Can High School Journalism be Saved? Studies Show Teens and Tweens are Susceptible to “Fake News” BY JOHN KOENIG Democracy dies in darkness. Those powerful words, taken up as a slogan by the Washington Post, remind us that ethical journalists are guardians of the light that dispels the darkness of ignorance and hidden corruption. Sadly, according to local teachers and administrators, it’s been years–often more than a decade–since journalism classes have been offered in most Santa Cruz high schools. “Journalism students become skilled through regular practice in gathering information by asking smart questions,”says Cabrillo College English Instructor David Sheftman. “They learn how to work as part of a highly collaborative,…

Can’t Have One Without the Other BY MARY GALKEL FORSTER In my October article I shared different online tools that can be used to explore careers by matching one’s skills, interests, and values, with aligned careers. What is a skill? How does one know what skills they have? Career skills are divided into two categories, hard and soft skills. Hard skills are job specific skills and knowledge needed to perform a job. Soft skills are interpersonal, people skills, considered important and necessary in almost all careers. This article will begin a three part series to provide you with strategies for helping children understand the difference between hard skills and soft…

Looking Back and Looking Ahead Why I Support Measure R, Funding for Cabrillo College BY GEORGE OW, JR. When I was in high school, I was a mediocre student. My family had a small grocery store in Monterey, where my siblings and I needed to work so that we could survive. My only option for college was Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) because I could live at home, work at our store and tuition was nominal. I did not feel cheated by going to a community college and not going away to a four-year university. It would not have been practical for my family and that was not my dream. A…