Journalism students go behind the scenes

As high school students, we are influenced everyday by classes, teachers and even fellow students. It is the time to, in a sense, create who you will be in the near future. Whether your passion is art, science or maybe technology, most of the time that burning desire to pursue what you love can be traced back to when you were 16, 17 or 18 years old.

Journalism II students were privileged to get a glimpse of a professional newspaper facility with a tour of Richner Communications headquarters on April 17. The staff there writes and prints all of the Herald Newspapers. The educational school outing started off with a tour by Michael Romero and Andrew Hackmack, the editor of the Wantagh and Seaford Heralds. The small class got to view the meeting rooms, work spaces and the press facility. The smell and sounds of the warehouse made all students intrigued to understand and learn about the mysterious machines.

“I really liked seeing how the newspaper itself was made,” senior Lindsay Kramer said. “It was cool being behind the scenes of it all.”

A handful of Wantagh students plan to major in journalism in college, which made this trip a great opportunity to get a real feel of the occupation.

“Being behind the scenes and seeing the whole process was inspiring,” senior Lucy Bailey said.

Did you know that the printing press is able churn out up to 30,000 copies every hour? Students were able to learn facts like these and the process of putting together a newspaper. They also got the chance to personally ask Hackmack questions, which allowed students to broaden their views of this environment.

“The field trip to the Herald Newspaper headquarters was really interesting,” said senior Ryan Keene. “We learned a lot about what it truly means to be a journalist, and an editor. I have so many new insights now that will help me develop my craft of being a writer.”

Bianca Buffamonte is the associate editor the Wantagh Warrior, the student newspaper at Wantagh High School.