Journalist Rebecca Aguilar once said “It’s great being a journalist because our office is the world.” For students who want to go out into the field to cover events and stories of all kinds, Foundations of Journalism is the class to consider.
Brit Taylor teaches Foundations of Journalism in first period.
“The purpose of the class is to give students an overview of the different publications and journalism as a whole,” Taylor said. “We target yearbook, newspaper, even a little bit of TV Production—anything really that happens in high school journalism, we try to give them a taste of it here.”
Students learn the style of writing that journalism requires and how different sources of news provide information. Currently, students are learning about newspaper page design, and the intentions behind them.
“The workload comes mainly from the projects,” Taylor said. “While it’s a lot lighter than [newspaper] staff, there is some [work] outside of class. You have to go [interview] people, you have to get [an occasional] picture. [It’s] not all the time like it would be on staff, but we’re definitely going to do those things.”
Students do not need to join Foundations of Journalism as expert reporters—they will learn the necessary skills as they take the class. Taylor only asks that students be willing to interact with others.
“You don’t have to be the most outgoing person ever, but it’s definitely scary to go up and ask somebody questions,” Taylor said. “I would even say, [while] writing and computer skills help, they’re not required. People think that they have to be a great writer to take the class with us [when it’s] not really the case. I would say just a little bit of people skill is probably key.”
Freshman Eleanor Cronin found out about Foundations of Journalism through the curriculum night in January 2025, and decided to join because she enjoyed writing.
“[My dad and I] stopped by the Foundations of Journalism [table], and one of the people was talking about how she got an internship at it for writing,” Cronin said. “My dad said, ‘You should sign up for that [because] you like writing.’ I had an open spot, and I [was] like, ‘Okay, why not?’”
Since joining the class, Cronin has honed her photography skills, and has improved her socialization and time-management skills.
“I learned how to take photographs,” Cronin said. “I used to do photography when I was little, but I was really bad at it, so I think that this really helped. I think it also helped me with deadlines because I’m really bad at procrastination, but [in this class], you have a strict deadline.”
Students who wish to work alongside other students to create stories and articles that share their perspectives on the world, or report on what may be happening around their campus should take Foundations of Journalism.
“I’m somebody who takes [a lot of] pride in wanting to do my best with work, so I feel like that’s the best mindset to have going in,” Cronin said. “You really do need to want to get to the bottom of something [and] understand why stuff is happening.”
