June 2013…Healthy NewsWorks reporters from three schools visited WHYY-FM in late May to learn how radio journalists create their stories. The radio station hosted the class trips as part of WHYY’s Newsworks efforts to provide multimedia opportunities for Healthy NewsWorks students and teachers. Healthy NewsWorks became a community partner of WHYY’s Newsworks in 2012.
The schools included Gotwals Elementary School and Marshall Street Elementary School in Norristown and Hope Partnership for Education in Philadelphia. Hope Partnership’s sixth graders received instruction about how to put together audio and video reports.
Marshall Street Healthy Bulletin reporters interviewed Neema Roshania, the community editor for Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. “It was great to spend time with a group of young students who were so enthusiastic and eager to learn about journalism,” said Ms. Roshania.
They also interviewed Meg Pinto, the community editor for Manayunk, Roxborough, and East Falls. “It was a real pleasure speaking with the kids from Healthy NewsWorks’ Marshall Street school,” Ms. Pinto said. “The students came prepared with smart, thoughtful questions and took in-depth notes throughout the conversation – they even asked us how to spell our names like real reporters would! I was impressed with the group’s curiosity and attention to detail. I’d very much look forward to other opportunities speaking with students from this program again.”
Gotwals third and fourth graders also toured the station and interviewed Elisabeth Perez-Luna who is executive producer of audio content.
Elisabeth Perez-Luna “became a reporter because she likes stories, telling stories, and likes people to know about her stories,” wrote Amira Johnson, a Gotwals fourth grader. “She started out with pads and notebooks and now she has a camera and a tape recorder. She still carries pads too.”
Ms. Perez-Luna also told the Gotwals Healthy Press reporters that her greatest accomplishment is being able to work in a job that she really enjoys, according to Amayrami Lopez Noya, a fourth grader.
“We are grateful to Newsworks for broadening our students’ perspective on the media,” said Marian Uhlman, Healthy NewsWorks director. “Our reporters and their teachers returned to the classroom enthused and eager to try their hand at audio reports.”
