news writing
About: For my Journalism 1 class project to write a campus news story, I wrote an article sharing the details of the new American Sign Language class for teachers. We conducted our own interviews and came up with our own story ideas. After revising my story with specific edits from my adviser, Ms. Norris, she chose to publish it in the campus newspaper because it held the most news value. As a freshman navigating high school for the first time, writing this story became a much needed confidence boost and further encouraged me to pursue journalism.
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Kralik initiates faculty-wide ASL classes
ASL teacher creates first faculty ASL course
As the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Boone increases, American Sign Language teacher, Jordan Kralik started a class to help teach and inform faculty.
Kralik is one of two ASL teachers on campus. Previously, Kralik worked as a deaf and hard-of-hearing teacher for kids with other disabilities before teaching at Boone. He thought the other teacher’s language skills had potential for growth.
“I was looking at ASL teachers across America and I feel like there is a lack in skill level, so I decided that I wanted to be able to at least be a part of teaching it and hopefully help improve it,” Kralik said.
One of the main reasons Kralik wanted to create a class for faculty was because he thinks it is important for teachers to be able to communicate with deaf students, especially as the deaf and hard-of-hearing program continues to grow. Due to the deaf and hard-of-hearing program, more deaf students will continue to come to Boone.
“It’s super important for [teachers] to have an understanding of basic sign vocabulary so they can communicate with the students that they either have had, will have or currently have in their classes,” Kralik said.
Aside from faculty members, several students are enrolled in ASL classes, in hopes of learning the language and more about deaf culture.
“I thought taking ASL would be helpful in my future. You never know, my kids could be deaf and I’d want to be able to communicate with them,” junior Molly Cooper said.
Boone Media Specialist, Kimberly Turley, is one of the many faculty members attending Kralik’s class.
“What’s nice about his class is that it’s not just about ASL, it’s also about understanding deaf culture and so we’ve learned I think a little more what it’s like to be a deaf person in a hearing world,” Turley said.
Turley wanted to take the class because she felt that it would help her do her job more effectively.
“To point at a book title is kind of not the same as being able to talk to [deaf students] or help them find a book or any other kind of service that we might provide,” Turley said.
Even though teachers and staff participating in the class know they might not excel immediately, Turley is still anxious to learn, even if it’s something simple.
“It doesn’t take much to learn how to spell your name and to learn 10 to 15 basic things like 'may I help you', and 'please and thank you.' You know, just little things,” Turley said.
Students will continue to get more diverse in language ability, and faculty members involved in this class are hopeful it will help them communicate with all students.
“Everyone should [join] because it shows we care about the needs of all our students and it really doesn’t take that much time to learn,” Turley said.
published in the December 2017 issue of HiLights Newspaper
ASL teacher creates first faculty ASL course
As the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Boone increases, American Sign Language teacher, Jordan Kralik started a class to help teach and inform faculty.
Kralik is one of two ASL teachers on campus. Previously, Kralik worked as a deaf and hard-of-hearing teacher for kids with other disabilities before teaching at Boone. He thought the other teacher’s language skills had potential for growth.
“I was looking at ASL teachers across America and I feel like there is a lack in skill level, so I decided that I wanted to be able to at least be a part of teaching it and hopefully help improve it,” Kralik said.
One of the main reasons Kralik wanted to create a class for faculty was because he thinks it is important for teachers to be able to communicate with deaf students, especially as the deaf and hard-of-hearing program continues to grow. Due to the deaf and hard-of-hearing program, more deaf students will continue to come to Boone.
“It’s super important for [teachers] to have an understanding of basic sign vocabulary so they can communicate with the students that they either have had, will have or currently have in their classes,” Kralik said.
Aside from faculty members, several students are enrolled in ASL classes, in hopes of learning the language and more about deaf culture.
“I thought taking ASL would be helpful in my future. You never know, my kids could be deaf and I’d want to be able to communicate with them,” junior Molly Cooper said.
Boone Media Specialist, Kimberly Turley, is one of the many faculty members attending Kralik’s class.
“What’s nice about his class is that it’s not just about ASL, it’s also about understanding deaf culture and so we’ve learned I think a little more what it’s like to be a deaf person in a hearing world,” Turley said.
Turley wanted to take the class because she felt that it would help her do her job more effectively.
“To point at a book title is kind of not the same as being able to talk to [deaf students] or help them find a book or any other kind of service that we might provide,” Turley said.
Even though teachers and staff participating in the class know they might not excel immediately, Turley is still anxious to learn, even if it’s something simple.
“It doesn’t take much to learn how to spell your name and to learn 10 to 15 basic things like 'may I help you', and 'please and thank you.' You know, just little things,” Turley said.
Students will continue to get more diverse in language ability, and faculty members involved in this class are hopeful it will help them communicate with all students.
