If there are a few pieces of advice that I have for anyone in Pennridge, one of them would be to take journalism. In my junior year, I was debating on whether I should take Western Lit or Journalism; and I chose journalism because I have more passion for writing than reading. Journalism has taught me many skills that will help me in my future writing, but also in life. This class goes in depth with grammar/AP style, specialized writing, history of journalism, laws and ethics and social media. Whether or not your major in college is journalism, this class offers a variety of different skills that will be useful no matter what your major may be. During this class, I learned that journalists have integrity, bravery and immense creativity. I reinforced my grammar, learned how to write features and editorials, different types of headings, leads and articles and I even learned how to write an obituary! I never realized how many layers there were to writing, and there is so much you can do to make your pieces stand out from the rest. Journalism made me grow in my speaking abilities in front of my classmates as well as adults.

During our investigative research project, I interviewed Dr.Bolton. I was nervous at first, but as we prepared in class about interview etiquette, I was more ready than I ever thought I would be. Being able to properly and politely speak to adults is something that takes years to get the confidence to do, so I am thankful I learned those skills in my senior year. This class is the perfect mix of creative freedom and structure. For some units, we stick to certain topics to write about but most of the time, we have the freedom to write about our topic of choice; while practicing various writing skills. During Newsgroups, we get to work with people with whom we are comfortable, writing about topics that inspire us. Newsgroups allowed me to connect with my community a little more because we wrote about the Pennridge Basketball team and Theater Program. This class also allows a good amount of time to complete assignments. Journalists must learn to stick to strict deadlines, so this class prepares you for any other class or job in the future that implements strict submission windows. Most days, I felt like I was in a college class because of the honors level and of how much creative freedom we were allowed. Without taking this class, I feel like I would have struggled with English/composition classes in the future. Mrs. Gordienko creates a fun and welcoming environment in her class which made me very excited to start class everyday. This class has equipped me with many communication skills that I will be able to use for the rest of my life. For that, I am so thankful I decided to take this class; and I recommend this class 100% for future juniors/seniors.