between Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson. The movie starts out fun and happy with all the passengers going aboard the ship and enjoying the luxury it offered (if you were rich). Jack and Rose start off as total strangers, in fact when the voyage begins Rose is engaged to someone else. Jack sees Rose one day, and he knows he has to know her. He didn’t care she was engaged, he did everything and anything he could to know her. The two spend many moments together, and inevitably fall in love. No one in Rose’s family approves because Jack is not rich like her family, and her fiancé has money. Rose doesn’t care that no one supports her decision to break up with her fiancé to be with Jack. While all this is going on, the Titanic hits an iceberg and the ship begins to sink. Rose gives up her spot on lifeboat that would have taken her to safety to be with Jack. While the ship goes down, the two almost die, but only one lived to tell the story. This tragic love story hit theaters on December 19, 1997.
#3- Schindlers List Liam Neeson starred in this heart breaking film on the Holocaust that made everyone cry. The movie was based on the book, Schindler's Ark written by Thomas Keneally. Neeson starred as Schindler, one of the heros of the World War II tragedy, the Holocaust. Schindler saved the lives of more than one thousand mainly Polish-Jews, by giving them jobs at his factories. One day, he witnesses a massacre of people before entering the rest into a concentration camp. The film is mainly in black and white, but one of the only splashes of color is when Schindler see’s a little girl in a red coat hiding from the Natzi’s trying not to be killed. He later sees her on a train going to be burned, he is affected in a negative-good way. He then tries everything to save some people from being killed. He is friends with a man named Geoth, and Schindler constantly bribes him with lavish gifts, and eventually gets him to allow Schindler to build a sub-camp for the people working at his factory. When the Germans begin to lose the war, he is ordered to send the remaining jews at the camp to Auschwitz, and Schindler convinces him to send the workers at his factory to a different town so they don’t go to Auschwitz. It takes a very large bribe, but Schindler gets it done. This is when he writes “Schindler’s list”, or the list of people who are to be transferred to his factory, not Auschwitz. At the factory, Schindler encourages the workers to take part in Sabbath. To keep the jews alive, he spends much of his fortune bribing the Nazi officials, and buying amo. He runs out of money just as the Germans surrender. The workers are liberated, and they attest to him saving him so no harm is done to him. This movie came out on December 15, 1993.
#4- Jurassic Park This film is one of the many classics directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is about a theme park create by John Hammond that has live dinosaurs on Isla Nublar. One day, one of the park workers is killed and the investors of the park require that a specialist checks out the park and deem it safe for people to visit. So mathematician Ian Malcolm, paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler are asked to go to the park. Upon arrival, they are very surprised to see many dinosaurs in the distance. The three are given a tour of the park by Hammond’s grandchildren while he watched from the command room. the tour goes very wrong. Some of the dinosaurs don’t come out and one even gets sick. When a storm approaches, most of the people leave Isla Nublar, but a few stayed. Everyone that stayed went back to the electric tour vehicles, accept for Ellie who stays with the vet to examine the sick dinosaur. In the night, the power goes out and the electrical fences keeping the dinosaurs away from the visitors disappears. Through out the night, there are many dinosaur attacks on the people and many people are injured. In the end, Grant decides not to indorse the park. This epic sci-fi thriller hit theaters on June 11, 1993.
#5- Pretty Women This was a modern take on the classic Disney princess tale, Cinderella. Successful business man, Edward lewis was on a business trip in Hollywood. He got lost looking for Beverly Hills and takes an accidental detour in the red light district. Just hoping for directions, he stops and asks Vivian, who is a prostitute and mistakes him for a potential client. The two make a deal so he pays Vivian to show him the way. Edward becomes intrigued by her knowledge of the city and invites her to stay the night with him in his hotel penthouse suite. In the morning, he hires Vivian to escort him to social events for the entire week for 3,000 dollars. He also gives her access to all his credit cards so she can buy more appropriate clothing for the events. When he finds out that some stores turned her away because of her appearance, he goes to the stores with her and makes sure that they treat her with respect. After that they spend so much time together, and even get into a few fights. After one of Edwards old co-workers tries to harm Vivian, she leaves Edward and goes back to her apartment to leave for San Francisco to get her GED. Just when Edward is about to return to New York after his trip is over, he goes to her apartment instead of the airport. In the end, the two get back together after he shows up on her fire escape and acts out one of her childhood fantasies of the princess being rescued from the tower by the prince. This movie came out on March 23, 1990.