“Everyone should [join] because it shows we care about the needs of all our students and it really doesn’t take that much time to learn,” Turley said.
published in the December 2017 issue of HiLights Newspaper
About: After speaking to Neema Bahrami, a bartender for Amor Events, I felt inspired to tell the story of unemployed workers in the entertainment industry in Orlando, Florida during the pandemic. Living in Orlando, it is extremely common to know people who own restaurants or work in the city's entertainment scene. During the shutdown, many bartenders and restaurant employees faced unemployment, which impacted not only the city's economy, but the personal lives of those without jobs. Communicating this hardship, I wrote this article and the Coronavirus Visualization Team published it on their Medium blog under "Student Voices." I took the photo of Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando featured in the post.
Visit the blog post here. |
COVID-19 Infects Orlando's Dining and Entertainment Scene
In the past month, coronavirus cases in Central Florida rose to higher numbers than expected after phase two of opening up the state began. Local bars that originally closed their doors due to the pandemic on March 14 experienced deja vu when asked to stop selling alcohol. This prompted forced re-closures after the first few days of reopening to the public. However, restaurants that serve alcohol across Central Florida remained open.
“It’s frustrating [to see restaurants open and serving alcohol when bars can’t]. We even set up table sections to operate as a restaurant type look, but to see [restaurants and their employees] being allowed to make an income and we have to try to collect unemployment makes [me] so mad,” bartender for Amor Events, Neema Bahrami, said.
As part of the reopening, bars and restaurants had to obey the new safety guidelines put in place on May 18, allowing them to operate at 50 percent capacity indoors. For bars that actively followed social distancing and CDC guidelines, their employees felt the direct impact of their industry being treated differently.
“We took [customer’s] temperatures at the door and we all wore gloves and masks. We sanitized hands every 20 minutes in the club for staff and guests’ [protection] and we had someone wiping all areas down at all times,” Bahrami said. “We did everything we were told to do.”
Still, keeping safety at the utmost importance, bars closed while other stores, restaurants and public places welcomed the return of customers.
“There is nothing in place for bars to survive or [bar employees to] be paid while out of work,” Bahrami said. “Also, why just close bars? How about close the beaches that hold 3000 people in one area when [some bars] hold only 50 people.”
Bartenders and other employees continued to feel confused as to why their bars had to close again when restaurants recovered from the lockdown. Only returning for one day of work at his bar, Bahrami and his staff remained aware of the coronavirus’s safety hazard by actively ensuring they could return to work.
“Well, for our staff, they were tested before work and all cleared. No one was positive. After the one day of work, we tested again and waited for the results,” Bahrami said.
Moving forward into the pandemic, Bahrami’s workplace continued to combat the realities of the coronavirus infecting Central Florida’s dining and entertainment scene.
“We will follow all the CDC guidelines that are required to open, as we did when [the bar] operated before the shutdown,” Bahrami said.
In the past month, coronavirus cases in Central Florida rose to higher numbers than expected after phase two of opening up the state began. Local bars that originally closed their doors due to the pandemic on March 14 experienced deja vu when asked to stop selling alcohol. This prompted forced re-closures after the first few days of reopening to the public. However, restaurants that serve alcohol across Central Florida remained open.
“It’s frustrating [to see restaurants open and serving alcohol when bars can’t]. We even set up table sections to operate as a restaurant type look, but to see [restaurants and their employees] being allowed to make an income and we have to try to collect unemployment makes [me] so mad,” bartender for Amor Events, Neema Bahrami, said.
As part of the reopening, bars and restaurants had to obey the new safety guidelines put in place on May 18, allowing them to operate at 50 percent capacity indoors. For bars that actively followed social distancing and CDC guidelines, their employees felt the direct impact of their industry being treated differently.
“We took [customer’s] temperatures at the door and we all wore gloves and masks. We sanitized hands every 20 minutes in the club for staff and guests’ [protection] and we had someone wiping all areas down at all times,” Bahrami said. “We did everything we were told to do.”
Still, keeping safety at the utmost importance, bars closed while other stores, restaurants and public places welcomed the return of customers.
“There is nothing in place for bars to survive or [bar employees to] be paid while out of work,” Bahrami said. “Also, why just close bars? How about close the beaches that hold 3000 people in one area when [some bars] hold only 50 people.”
Bartenders and other employees continued to feel confused as to why their bars had to close again when restaurants recovered from the lockdown. Only returning for one day of work at his bar, Bahrami and his staff remained aware of the coronavirus’s safety hazard by actively ensuring they could return to work.
“Well, for our staff, they were tested before work and all cleared. No one was positive. After the one day of work, we tested again and waited for the results,” Bahrami said.
Moving forward into the pandemic, Bahrami’s workplace continued to combat the realities of the coronavirus infecting Central Florida’s dining and entertainment scene.
“We will follow all the CDC guidelines that are required to open, as we did when [the bar] operated before the shutdown,” Bahrami said.