Sept. 30, 2024
Our past three editions
Sept. 23, 2024 Instagram changes • Vaccines • Ultraprocessed foods
Sept. 16, 2024 Vape use • Apple release • Political endorsements
Sept. 9, 2024 Student disconnect • Generative AI • Summer trends
THE LEAD
Tropical storm Helene causes significant damage
Cover local emergency preparedness efforts
Millions of people have lost power and are dealing with significant flooding and other effects of tropical storm Helene as it moves through the southeast. As of Sept. 30, at least 100 people are dead in the wake of the storm, CNN reported.
The storm made landfall in northern Florida Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane, before weakening into a tropical storm.
The full impact of the storm is not yet clear, but recovery efforts will be widespread.
What you can do—
Though not every area of the country is at risk of hurricanes and tropical storms, every state faces its own natural disaster threats. Whether it be tornados, wildfires, winter storms or something in between, it is important for local communities to be prepared. Talk to school officials and community leaders about emergency preparedness measures.
For schools affected by tropical storm Helene, there are countless news stories for the taking, as is safe. There will likely also be community recovery efforts and fundraisers to cover in the coming weeks.
General stories are one way to approach this topic, but there are a ton of offshoot stories ideas as well. Some ideas include covering what to pack in an emergency kit, how to plan food for emergency situations and a round up of resources in your community.
Noteworthy
California to try new plastic bag ban after original backfired
Look into local legislation, conservation plans
California was the first state to pass a plastic bag ban in 2014, and now it’s updating its rules. NPR reported that a loophole in the 2014 ban allowed grocers to charge for thicker plastic bags, leading the state to dump more than 200,000 tons of plastic bags in landfills in 2021.
The new law, which goes into effect in 2026, provides retailers with three options: paying for a paper bag, using a reusable bag or carrying purchases by hand.
What you can do—
There are plastic bag bans of some sort in effect in about half of the states, with some benign state-wide and some at a smaller municipality level. Some states have done the opposite: they have banned plastic bag bans, USA Today reported.
Regardless of where you are, odds are good there is some sort of plastic ban regulation in place. Look into the local status of regulations and talk to experts about if it is actually effective.
Another angle on the plastic pollution story is microplastics. These tiny pieces of plastic have been found in many parts of the body, including the brain. A lot is unknown about the effects of microplastics on human health, but research is ongoing, so talking to scientists could be interesting.
What’s viral
Biden signs executive orders focused on gun safety, school preparedness
Investigate active-shooter drill best practices, school policies
President Joe Biden signed two executive orders Sept. 26 aimed at gun safety measures. One establishes a task force to address the threat from untraceable weapons and conversion devices that can turn semi-automatic guns into machine guns, the New York Times reported. The other executive order directs federal officials to evaluate how to limit the trauma of active-shooter drills.
“To talk about reducing crime and violence in America, you need to talk about guns in America,” Biden said during a press conference. “There’s so much more we have to do. I think it’s time to reinstate the assault weapons ban and high-capacity magazines.”
Executive orders do not have the force of law and could be reversed after the election.
What you can do—
The signing of these executive orders provides a news hook to look at your district’s active-shooter drill procedures. How often do the drills occur? How do students and teachers react?
It is also an opportunity to check in with gun violence experts about more effective preparation measures as well as the overall epidemiology of gun violence.
IT’S AN HONOR
It’s always membership season
Don’t forget you can nominate members any time of year
It’s a great time to submit members for Quill and Scroll! By submitting members now, students can be active members in their chapters for the remainder of the year. By having students join now, you can also avoid the spring rush!
Submit your YEC entries today
Deadline extended because of weather issues
The 2024 Yearbook Excellence Contest is open for entries. The cost for each entry in all 39 categories is $8, and schools will be divided by size — Class A for 1,000 or more students, and Class B for 999 or fewer students.
Entry deadline is now Oct. 8 to accommodate those who are without power. Here is a link to complete descriptions of those 39 categories and how to pay for the entries. Please note, we’ve added six new categories — including three for beginning students and three for middle schoolers.
Judges will award first, second and third places in each category for each class, and they’ll award honorable mentions so that between 10 and 15 percent of all entries are recognized in every category. All students named as award recipients will be eligible to apply for Quill and Scroll student scholarships in May of their senior year.
Quill and Scroll administrators will then tally points (5 for first place, 4 for second, 3 for third and 1 for HM) to determine a Blue and Gold Award winner for each class. Last year’s overall winners were Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (Class A) and Christ Presbyterian Academy of Nashville, Tennessee (Class B). Quill and Scroll hopes to announce winners by Dec. 1, 2024.
Here’s a complete list of last year’s winners.
‘Ask a Lawyer’ webinar set for Oct. 3
Register now
Be prepared to take on any challenges this year may bring. Join us for an open conversation about the big legal issues for student media co-sponsored by SPLC, NSPA and Quill and Scroll. After a brief introduction, SPLC lawyers will help you with whatever questions you bring. Join with a question or just for the listen!
This webinar requires preregistration.
National High School Journalism Convention travels to Philadelphia
This fall the nation’s largest gathering of high school journalists, advisers and journalism teachers will be held Nov. 7-10 at the Philadelphia Marriott.
The JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of NSPA national winners for Pacemaker Awards and Individual Awards. NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media work.
Registration is open now. The early bird discount ended Sept. 26 but online registration won’t close until Oct. 17.
Just a thought
During the past year, we have been researching how to have a members-only area for Quill and Scroll. We will unveil this new feature a week from today.
Those who have inducted a member during the past calendar year will receive an email with your membership code (usually a number, but may also include a letter) and instructions on how to access this area.
What we have here is only the beginning. We are starting with 17 bell ringers and seven lesson plans your students (or you) can use in your classroom and a library of our Gallup winners. Some of the bellringers are from previous Student Advisory Board members and others were created internally. The bell ringers are intended for a short five-minute lesson. We hope your students will take leadership and be the ones to start using and developing these on their own.
Our lesson plans could be for a journalism classroom or for an after or before school activity. These are either inspired by one of our Eight Guiding Principles or from our contests or critique service.
If you have an idea for a bell ringer or lesson plan, please let us know at [email protected].
As with any new venture, we know we will have issues. Thank you for your patience as we work through any issues that arise.
— Lori Keekley
