News Crew is a club-like leadership organization started this year here at Northridge Academy High, which allows students to write stories on a wide range of topics to inform and educate students. This creates a more interconnected school and community surrounded by a school newspaper. From a member of the News Crew “I like News Crew, it gives you a chance to express your views on topics, and you want to bring a lot of attention to what you care about. I use it to practice my writing skills, grammar, and formatting.” The published works of News Crew can be found on Puma Press online through the school’s website (what you are reading now).
News Crew brings a lot of opportunities to those who are interested in majoring in the field of Journalism or are just simply interested. During this past school year, several members of the crew went to journalism conventions here in Los Angeles, to learn and entered competitions for opinion, features, photography, etc. One member of the crew, sophomore Olivia Munoz placed eighth place in Opinion Writing in the 2024 Regionals Write-Offs Contest with Los Angeles Journalism Education Association (LAJEA). Munoz additionally placed seventh in Editorial Writing with the Southern California Journalism Association (SCJEA). News Crew can help you build your portfolio of accomplishments which you can use for your college applications and adds to your skills which you can use in the future. Senior News Crew members also received a cord for graduation in honor of their service to the crew and the school.
The News Crew not only publishes stories but takes field trips to further their knowledge on the field of journalism, books, and different types of media. Earlier this school year, the crew went on a field trip to the Los Angeles Public Library and KLCS studio, all in one day, February 15th. At the LA Library, the members learned about 3D printers, toured the 2.8 millions books throughout their 8 floors, and archives of book artifacts. Another field trip was to CSUN December 4th, to visit their News (Daily Sundial) and Broadcasting room to learn how they write and create their own university newspaper (first photo above). These field trips help inspire the crew and help improve their stories.
News Crew has had a transformative journey this school year transitioning from only three students to almost twenty students (including freelancers) and creating our very own website. As we sign off for this year with a group gathering and pizza (second and third photos), we say goodbye to our graduating journalists: Kailey Trujillo, Casey Teramoto, Sean Hunt, Joseph Adwani, Johann Anderson, Angie Lyng, Josiah Anderson, Rafaelle Cordero, Shenad Lasz, and Leo Avila. Anyone interested in joining the crew can message Mr. Kent, through email or Schoology or visit him in the Library.
