Journalism: The Most Useful Class at PHS!

When I was picking classes for my senior year, I knew I wanted to take classes that would better prepare me for college and beyond. I always hated reading books and enjoyed the writing aspect of English more. After talking to my 11th grade English teacher, I knew that Journalism was exactly what I was looking for.

The course explores a variety of topics such as writing, grammar, ethics, the history of journalism, and so much more. Mrs. Gordienko does an amazing job of presenting the material in an enjoyable way that keeps us intrigued. We learned how to write in a variety of styles including features, obituaries, editorials, and sports writing. I enjoyed the chance to write things other than essays like in most English classes. We also reviewed lots of grammar, especially with active and passive voice, parallelism, and AP Style. I noticed a significant improvement in my writing after reviewing those skills. I liked learning about the laws and ethics of journalism. I feel that having an understanding of ethics is essential for any career. Towards the end of the school year, we worked in news groups to produce weekly articles. Group work can be tough especially if some people aren’t pulling their weight but I learned that having patience was key when working with others.

Out of all the classes that I took throughout high school, I feel that Journalism helped me feel more prepared for college and my future. I now have so many vital skills that I can use to better myself as a student and a person. I definitely grew both academically and personally during this class. In addition to my improved writing and grammatical skills, I learned to think outside of the box and get more creative. I always struggled with creativity but taking Journalism certainly helped me with that. Journalism is a great class that can help anyone regardless of what you want to do in the future. The class is definitely my favorite English class I took at Pennridge. If you chose to take Journalism, you wont regret it!