The Big Block of Cheese

Day 30/31 - The Last.

Banneker Day 21/22

I’ve written this last post so many times that I’m left at a bit of a loss.  Prime Movers, and Banneker especially, has become so very much a part of my week to week life, that I’ve been upset about leaving it for weeks.  Months, really.  But yesterday was my last session with the paper and today was my last time seeing the group.  And those deserve some final thoughts.

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Day 29 - New Computers

Banneker Day 20

Well, it’s my second to last day.  I try not to think about never seeing these guys again, though certainly after next Tuesday, or Wednesday for the banquet, it’ll be the case for at least some of them.

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Day 28 - Losing Our Own to West Virginia

Banneker Day 19

Today it was just Mrs. Brinkman, Sylvia, Mitzi, and Lakshmi because standardized testing has basically consumed the entire school system.
That meant Lakshmi got solid one on one editing time with Mrs. Brinkman, and Sylvia, Mitzi, and I finished the layout for Issue 5.

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Day 27 - The Film Crew

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Day 25 - Editing Antigone

Banneker Day 16

I’d say this was a particularly great day, but they’ve all seemed to be particularly great lately!

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Day 24 - The Conference Room

Banneker Day 15

Today was another “review and brainstorm.”  The last paper had been rushed out so we could make the deadline of the play and have it available to families coming in to see the play.  We had to eat a few edits, and unfortunately Mrs. Brinkman had to do all of the clean up work so that it would get out on time.  As we made pretty clear today, this isn’t acceptable.  This is the student paper and it’s their responsibility.  Ultimately, it comes down to a time issue.  It was still a good issue, but we could’ve had better stories (and fewer silly mistakes) if it didn’t take the kids three weeks to get us things on paper.

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Day 23 - The Panel

Banneker Day 14

It was a record me today, 6 hours at Banneker, and boy was it worth it.  I got out of my 12:45 Campaign Advertising class so I could go to the white house correspondents panel at beloved Banneker and headed over to SMPA at 11:30 to lend a hand in the prep work with Ms. Knopes and Ms. Gilliam.  We went to Banneker at noon (and it was lovely getting their in fifteen minute, in style!) and it was funny realizing how well I know the school now, and how much things have changed since that first trip out last September with Ms. Knopes.  I truly can’t believe I’ve only been there 13 times.

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Day 21 - The Layout

Banneker Day 13

It’s good the days are getting longer, because newspaper days are following suit.  Like I said, this semester I don’t mind at all.  It’s just good to know I’ll be here until 6:00 and that’s about it.  Things have to get done, computers slow down, and none of it can be helped.  But I get to work with positively the most pleasant people there are, so I’ve got it easy.

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Day 20 - Edits and Scholarships

Banneker Day 12

First of all, Happy Valentine’s day!  

Last year I was on the hill, and this year, Banneker.  Sylvia brought us all cherry tootsie pops and I learned that too much of a good thing might actually be a bad thing.  

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Days 18/19 - Issues 4/5 

First of all, forgive me!  I wrote a post for Day 18 but it got eaten up, so here’s my combined summary.

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Day 17 - And We’re Back

Banneker Day 9

Good lord, I’ve only been there 9 days?  Wild.  Well, as you might have surmised, I’m back to interning, and it only took me a week!  I was selfish, I didn’t go my first week back.  I always amaze the smug, self assured version of myself when things don’t go exactly according to plan and I end up having so much more work to do than I’d planned.

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Day 16 – Stony Brook

Roosevelt Day 7

Well, I think some of this has come to an end.

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Day 15 – Medium Close Ups

Roosevelt Day 6

Mr. Spikes gets evaluated five times a year.  If he gets an average of 350 points, he gets a $10,000 bonus.  He was evaluated last week.  He got 347.

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Day 14 - Bounce Around

Banneker Day 8

There were only about five kids.  Mitzy is incredibly dedicated and hardworking.  With a little instruction from me she’s picked up InDesign and really made layout her own.  I pop up with suggestions and tips when I can, but she’s learning just like I did, through experimenting and doing on her own.

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Day 13 - 4 Strikes

Banneker Day 7

Maybe it’s because it’s getting dark so much sooner, but our newspaper periods are way more reasonable now.

A good 10 kids were there again today (yes!) and we spent most of our time interviewing a senior about his tattoo for an article for this issue.  We were practicing interviewing and playing off of each others questions with follow ups, not to mention taking good notes.

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