Zachary Student Media Application

Zachary Student Media Application

Please complete all questions.
Dear Applicant,

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this application. It may seem long, but we would rather ask certain things now. Please note that this application does NOT guarantee selection. However, your counselor will receive the list of accepted students, and you will receive a personal notification if you are chosen or not.

The journalism program at Zachary High School (ZHS) includes some of the most rewarding courses students will ever take. The classes are time-consuming but so worth it. Students are taught and expected to act like they have a real-world job, which means the workday most likely won't finish at the end of the school day. Our program has brought home many awards from the Louisiana Scholastic Press Association State Convention, including Number 1 Broadcast in the state!

To become a member of the Hoofprints Online Newspaper, WZHS TV Broadcast, or Corral Yearbook, a student must meet the following:
- Must have at least an overall 2.5 GPA.
- Must have a clean discipline record when applying and maintain a clean discipline record while a member. You are representative of this school and the journalism program. We have to trust that you will do what is right since you will be working outside the classroom.
- Demonstrate special skills or interest in photography, videography art, cartooning, computers, sales, bookkeeping, advertising, social media, design, or any other area accepted by the adviser and editor staff.
You should also fall under one of the following categories.
- Complete Intro to Journalism (Listed as Intro to Yearbook, Newspaper, and TV) with a B or better and fill out the application
- Be a transfer student who has journalism training and maintained a B average in those classes. (A Letter of Recommendation from the former school is strongly suggested.) The student will be allowed to enter the class on a trial basis for one semester, in which the editorial staff will evaluate the student's progress.
- A student who has not taken Intro to Journalism:
  - must receive strong recommendations from two teachers, including the student's current English teacher.
  - should have a strong sense of responsibility and work ethic,
  - and accepted by the adviser after a meeting.
Please note, if you left or were dismissed from the staff for any reason, you will need to reapply as a new member. If accepted, it will be on a trial basis, and you will not be able to apply for a leadership role until after the first semester.

As a staff member, you will:
- Work both as a team and an individual to complete all assigned tasks.
- Be ready to take photos, shoot videos, interview students/teachers/administrators, and research any background information needed to complete your assigned beat.
- Meet deadlines and be responsible
- Come to class each day on time and be prepared to work. This class requires that you be on campus and have a great attendance record since things happen each day!
- Need to have your own transportation to and from scheduled after-school events and workdays. For conferences, parents usually volunteer to drive, or we will take a bus.
- Not have normal homework assignments. Still, you are expected to put "homework time" into staying for preannounced workdays to complete an online news article, tv broadcast, or yearbook spread.
- Take full responsibility for any equipment you check out. You will receive an equipment product list and contract at the July staff meeting.
- Need to pay the $35 staff supply fee. This fee takes care of the personal equipment and supplies you will use each day. This does not include your staff apparel and conferences. In addition, we will have fundraisers throughout the school year to assist with conference costs.
- Keep all journalism information confidential.
The people on this staff "Make it happen! Not, make excuses." If you and your parent(s) believe you are the type of person who can do what is expected to succeed in this program, then, by all means, check the box below and continue with the application.

We hope to see you in July!

Mrs. McClinton, Student Media Advisor
I understand and will do what is expected of me as Bronco Student Media staff member. *

I understand and agree!

Student Information
Please select which best describes you. *
Returning members are filling this out just to have updated information. Unless told by the advisor or you want to be in 4th and 5th hours, you will automatically move to the next course.
What courses are you applying for? Both courses will be held 4th and 5th hours. If your schedule allows, you can select the last option and you be placed in 4th and 5th hour. *

Online News (Your course will be listed as Publications I:News) WZHS (Listed as Journalism I-III) Yearbook (Listed as Publications I-III) I would like to take 4th and 5th hours
Level for Online News
Level for WZHS *
Level for Yearbook *
Name *

First Name Last Name
Cell Number *

Area Code Phone Number
Parent's Name *

First Name Last Name
Parent's Cell Number *

Area Code Phone Number
Parent's email *
example@example.com
Graduation Year *
Overall GPA *
Access your Transcript via JPAMS
English Teacher *
2020-2021 school year
English Grade *
As of May 2021

Your Availability
For any short answer question that does not apply to you, type NA.
Will you be an on-campus or virtual student next year. *
Staff members must be open to interviewing students, faculty, administrators, and community members for story assignments. This can include Virtual interviews. Will this be a problem for you? *
List all extracurricular activities in which you are involved or hope to be involved in next year. *
This includes school and non-school related.
About how many school days did you miss each semester during the 2020-2021 school year. *
If you missed more than five school days per semester, please let me know if they were medical related.
Do you have a part-time job? *
Average hours worked weekly: *
Will you be able to get off for staff work days or conference if you know in advance? *
List your proposed class schedule for the 2021-2022 school year. *
Indicate if they are Honors, AP, or DE.

Your Commitment
Your responses will be used to assess your writing ability as well as suitability for the staff.
Why would you like to be a part of the Student Media Staff? *
What intimidates you about becoming a staff member? *
How do you think being on staff will benefit you? *
Explain two things you like about our school. *
Give two ways in which you wish you could change our school. *
Most students have very busy lives. How do you manage your time? *
WZHS and Yearbook are both year-long courses. The expectation is that when you apply to be on either staff, you are committing to the ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR. If, at this point, you cannot make this commitment, you are still encouraged to apply. However, this may affect your chances of becoming a 2021-2022 Student Media staff member during staff selection.

IMPORTANT: Your dedication is essential because critical decisions about workload are made very early in the school year. If you choose to drop out of any journalism course, fail to meet your deadlines, or fulfill your responsibilities, your decision negatively impacts your grade, the quality of each media outlet, and the entire staff. It takes the WHOLE YEAR and the WHOLE STAFF to provide quality to our school and community, and we want you onboard for the WHOLE PROCESS.
Do you believe you will remain on staff for the entire year, including summer meetings, trainings, workdays. *
Our year begins from 3rd week in July - May. Yearbook staff members who do not finish in May, must submit final pages for proofing by June 1.
Please sign below indicating that you have completed the application and understand the above information.
Student Signature

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Parent Signature

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Approaching and talking to students and adults you don't know
Working independently
Meeting deadlines or due dates
Taking suggestions, recommendations and constructive criticism
Being a team player
Using computers and learning new programs
Writing creatively
Directing and Leading others
Maintaining a website
Having a social media presence
Staying Organized