We’ve all done it. There is no lying about it. Everyone at one point in their life has lied to their parents about being sick to get out of something at school. Whether its a test you didn’t study for, a project you didn’t finish, or homework you just didn’t do you’ve done it. Granted our days off aren’t as adventurous as Ferris Bueller ‘s, but they can still be fun.
While we all sit at home all day watching tv or doing to work we stayed home to avoid, Ferris is off on a crazy trip that no one will ever forget. Ferris, his friend Cameron Frye, and his girlfriend Sloane Peterson all take off the Chicago for the day and do so many crazy things. They jam packed a parade, a baseball game, a museum, killing a car, and escaping Ferris’s father more than once into just one day. Everyone wishes that their sick days were this cool. If it was possible for me to skip school, go into the city, and have to day of my life without my parents ever finding out, I know I would do it.
I feel like this movie will always be popular and relevant because of the movie itself. The movie is very entertaining, and what kid hasn’t pretended to be sick before. Also one of the major messages from the movie comes from Cameron. He is a character that is controlled by his father and always does what he is supposed to do. He is your basic goody two shoes. Until this day he spends with Ferris and Sloane. He rebels by taking his dads favorite car and wrecking it. By the end of the day, he really just didn’t care anymore. He took his life into his own hands. There are so many kids out there that are controlled by their parents and don’t make any decisions by themselves, and Cameron is the perfect example of that. He made the decision to stand up to his father and make his own choices. He broke the peer pressure that was being put on him to be perfect, which is a hard thing to do when it comes to parents.
This movie is one of my favorites. It is simply a good way for me to laugh when I am in a bad mood. I would recommend it to anyone that likes comedies. My favorite part is when Cameron has his breakthrough and decides to just basically say screw you dad. I like it a lot because it shows his character development over the course of the movie, and also that Ferris cares about Cameron. Overall, my favorite character has to be Sloane. To me, she is the best because she always knows what to say. It’s so clear that she loves Ferris, even though he’s that kid that just doesn’t care about anything (accept her). She’s one of those characters that the movie couldn’t survive without her. She makes certain parts of the movie so much better. I've done it, you've done it, Ferris has done it, lets face it, for the rest of time kids everywhere will pretend to be sick to get out of school for a day. It's just the basic law of nature.
"We're all bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it that's all."The Breakfast Club is definitely a movie that will forever be remembered. The film directed by John Hughes was released on February 15, 1985. The movie just celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this month, and will be coming back to theaters for special showings across the country in March. The movie will also be rereleased on DVD in March. The movie is also one of the most watched films on Netflix.
Some people may be wondering what all the buzz is about. The Breakfast Club isn't just a movie, it defined the thin line between who your friends really are. The movie is about five high school students stuck at a Saturday detention together and what they do to pass the time. In the beginning of the day all of the students are estranged, and don't really like each other. By the end of the day there are two unexpected relationships that come from four people that are polar opposites, and friendships that will last longer than eight hours of forced interactions. The movie also addresses stereotypes in a tasteful way. It tells the truth about people that care what others think of them. In my opinion it also has one of the best endings in the history of movie endings. There is no heartbreaking good by's or break up's, no one dies, and nothing terrible happens. The day just ends, and everyone is happy. Another big question is, is this movie still relevant? While the movie itself might be outdated, the message never will be. Like I already said it addresses all the big stereotypes of high school. The world may want to believe that we have changed and that we are more accepting of people that are different, but were not. There will always be the jocks that have so much pressure on them they snap, the daddies little girls that get everything they want, the kids that just don’t care about anything, the kids that are ignored, and the kids that are smarter than everyone. The world may be more accepting of people that are different, but high school never will be. So yes, the movie is still relevant today, and it will be as long as there are teenage girls in the world.