As the end of the semester rapidly approaches, so does the end of Journalism 2. However, unlike other classes, it isn’t coming back next term, or, as of now, even next year. Journalism 2 was included in the list of discontinued courses for the coming year of 2022-23, and as a result, this fall semester is the last time that the class will be run.
The Hoofprint used to be a print publication but now only exists online, and is run entirely each semester by the students in the current Journalism 2 class. With the upcoming cancellation of the class, the future of the publication is unclear, but there are two major options to keep it up and running.
Option 1: Journalism 1 (soon to be just Journalism):
Without a Journalism 2 class to run the paper, responsibility falls to Journalism 1 to learn the skills and produce content. One option would be to offer the choice of making Hoofprint articles in place of the other assignments students are given. Once students graduate the class, they could be provided with the opportunity to join the publication more permanently, largely through our second option.
Option 2: Extracurricular activity:
The Hoofprint could remain as an extracurricular activity, run by students during BASE times and before or after school. There would be opportunities to Letter in the Hoofprint, like in any other Minnesota State High School League recognized school activity. Students who have gone through a journalism class or have experience with creating content could join a dedicated team of students who work to create a steady stream of articles.
These options are both valid and could likely be combined, with veteran creators helping the current class of students learn how to create and graduating students joining the team if they enjoyed their time making content.
As of now, the future of The Hoofprint is unclear but hopeful. A small team of dedicated students have been assembled to hold the publication together until a plan for the future is solidified.
“Journalism is fun, and I like doing it,” said Bella Polman, a sophomore taking Journalism 2 this semester. “[The best part was] getting recognition. [Mrs. Thompson] was talking to McCallum because she found me talking to one of the [people from my Instagram article] in their DM’s, and then she told McCallum that I was doing a lot of good work.”
“[Working on The Hoofprint] is really cool,” said Danielle Bloomberg, a senior who joined the group of students working to keep The Hoofprint running even after the semester. “I’ve always wanted to be part of a newspaper and I feel like this was a really good opportunity. Being a journalist is like my dream job, so this was really cool as a step towards that goal.”
Bloomberg reported that she learned, “not to be afraid to ask the hard questions, not being afraid to go for a certain story, and just to do what you want to do because somebody’s going to care about your story regardless of if you think so or not.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Caleb Hultmann, another student in the team. “As a journalist, you can dive deeper into processes than you see from the outside. For example, [I did an article on] the Winter Dance petition that went around a couple months ago. It was fun to see how those kinds of things manifest and what’s needed to actually make them.”
Hultmann said that he is “learning how to sort of ‘find stories’; looking into what’s happening in the school where normally you’d just go about your business. “
Journalism 2 was established as a class in 2007 and has been running The Hoofprint ever since. It’s sad to see it go, but it leaves a strong memory in the minds of many and a foundation for The Hoofprint’s future.
