Classroom learning doesn’t do it for junior-to-be Samantha Wendt.  At least not when it comes to her newspaper class.

For that, a professional newsroom teaches the best lessons.

Taking part in a three week summer workshop sponsored by the Dallas Morning News, Samantha and 19 other high school journalists from across North Texas, learn from, and work with reporters and editors from one of the nation’s largest papers.

“The experience has been amazing,” Wendt said.  “The very first day, the day after the Mavericks won the championship we got to sit in on the budget meeting. So, I knew exactly what would headline the next day’s paper, before I even had the chance to read the actual days paper. Every day one or two guest speakers, which are on the DMN staff, come and talk to us about certain aspects of their job and tips for those of us who want to pursue a career with journalism.”

Having recently joined the newspaper staff at Lovejoy High School in Lucas, TX, the workshop helps make up for Wendt’s lack of experience.

“The DMN workshop appealed to me for several different reasons,” Wendt said.  “Mainly, it was a chance for me to improve my journalistic skills before junior year, since I had only taken one semester of newspaper. It’s allowed me to see just how exactly everything works at a real newspaper, and it’s given me so many new ideas on how we can improve our own.”

But in order for that to happen, there had to be a relationship developed between her school and the Dallas Morning News.  That’s when DMN interactive news editor Linda Leavell stepped in.

Helping create a relationship with schools throughout the area, Leavell thinks it makes perfect sense for a paper like the Morning News to reach out to local schools.

“A major daily newspaper takes on a three-week summer workshop because its publisher believes that cultivating homegrown journalists will benefit us in the future,” Leavell said.  “These students, some of whom will become professional journalists, may come to work for us; subscribe to our newspaper as adults; or become a credit to the profession elsewhere.”

That’s a goal for Wendt, and with a week still remaining in the workshop, she’s already impressed with what’s she learning.

“We’ve brainstormed so many great story ideas that I’m sure our school newspaper will be using,” Wendt said.
 
“I’ve also learned how to write leads better, which hopefully will help make my stories more interesting. I’ve also just learned more about how to effectively use quotes and I’m experimenting with different writing styles, to see which I feel I write best with.”

Writing for the school paper is one thing, but for Wendt’s workshop teacher, working with professionals helps students grasp what it means to be a journalist.

“I spent several years as a professional prior to becoming a teacher and I feel it is very important for students to see how the business works,” Dallas Morning News workshop teacher James Rich said.  “Many youngsters want to be a journalist but do not realize what work goes into being the best journalist. I think that when they are exposed to the real world of journalism with professionals, they really get a feel of what it is like to be in the profession every day.”

As most adults know, there are good days and bad days at the office.  But for Wendt, an aspiring sports reporter, one day stands out. 

“We had the opportunity to interview [Texas Rangers pitcher] Derek Holland, and write a story about him,” Wendt said.  “Being able to interview someone as high profile as him will help me learn to make effective use of limited interview questions, and it’s just going to be a really cool experience to be able to say as a high school student I was able to interview Derek Holland.”

The experience of working with the local newspaper could be invaluable to her journalism future, but for Wendt, the daily trip downtown is a journey of discovery.

“I feel this program has not only improved my journalistic skills, but it’s also given me a chance to get out of the Lovejoy bubble,” Wendt said.  “I’ve taken the DART [light
rail train] every day, and it’s really opened my eyes to some of the people that live in our area. It’s given me a chance to really see what the real world is like, and what to prepare myself for in the future.”