The High School Community Journalism Program
The High School Community Journalism Program pairs Hofstra graduate students as one-on-one mentors with students in Freeport High School during the fall semester. Under the close supervision of Hofstra faculty, graduate journalism students assist the high school students as they develop story angles, research subjects, write articles, experiment with presentation methods (including photography and video), edit their stories for accuracy and grammar, and build strong storytelling skills. News and feature stories about the high school students’ schools and surrounding communities have been published on Long Island Report, Hofstra’s multimedia news outlet,and LI Herald (story 1 & 2), the website of Herald Community Newspapers, a group of 17 award-winning weekly newspapers.
High school students who took part in the fall class are invited to participate in the Summer High School Journalism Institute, which takes place at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Students from the Elmont, Hempstead, Uniondale and Westbury school districts have also participated in the program. The Summer Journalism Institute is run by Professors Scott Brinton and Mario Gonzalez.
The High School Community Journalism Program and Summer Journalism Institute have received funding from the New York Press Association Foundation, Press Club of Long Island, and The Bernard and Sandra Otterman Foundation. Both initiatives help fulfill Hofstra’s mission to celebrate diversity and expose young people to college-level work and career opportunities.
