To Whom It May Concern:
It has been brought to our attention that Tesoro High School is the only high school in the Capistrano Unified School District that does not have an official newspaper or newspaper class.
The creation of this paper and class could provide a multitude of benefits, not only to students but to the community at large.
For starters, it’s imperative to have an outlet for students with a wide range of talents to showcase their abilities. Student media instills the twenty-first century skills necessary for success in a changing world, including creativity, collaboration, and communication.
A student paper teaches appropriate debate, proper discussion, and sound writing skills—which we need now more than ever in these divisive times.
Managing schoolwork, homework, athletics, and other activities can be stressful for high schoolers. Offering student media as a class allows students to dedicate the time and energy necessary to produce good journalism without worrying about taking time away from their other classes and obligations outside of school hours.
Media can serve a critical fact-checking purpose, correcting rumors and conjecture that circulate on social media—a rampant problem across campuses nationwide.
Newspaper students must synthesize and evaluate information from diverse sources, collaborate, and think both critically and creatively, all in a learner-driven environment.
The transferrable skill set students would take away from this class are invaluable and long term. Students would learn time management, problem solving, and interpersonal skills, all of which are instrumental in academic and career success.
Finally, in today’s technology-driven world, this generation needs to be reminded that journalism is more than 140 characters on Twitter or a brief post on one of the many social media platforms.
We urge those in charge to help get the Titan Tribune off to the presses and to establish the newspaper class at Tesoro as soon as possible. Schools should strive to produce civic-minded, critical thinkers who understand and can respond to the world around them. And it takes student media programs to foster this type of well-rounded, mature, and productive young members of our community and society as a whole.
Kindest regards,
Linda Hakim, Publisher and Ryann Smith Groseclose, Editor
Ladera Ranch Neighbors
Wrangler Living
Neighbors of San Juan Capistrano
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