At the Jetstream Journal, covering news to activities to lifestyle and feature articles becomes a new adventure every day. The Jetstream Journal is Air Academy High School’s student published newspaper, which allows students to cover topics revolving around the school and community along with sharing stories and news. 

What is it actually like to be a part of the class?

The class is full of fun and hard work. Every class period, students are given their creative freedom and are pushed to think out of the box in order to write varied, interesting stories. 

However, with the power to publish comes great responsibility. Deadlines are one of the most important responsibilities in the class. To keep the publication flowing, stories have to be written and edited within a certain amount of time. The Jetstream Journal is a consistent publication that publishes twice a month. 

Sophomore Declan Wittkamp said journalists have to “be prepared to work with deadlines and stay on top of things.” 

Journalists are also responsible for conducting interviews with students and teachers in order to share their perspectives, as well. Now, what is a story without an eye-grabbing picture? They are also responsible for capturing their own photo that relates to their story. This allows them to open their mind and possibly go on an adventure.  

Journalism is a very laid back class as long as the work gets done. The students are trusted to conduct their own interviews, sit next to their friends in class, go on field trips, or even make pancakes together.

Yes. We have pancakes. 

Journalism is a class that can help open doors as well.

“Before this class, I had no idea what I wanted to go into after high school. What were my next steps? How was I going to provide for myself? It wasn’t until I stepped into [the] classroom that I realized I was destined to go into journalism. My favorite part is getting to explore different genres of writing, such as news, editorials, and activities around the school,” said senior Ruth Evilsizer.

This is Evilsizer’s first year being apart of The Jetstream Journal. She will be attending Colorado State University, majoring in her new passion: journalism. 

What qualities in a person would be a good fit for journalism?

Mary Anderson, the faculty advisor for The Jetstream Journal, describes ideal journalist traits: “Ability to meet deadlines, curious, inquisitive, detailed, creative, good communicator, and a team player.”

In mid-January, The Jetstream Journal was honored to have been able to go on a field trip to the Colorado Springs Independent. While spending the day downtown as a class, students were able to bond with one another and expand their knowledge of journalism. After The Independent, the class enjoyed lunch together at Noodles and Company.

Being a part of The Jetstream Journal is like being a part of another family. All class periods are filled with love, laughter, and support. Being a writer can be a scary and vulnerable thing; however, the staff of The Jetstream Journal helps make the classroom a safe and comfortable space where students can express their ideas.