Submissions!

Hello All!!

We hope you are getting excited as we approach the completion of this publication you have all poured your hearts into for the past months!!  I thought you would be excited to know that some of your peers are equally excited!  We received several emails this week including articles and poems for possible use in the magazine! Also, we had two people email asking for subscriptions to VOICE OF VALOR!!  These are teenagers/college students from out of state!

Can you just imagine the interest we will get once it's actually published?!

So I am looking forward to Friday's class! Hopefully all of your articles are complete and ready for layout!!! See you then!

God bless you,

Mrs. Longo

God's will be done!

Okay ... well, our photo shoot didn't work out today.  God's will be done!  Thomas and I looked online for images that might work for various layouts in the magazine, and especially the cover.  Found some okay things, but nothing striking.

But, I had an idea ... are all of you familiar with the famous Iwo Jima war image of the small group of  soldiers raising the American flag?  I saw a similar image, where soldiers were raising the Cross instead of the flag.  What if we went out and took a photo like that ... with weapons and battle gear (and maybe even book bags, sports equipment, etc.) tossed down, and teenagers raising up the cross?  Maybe that would make a neat cover image?  I'm sure we have a large Cross somewhere here.  It would be an easy shot to take ... could even possibly do it after school on Monday?  Can you all let me know what you think?  Thanks!

Also ... PLEASE be working to finish up your articles over the vacation (or before!).  We need finished pieces to work on layout at the next meeting.  If you haven't turned in a draft copy (on thumb drive or via email) please do that, so we can edit and get back to you with suggestions asap.  Good luck!  We're making progress and things are going to start coming together now ... keep working hard!

Reminders and plans for this week

THURSDAY 3/29 -- Lunch meeting ... bring everything you are working on (print form)... especially longer articles, possible titles and leading phrases for cover, images for your page layout ideas, etc.

FRIDAY 3/30 -- we'd like to do a photo shoot for the front cover. Sister Michael Marie and Sister Marie Vianney have a few ideas. Wear normal clothes for guys/girls today ~ if possible, wear something red. Also, bring something that gives a sense of "valor" ... a sword, shield, helmet, etc. (If you ask, you might be able to borrow from the school/drama room ... don't wait until the last minute!)

CHECK OUT THE MAGAZINE BLOG at: www.voiceofvalor2012.blogspot.com

Hey everybody ... I thought of something we forgot at our meeting today. It was the "Defending the Faith" article. Oops!! We'll need to get on that next week. But in the meantime, be thinking of ideas...

Here is our edited flyer with the new title!  Let me know if you want copies of the flyer to give to friends or classmates.  I'll fax it to the priests!  

Today's lunch meeting was a good time to touch base.  Katie missed the meeting due to doctor's appointment, but we will catch her up on things.

It looks like most everyone has a good start on his/her articles and projects ... We should have plenty to work with at the next class!  Some things we talked about...

1) Title for the temperaments article - "Know Thyself"
2) Title for the lost Catholic author reprints - "Tolle Lege" (Take and read)
3) Possible titles for the magazine... Credo, Rhyme & Reason, Never Alone, Nota Bene (NB)
4) Possible title for Editorial - Pretiosa (Pearl of Great Price) ... with connections to using of talents, selling all-even the last farthing ... enduring until the end of the battle

Everyone seems to understand that we need to have rough drafts ready for class on March 2nd.

EVERYONE to TALK TO STUDENTS AND FRIENDS about: 
1)  The Pro-Life/Koman Foundation issue regarding support of Planned Parenthood ... get people's input and have it for Friday.  (Was it right?  Should they have to give the $$ back?  What can people do ... especially teenagers?  Why should you care about this issue?  ...bring ideas!!!)  Here is a link to read more about it:
     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/susan-g-komen-planned-parenthood_n_1252651.html

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/witch-hunt-or-policy-shift-susan-g-komen-defends-cutting-planned-parenthood-funding/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/top-susan-g-komen-official-resigns-after-planned-parenthood-flap/

2) The "battles" that teenagers faced in earlier ages... how they are different from the battles young people face today.  (Ex. Industrial Age - young people forced to work; no education.... or, during the time of the Black Death ... losing almost all family and friends, facing disease, despair, etc.)  Talk to your friends ... bring ideas!

See you all next Friday!

1st Class Recap!

Hi all,

Thanks for a great first class! I am anxious to see what we all come together with at class two! For now, here is a breakdown of individual tasks:

BJ:

• trivia questions
• Catholic terminology (some common Catholic Terms)
• Latin Lingo (Catchy Latin sayings and/or dialogue)
• St. Ignatius - short bio
• Armor of Faith - (info on each scapular)

KATIE:

• Recipe
• St. Martin of Tours - short bio
• Abortion Article (and interviewing peers on this current event)

MARYKATE:

• Chivalry/Modesty Article
• St. Sebastian - short bio
• Craft Idea
• Book Review

THOMAS:

• Spiritual quotes
• St. Michael - short bio
• Spiritual Battles of today & yesterday Article

SR. VIANNEY:

• Four Temperaments Quiz
• Reprinting Lost Authors
• Editorial Letter ideas

SR. MICHAEL:

• Editorial Letter ideas

MRS. LONGO:

• St. Joan of Arc - short bio
• Editorial Letter Ideas

ALL:

• Bring ideas to the table for our Ramparts of Fortitude Article about defending the faith
• Think of images or graphics for our articles...

STILL TO DO:

• Solicit original art
• Solicit original poetry
• Solicit questions for "Ask Father/Sister Says" column
• A Title for our magazine!!!!
• Also, think of titles for:

1. Saint Bio section
2. Reprinting Lost Authors Section
3. Feature
4. Editorial Title

Hopefully I didn't miss anything, but feel free to leave a comment if I did!! 

WELCOME!

+

JMJ

Welcome to the Blog for St. Michael's Spring Journalism Elective course.

Thank you for signing up! We are eager to work together on this exciting project! Its purpose is to enrich your knowledge of journalism while providing positive and interesting Catholic content for the enjoyment of you and your peers. You will learn the processes of journalism from brainstorming to writing, formatting, and eventually publishing. It is also quite likely that you will have some amount of fun along the way!  

This blog will serve as an avenue of communication between teachers and students as we develop our publication.  Please feel free to post comments, ideas, useful links, questions or other relative information here. Thank you for being a part of this exciting endeavor!

Here are some useful supplies you could bring to Class 1:

• pens/pencils
• notebooks
• folder
• Thumb drive
• LOTS OF IDEAS!!!

Bring all of your thoughts on publishing, magazine articles, topics, etc.  Our first class will include a lot of brainstorming.  We will also be assigning certain tasks (sections, articles, and topics) in the magazine to each of you budding writers!  Come prepared to discuss what contribution you would like to make to the publication!

~ May God bless all of our labors ~