Marc A. Recognized by The Women's Center of Columbia/Montour Inc.

Milton PATH AEP student Marc A. was recognized as an "Outstanding Citizen" for his commitment and service to The Women's Center of Columbia/Montour, Inc.

Romeo and Juliet

This past week the students have read and acted out the play Romeo and Juliet. Today, we went to see the play acted out by a professional group of actors at the Williamsport Community Arts Center. After watching the play, the class went out for Pizza.

The students also decided to try test their acting abilities by filming a few scenes from the play. 

International Credit Union Day

Students will do just about anything for food. To celebrate International Credit Union Day, the Northumberland County Schools Federal Credit Union put out a free hot dog and soup stand at the credit union. Mr. Eck, not wanting to pass up free food either, challenged his students to come up with questions to ask Brenda Raker, the CEO of the credit union. If they each asked a good question and participated in a short presentation on the importance of good finances, they could get a free lunch.

Local Woodmen Rangers Donate Two New Computers

The Milton PaTH AEP received two new laptops from the Woodmen Rangers.

Milton Standard-Journal Trip

With a lot of help from Mr. Kevin Mertz, the students were able to get an up-close and personal look at operating a local newspaper. Students observed the Milton Standard-Journal being printed, talked with the press operator, developed a plate from that day's paper, looked on as lay-out staff organized the next days advertisements, and learned from Mr. Mertz what the daily routine of a reporter is at the local paper.

The students arrived at the newspaper's office in Milton PA just as the presses started rolling. The Standard-Journal is printed late in the morning for an afternoon delivery. The chief press operator explained to the students how they had to "waste" copies as they lined up the plates. Three different color plates and a black plate need to be aligned while the press is running. This process takes time and an experienced hand. 

Students get Glimpse into Photo-Journalism

When Robert Inglis of the Sunbury Daily Item newspaper stopped by the Milton center to take pictures, he wasn't aware that the students were going to "ambush" him with questions about photo journalism. Mr. Cromley has been running a writing unit on newspapers. A copy of the Daily Item was pulled apart and taped up on the walls from the previous day's lesson. Mr. Inglis was the photographer who had taken the picture on the front page of the edition.

The students asked good questions. When asked what makes a good picture, Mr. Inglis quickly snapped a picture of the student from the front of the classroom. He then went over and took a close-up of the student. He then had the students gather around the camera and showed them the differences, explaining how angles and composition change the "feel" of the shot.

When asked about training, the importance of continuing ones education was made clear. Mr. Inglis explained that most photo-journalists have more than a high school diploma and that, in a competitive market, you need to have a solid education.

The question of ethics brought up new terms that the class had not been exposed to. "Hard News Photos" are photos that are shot live. They are not staged or posed. To do so would violate the ethics of photo-journalism. One of the few exceptions to this rule are what Mr. Inglis called "Grip and Grins", photos that you would take of a group of people at an event like an awards ceremony or ribbon cutting.