The High School Journalism Program is one of the longest-running programs at The Poynter Institute. Founded along with the Institute in 1975, its goal is to give about 36 young people the chance to learn about the craft of journalism and to practice it in meaningful ways.
HOW TO APPLY |
Watch this space in March 2010 for a link to apply for the 2010-11 program. The deadline to apply for the 2009-10 program was March 27.
You'll need one teacher recommendation. You may also send up to three samples of your work for student publications.
We typically receive 50 to 100 applications for 36 spots.
Click here for information about our one-day writing workshop each February.
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The program provides instruction and mentoring through a two-week summer workshop at Poynter and occasional evening or weekend workshops during the school year. The goal of the program is to expose interested students to the people and ideas we hope will inspire them as they pursue careers in journalism and as they grow as citizens in this democracy.
Apply online in March of each year. The deadline for the 2009-10 program was March 27.
Each spring we invite applications from high school students from the Tampa Bay area who have an interest in and aptitude for writing, still or video photography, reporting, design, the internet and storytelling in all its forms. The students selected for the program attend workshops in which members of the Poynter faculty and visiting professional journalists teach workshops on writing, photography, interviewing and other skills journalists need. Students also take field trips to see local news organizations in action.
Here's what one graduate of the summer program had to say about her experience. Here's a perspective from a parent.
"Everything rocked," Charlie Hart, now a student at the University of Missouri - Columbia, wrote in his evaluation. "Thank you very much for the wonderful opportunity to learn with the best and brightest in the industry."
The schedule for 2009 was:
- Feb. 21: Application process opens
- March 27: Application deadline
- April 17: Students notified of acceptance
- June 7: Opening reception, parents and students, 2-4 p.m.
- June 8-12, June 15-19: Student workshops, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- August - May: Occasional invitations to return to Poynter for evening and weekend workshops or activities.
Tuition for 2009 was $500. Financial aid is available, thanks in part to a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater St. Petersburg, Gannett Foundation/10Connects and other private gifts. Full and partial scholarships are available, so all interested students are urged to apply.
We make special efforts to attract a diverse group that cuts across race, ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic status. We believe that the future of the profession, and its ability to serve the public, depends on a workforce of skilled professionals as varied as the communities they cover.
High school journalism teachers in the Tampa Bay area who are interested in a paid position to help teach the summer portion of the program can contact
Wendy Wallace for details.
The Poynter Institute also hosts a one-day writers workshop each February, open to any high school student or teacher who wants to be a better writer. And the program director, Wendy Wallace, is available to support scholastic journalism in any way she can, in an advisory role, as guest lecturer or simply as a conduit to Poynter.
For more information, please contact Wendy Wallace at The Poynter Institute.
