THE WEEKLY SCROLL

April 22, 2021

News, tips and advice from Quill and Scroll

The Lede

Chauvin trial, Columbus shooting

Minnesota jury reaches a verdict; teenage Ohio girl shot by police Tuesday night

Minneapolis and the entire U.S. braced for the worst this week thinking a jury might return a not-guilty verdict in the trial of police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for more than nine minutes last year, ending Floyd’s life.

On Tuesday, however, the jury returned a verdict of guilty for Chauvin. The jury acted on the wishes of prosecutors, of course, but also on the wishes of Minneapolis police and millions of others who have felt too often that their pleas for social justice have gone unheard.

Here’s what comes next in the Chauvin trial after his conviction.

Soon after the verdict was announced Tuesday, news hit of another shooting by police of a person of color.

Columbus, Ohio police on Wednesday released body-cam footage from an officer who fired a gun at 16-year-old Makhia Bryant, killing her. Police said the officer has been “taken off the street” while they investigate it for possible criminal charges.

“The officer took action to protect another young girl in our community,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said after watching the footage on the body-cam.

Protestors are gathering in Columbus near both the location of the shooting and of Columbus police headquarters.

Vaccine news

Israelis are out and about, while U.S. may soon have more supply than demand

Americans continue to far outpace President Biden’s plan for a million shots a day through April, and because of that, we may soon reach a point where the U.S. has more vaccine than it does people who want the shot.

That may sound like nothing but positive news, but for the country to rid itself of the virus, it needs to reach at least 70 and possibly 85 percent of the population becoming immune. And too many people may opt not to get the vaccine if they think it’s not needed for them to avoid COVID.

“Efforts to encourage vaccination will become much harder, presenting a challenge to reaching the levels of herd immunity that are expected to be needed,” the Kaiser Family Foundation wrote in a study released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Israel seems to have already reached that point, and Israelis citizens are out on the beaches, in restaurants, going to shows — basically getting back to a normal life — because 90 percent of adults over age 50 have been vaccinated.

#LeadersClimateSummit

Today marks the start of a meeting group that has welcomed the U.S. back into its ranks

President Biden, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and Secretary of State John Kerry are among the American officials who are meeting with other world leaders today at the Leaders Summit on Climate.

Nobel laureates, including the Dalai Lama, have signed and sent a letter urging swift and decisive action.

You can watch the whole thing on YouTube:

It’s An Honor

The NME is not your enemy!

News Media Evaluation critique service is ready for your publications

You have until June 15 to enter your news magazine, newspaper, online news site or multimedia/multi-platform into the prestigious News Media evaluation critique service sponsored by Quill and Scroll. We have a team of professional journalists, journalism professors and skilled former journalism advisers (Hall of Famers, all) ready to provide valuable feedback that your staffs can build on for next year. We GUARANTEE that you will receive your rating and feedback before Sept. 1, 2021.

Here’s a video tutorial that explains the levels of service and how to enter.

Scholarships!

Apply now for Quill and Scroll scholarships before applications close

The Quill and Scroll scholarship applications for both students and advisers are open now on our website! Interested in applying? Read below for information on both student and adviser scholarships.

Student Scholarships

All Quill and Scroll members as well as national winners in our Yearbook Excellence Contest and International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest are eligible to apply for our student scholarships.

The student scholarship application deadline is May 15, 2021. Winners will be notified by June 1, 2021.

Adviser Scholarship — Next-to-last call!

The Lester G. Benz Scholarship of $500 is available to teachers who:

  • teach at a Quill and Scroll school,
  • have at least one year teaching high school journalism and/or advising publications,
  • plan to return to the high school classroom and media advising next year AND
  • will apply the information gained in the course work, seminar or workshop taken as a result of this scholarship.

Applications are due by April 30, 2021. Last year’s winner was Laura Bowe of the King School in Connecticut.

Visit here for more information on adviser scholarships. 

Induction season!

