• No School - Spring Break - Mar.14 - Mar.18
  • No School - Spring Vacation Day - April 15
  • HS Theatre Spring Show - April 8-9
  • End of 3rd Quarter - Mar. 31
  • HS One Act Plays- April 13 at 7pm
  • No School - Prof. Development Day - April 25
The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

Join the Leaf

As you start to plan for next year, keep Convergence Journalism in mind. The class offers many opportunities and opens doors for all students journalism related and also leadership related. Image by Lauren Glynn.
As you start to plan for next year, keep Convergence Journalism in mind. The class offers many opportunities and opens doors for all students journalism related and also leadership related. Image by Lauren Glynn.

As recommendation day passed in the mixture of all of the crazy schedules and calamity days, the school has not really taken a beat to stop and focus on what classes are good fits for certain students.

“I joined journalism because of the opportunities the class offers. Leadership, teamwork, and communication skills are just a few of the things you learn. There is no class like it at SHS,” said Michael Saxon, 12, executive editor.

Of course, each peer needs his or her four core classes while keeping in mind that other credits are also needed, but what about electives? If you like to write and want to be a part of something great, Convergence Journalism is the class for you. Not only will it occupy one bell year round, but also, the staff works together in and out of class to create our school news magazine publication, The Leaf.

   Unlike any other class, Convergence does not sit around watching Power Points and taking tests, students learn while using hands-on real life experiences to expand their knowledge on new and exciting things.

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“I did not think that I really wanted to go into anything journalism related, but now I am a Senior and after only two years of being on staff, I am considering going to the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University,” said Sarah Birckhead, 12, staff writer.

Being in Convergence, students not only get to write about topics of their choice, but also the team operates the print magazine, The Leaf, the online paper, The Leaflet, the website, shsleaf.com, and they also offer broadcast opportunities.

“My biggest mistake in high school is waiting until junior year to join the class. I wish I would have started it freshman year,” said Birckhead.

There are so many perks of taking the class including giving each member an online profile where they can collect their work creating an online portfolio. This is really great for college because if you are applying and recruiters look a student up on Google, their articles will pop up.

No one comes into the class knowing how to use the software or being a great writer. With the help of the advisor, Mrs. Cheralyn Jardine, and upper classmen, anyone can conquer the components needed to pass the class.

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About the Contributor
Lauren Glynn, Leaflet Editor-In-Chief
I am a senior at SHS. This is my fourth year on staff and I am the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Leaflet, our online magazine. I am also a very active staff member of The Leaf and our website, shsleaf.org. While I have many responsibilities, my main job is to collaborate with other editors and staff members to create the best publications we can. In my spare time I work as an editorial intern at a magazine called Cincy Chic. I am also the president of the SHS Future Educators Association chapter. I work as a teaching assistant throughout schools in the Sycamore District all while writing 24 essays for a portfolio that will be judged by college professors at the end of the school year. I love being surrounded by journalism and designing pages with Adobe products such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I hope to continue in the fields of journalism and education as I progress on to college and then I hope to pursue either as a career. To see more of my writing, check out my How to blog!
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