Students from Collège Jeanne-Sauvé and Collège Béliveau gathered together to get a taste of journalism.

Jean-Baptiste Gauthier, a journalist for French-language news outlet La Liberté, led a workshop to teach students a little bit about what the news business is all about.

The workshop was two and a half days long and began with an introduction from Jean-Baptiste. He described La Liberté and showed the students different copies of the journal, so they could better understand the context of the paper.

Understanding that context was crucial, because for the rest of the workshop, the students conducted interviews, took photos, and wrote articles on subjects of their choosing, which are to be published in La Liberté.

Brynn, a grade 10 student at Collège Béliveau, was soaking it all up.

“I do want to be a journalist,” Brynn said. “I’m not entirely sure about it, but I wanted to see what it is about.”

The Collége Béliveau student said her interest in journalism was sparked by a good book.

Brynn takes a moment to discuss her journalistic aspirations outside the journalism workshop at the Norberry Board Office.

“Originally, I was drawn to it because I read a book called A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” she said. “I just loved everything about it — how the girl went and found information and asked around. I thought, wow, this is exactly what I want to do.”

Brynn said her story is on Collège Béliveau’s Soirée d’excellence, a celebration for students with a 90 per cent or more average. She interviewed her schoolmates and collected opinions and quotes both for and against the evening.

“Some want to get rid of it because they think it’s leaving people out or it’s too much pressure, and other people think it’s important to recognize people who are getting these good grades,” she said. 

After high school, the aspiring sleuth is considering taking a route through studying law to eventually become an investigative journalist, like someone she knows who is studying at University of British Columbia. 

Collège Jeanne-Sauvé student Zeel didn’t have the same professional aspirations, but she was glad to learn about journalism.

“I just like writing in general, so I thought that maybe journalism might be a good option,” she said.

She found the quick pace of journalism didn’t quite suit the way she prefers to work, but still found value in the experience.

“I like to take my time and get everything perfect,” she said. “But I’m glad I participated!”

Teacher-Librarian Rachel Scramstad, who organized the workshop with Jean-Baptiste, helped guide students through the experience. She said, all in all, she was pleased with the result.

“I think the students really enjoyed it. They saw how much work goes into writing an article and getting your sources.”

Rachel said journalism has a vital role to play in the modern age, and students need to understand that. 

“It’s important to know how to deliver facts objectively, and it’s important to know that people are trying to do that without adding their opinions. As a librarian, I’m constantly doing that,” she said. 

She added that getting added insight into community institutions like La Liberté was another benefit for the students.