It’s time to honor seniors and induct members

It’s that time of the year when Quill and Scroll chapters should be nudging their advisers to think about honoring seniors and inducting new members — be they sophomores, juniors or seniors — into our international journalism honor society.

We’re able to take and fulfill orders, even as Quill and Scroll staff work from both our home offices and our offices at the Adler Journalism Building on the University of Iowa campus.

We published this update in late 2020. It is still valid and includes a simplified order form (See Video Below) for schools and advisers willing to pay via credit card, and an offer to host an online induction ceremony for your students. The sooner you induct new members, the sooner they’ll be able start planning chapter activities in the spirit of Quill and Scroll. Here’s a link to a PDF file of the Q&S Chapter Handbook if you don’t already have it.

We encourage advisers to submit their induction orders sooner rather than later to ensure speedy fulfillment and delivery. As we get closer to the end of the school year, our order numbers tend to increase. Order now to receive your materials sooner!

Here’s a tutorial on filling out the regular order form, the one you’d use if you pay by check or purchase order, or if you have more to order than just memberships (with pins) and graduation cords.

A reminder about cords:

Students MUST HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE INDUCTED into the Society to earn the honor to wear an Honor Cord (GHC) or Honor Cord with Insignia (GCI). If you order cords for non-members, please choose the Non-Member Cord Option (NCD). Quill and Scroll exists because of the special unifying bond brought about by membership and the lasting legacy of the induction ceremony.

And, as always, feel free to email [email protected] if you have any questions.

An improvised induction

If you’re still wondering about how you can do a safe induction in person, take this hint from the 2020 Quill and Scroll Chapter of the Year at Francis Howell North High School in Missouri and have it outside. By the way, the Chapter of the Year entry form is now available. Applications are due May 31.

What’s Viral?

‘Cruel’ debuts on FreeForm

And the Tweeters are going crazy for the teen crime drama

Freeform premiered the first two episodes of their new thriller “Cruel Summer,” a ’90s crime drama that follows the events when the most popular girl in a small town disappears.

Buzzfeed collected the best online fan reaction. Here’s a taste:

A Tizzy over Lizzy

Spinoff ‘How I Met Your Father’ will spin on Hulu

Lizzy McGuire is back… but on a different network — and in a different show. Hillary Duff has signed on to play the lead character in the “How I Met Your Mother” remake, “How I Met Your Father.” The show has signed a contract with Hulu streaming service.

Many fans of the 2000s Disney cult show were disappointed to learn the reboot — originally set to premiere on Disney+ — was being cancelled. Now, fans will have to tune into a much more adult show (but no less a cult classic) to watch Duff.

Movie theaters in crisis

Hollywood will celebrate itself Sunday at the Oscars, but the fate of movie theaters is still in the air

Sunday’s a big day in the lives of Hollywood movie producers, actors, directors, critics, fans — well, everybody who likes and lives for the movies. But the COVID-19 crisis has closed theaters in the U.S., many of them for good.

Here’s a look at the current state of the neighborhood cinema and how the industry may be able to rebound once the U.S. reaches herd immunity through vaccination.

Improving access

Massachusetts education commissioner hopes to remove barriers at vocational schools

When Massachusetts established vocational schools, the idea behind them was to open up specific education to more students. Civil rights groups have argued, however, that the strict criteria for admission discriminated against students from lower socio-economic groups and students of color.

Here’s an interesting article about the Massachusetts education commissioner’s plans to make vocational schools more accessible for disadvantaged students.

Just A Thought

Literary elements in journalism

Poet lends advice to students about using poetic language in memoir and profile stories

Quill and Scroll invited a poet, a memoirist, a novelist and a journalist onto our podcast, THE SOURCE. Of course, all of those labels are embodied by our single guest, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, the former poet laureate for the state of Kansas.

She talks about memoir as a legitimate journalistic form, and how effort and ethics play into producing effective profiles. Enjoy.