BY DAVID MILLER
STARKVILLE — While news media is struggling to be a profitable industry, Starkville High School”s student-media opportunities continue to grow.
SHS was recently awarded a $1,750 general grant for the “Yellow Jackets: On the Air!” program by the non-profit fundraising group Starkville Foundation for Public Education.
Starkville High will offer a broadcast journalism class this year thanks to the grant, one of eight awarded worth $10,000 announced Tuesday
SHS history teacher R.J. Morgan, who also is in charge of the school newspaper and yearbook, plans to use the grant money to buy a MacBook computer for video editing and digital video equipment.
The former Starkville School District Teacher of the Year and top teacher for the Third Congressional District says his students have endless possibilities to explore both angles of journalism.
Morgan ultimately wants his students to handle the school”s morning announcements over the school”s closed circuit video system. There”s also a coach”s show and video features of teachers in the works.
“It”s really been such an amazing process from when I got here, having just the newspaper and yearbook to becoming more like a voice of the school,” Morgan said. “They”re taking ownership of the way information is transferred. The emphasis on media they”ve allowed me to do and grow has made the environment night and day.”
Morgan said starting a broadcast class wasn”t on his radar when he arrived at Starkville High four years ago. The idea was initially broached by SHS principal Keith Fennell two years ago.
“We had just established the print side when Fennell started talking about improving the school climate,” Morgan said. “I knew they did it (broadcasting) in the late 1990s, and we thought it would be something great.”
SFPE, which was started in 1989, has raised over $130,000 for Starkville public schools. SFPE brought in over $20,000 in private donations last year.
Each year, SFPE offers scholarships and grants to students and teachers throughout the district.
The projects awarded grants this week include:
n The $1,750 Bird Sleuths-Building Environmental Consciousness Human Animal Bond & GGSIM Partner Grant was awarded to Linda Duston and teacher team (Denise Hosie, Kate Roberts, and Deborah Vanderford) of Henderson Elementary.
n The NEO 2S Equal Formidable Improvement General Grant, worth $1,589, was awarded to Linda LaFrance of Ward Stewart Elementary.
n A GoPlay Partner and general grant of $1,750 were awarded to “The Busy Bodies Breakfast Bunch & Buddies” project and Mary Ruth Caradine and teacher team (Dawn Swartz, Carlos Crutch, and Wendy Jolly) at Sudduth Elementary.
n A general grant of $1,200 was awarded to Rory Waters for the “Rewarding the Readers: Increasing Comprehension” project at Overstreet School.
n A classroom grant of $641 was awarded to Pamela Pugh for the “Art Up Close” project at Sudduth Elementary.
n A classroom grant of $750 was awarded to Laura Smith for the “Engaged Learning with Document Camera” project at Ward Stewart Elementary.
n A general grant of $500 was awarded to Heather Hannah for the “Can You Hear Me Now” project at Sudduth Elementary.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
