It all started in 2016 when Mr. G joined the concentration and inherited the school newspaper. “Being interested in media, I thought it would be a great occasion to start a new type of class that would include teaching critical thinking and exploring the world through the lens of media. In other words, to prepare students to become valuable citizens of the future.”
If you ever choose to join the concentration or end up being part of the Camaradiant crew, this is what you can expect to experience.
At the beginning of the year, Mr. Gagnon will show you how to write articles and review some basic grammatical rules. For the School Journal, you can choose a side job in addition to your main role as a journalist. There are several options, including: Photographer, Graphic Artist, Page Manager, Promoter, and Editor. The following sentences describe each job, followed by the answers of a few students to the question: “Do you like your job?”
Journalist
Everyone in the class is a journalist. A journalist has to collect information and write an article on the subject he/she want.
– “I like writing articles, but if I don’t like my subject, it is boring.”
Editor
Editors play an important role in the production process since they are the ones correcting and revising all the texts that are written to improve them.
– “Not really, but I don’t hate it, because sometimes it is long and I lose a lot of time I could use to write my articles.”
Page Manager
Page Managers have the important job of improving the site and making it more modern. They also have to publish the news that is finished.
– “My job is insane, because I am in charge of publishing and managing the page, which is very amusing to do, so my job is fire.”
Photographer
Photographers take pictures to enhance the news and make them more original.
– “I like being a photographer because I can get out of the class and socialize with other students.”
Graphic Artist
Graphic Artists edit pictures and posters by changing design layouts, fonts, and colours.
– “I like being a graphic artist because I can use my creativity to improve the newspaper site.”
Promotion
Promoters are responsible for promoting the journal by posting TikToks, going into other classes, and hanging posters around the school.
– “I do like my job, because whenever I’m tired of working on my article, I can rest and post TikToks.”
After winter break, you’ll read Animal Farm and answer questions about it. Throughout the year, you will also learn how to participate in real debates on various topics. While reading the book and until June 5, you will be expected to write 7–8 articles that must be published on The Camaradiant.
The following statements from some students answer the question: “How did writing news change your perception of life?”
– “It did not change my perception of life, but now, when I am reading articles online, I notice all the details and every step necessary to write a news article.”
– “I started looking more at the news, and I gained a lot of general knowledge.”
– “I have always been concerned about the ongoing global actualities and informed myself as every citizen, young or adult, should do.”
Mr. Jean-Sébastien’s main goal of making them more informed and educated is achieved, as most of the students in the concentration are now more interested in the magic of writing and reading articles.
Here’s a few pictures taken throughout the year:
