by Jameela Paladan
On June 8, 2023, the determined FEPSian Torch Editors of Far Eastern Private School (Al Shahba) held a Student Journalism Workshop at the science and computer laboratories to train young torchbearers from Grades 9 and below for the responsibility of managing the independent organization in the next academic year.
The day began with a tense and oddly sweaty atmosphere. Two to three students were at each station as we prepped our laptops, tablets, pens, and notebooks. The sweat on our foreheads and the thumping of our hearts may well have stemmed from either the unbearable heat or the slight and evident awkwardness as we waited for the workshop to start.
As time went by, with no moment to waste, the workshop started as soon as everyone was complete. Although the young members of the Torch had already had months of experience, some were nervous about the stations they found unfamiliar. In spite of that, we were ready to pay attention and learn. It was a must that we knew how to write an article based on the assigned section, while others were taught how to edit an article.
All eyes and ears were on the sedate and dedicated editors, who ensured each student understood what was being said and instructed. Some editors gave tasks and exercises, while others prepared presentations, each with different objectives for their designated stations.
The Editor-in-Chief, Jessamyn Guinanao, who initiated the educational workshop, centralized on editing articles, while the Associate Editor, Klarizze Dela Peña, immersed more in writing editorials. Joms Caña, the News & Sports Editor, focused mainly on how to write compelling headlines and articles for straight news as well as news feature; meanwhile, tips on descriptive writing, types of leads, and illuminating the essence of feature writing were the main focus of the Feature Editor, Faith Tuason. Similarly, Soraya Virtusio, Literary Editor of the Torch, emphasized the creativity of each type of literary article, from poems to stories and even diaries. Additionally, concentrating on website-related operations and intricacies was Content Editor Mhariam Abouelyazid.
As for the visual aspect of the organization, Creative Director Althea Laxamana engaged her graphic artists in creating illustrations for different kinds of articles; and for the multimedia arts, Lead Photojournalists Rianna Rigor and Jana Mercado completed their task to take on-the-spot pictures of the workshop.
Though the workshop started a bit later than the scheduled time, everything went smoothly. The entire learning experience enlightened the young and aspiring writers of the Torch that when you become a writer, or if you aspire to become one, nothing is more important than ensuring that you are well-taught and well-trained about the various tasks needed to follow when writing an article, or any piece of literature for that matter.
Each student, therefore, felt more confident and equipped while instilling a definite goal in mind, and that was to guarantee that whatever article they were writing, they would be able to leave their readers in awe. But above all, the most essential thing to remember is to feel passionate, motivated, focused, dedicated, and enthusiastic when it comes to writing.