It all started when Kay Earnhardt, the Magnet School Co-ordinator was
in the eighth grade. At this time she was told that she would have to write
a paper on her career plans. She chose journalism and specifically advertising.
With her natural charisma Mrs. Earnhardt went to Rich's asking about a career
in advertising, It was there that she got her start. While attending Junior
College, she interned at Rich's and qualified for a job in advertising at
the store. However, advertising wait not as creative as she had hoped. So,
in 1955, receiving an offer from the personnel department of the Atlanta
Public Schools, she accepted.
Mrs. Earnhardt has a degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia and a masters degree in Education from Emory. Contrasting advertising and education Mrs. Earnhardt says that "in education I have found an outlet for my creativity. "
Happy in her work with the research and evaluation division of the Atlanta Public Schools, Mrs. Eamhardt was reluctant to leave her beloved job for the Magnet School directorship. Yet after meeting the students in the communications program and some of the teachers, she changed her mind.
Mrs. Earnhardt sincerely believes that the School of Communications will be very strong by the end of the year.
As for the equipment, it has been purchased and is in storage pending
completion of security provisions in the 8th Street wing. Among the equipment
being stored is a sink for the dark room. According to Mrs. Earnhardt the
dark room will begin operation right after Christmas. To help with photography
and layout Mr. Ray West, from the Intown Extra , will be teaching in the
School of Communications.
For the winter quarter a new class has been added to the program, a Challenge
class. Its main concern is instruction in video techniques and newspaper
skills.
In the first quarter there was a course in radio and video broadcasting. The students from this class have been giving us the Morning announcements over the intercom. Hopes are that w ithin a year or two the class will be radio broadcasting, at least within the school.
Helping with this course is Mr. Henry Bruens, who has structured the contents of the course. The class hopes to have a thirty minute radio program at lunch in the cafeteria.
While instruction in all phases of communications is the objective, there will be a focus on the individual needs of the students.
Mrs. Earnhardt firmly stated that the Grady School of Communications courses are worth taking. Realizing that many students don't know what sort of a career they want, she believes that a good background in communications will assist them in any field they wish to pursue. She would like to encourage students interested in "learning how to think clearly and organize their thoughts well enough to project their ideas to other people. " This alone, whether or not they pursue a communications career, will make their enrollment in the Grady School of Communications a valuable experience.
'Board' Rules Defeat All Practical Purpose
By Jorge Villalobos
At the beginning of the year the Grady student body was faced with a
'disciplinary' rule which many felt was unfair. During the summer of 1981
the faculty and some students were called together to review the rules on
the students. One of the rules in our disciplinary guidelines is that we
are not allowed to step off campus without permission, especially at lunch.
The school does not want the responsibility for the students off campus,
namely at lunch. Seeing as how so many business people go out for lunch,
causing so much traffic, the Board of Education is disturbed about the thought
of students getting into accidents and then getting sued for damages.
What the faculty doesn't understand is that many students are disgusted with what they find on the school menu. They are annoyed with the fact that some of the other schools allow their students to leave campus during lunch. Some of these disgusted students adhere to the rules and bring their own lunch, others just plain suffer, while the rest leave campus anyway, risking the sentence of suspension from school.
This year the administration made students who smoke get their parents
to sign a permission slip to allow them to smoke on
campus. People should have the right to smoke as long as there are no smoking"
signs where they do it. And as there are no signs outside the school building
they should be permitted to smoke. It seems if parents can sign a piece
of paper allowing students, their children, to smoke what is the difference
in the parents' giving their chi ldren permission to leave campus during
lunch? In this case, the school would not have the responsibility, instead,
the parents would and could in no way sue the schools. Parents have the
fight to allow their children to leave campus for lunch since they are our
legal guardians.
I realize that 'setting loose' a storm of hungry maniacs wouldn't work out
too well, but giving privileges to the mature could surely work. In our
last year of high school many of us become legal adults; there is no reason
senior privileges shouldn't become part of the system. After all we have
entered the world of adulthood, legally anyway.
"I'm for what the kids want providing it follows the school policy," said Mr. Adger. The problem is. that students have almost no say in drawing up these ridiculous school policies, so why should we follow it?
Of course we have to follow some rules, otherwise the system couldn't function. But these rules should be within reason.
We should conduct a school meeting on these rules with the faculty, students, and parents present, then discuss the punishment for certain ' rebellious' acts. If we students want to change things, we must have some voice in the decision making process.