Student Writer: Tiana Spruill (2009)

November 2009
"New Moon" vampires meet fans in New Jersey
By Tiana Spruill

Hundreds of "twi-hards" swarmed New Jersey's Cherry Hill Mall Tuesday night, thirsty for a glimpse of the "Twilight" movie vampires.

In preparation for the second installment of the "Twilight" series, various "New Moon" cast members appeared in select cities all across the U.S. for a Hot Topic-sponsored promotional tour.

Known to the fans as "Demetri" and "Felix," actors Daniel Cudmore and Charlie Bewley appeared at the New Jersey mall to meet the fans, sign autographs and answer questions about the upcoming movie.

Two "twi-hards" (as the fans are known) drove several hours as well as waited in long lines to meet "Demetri" and "Felix."

"Last weekend my best friend and I waited in line for about 12 hours just to get a meet and greet wristband," said 17-year-old Jasmine Torres of Browns Mills, N.J.

"My mom let my sisters and I skip school today and we drove over two hours to meet the cast," said 16-year-old Brittany Anderson of Scranton, Pa.

Both girls agreed that waiting in long lines and driving for hours was "totally worth it."

Screaming teenage girls dressed in "Twilight" gear weren't the only ones who came face-to-face with the vampires. Among those who met the cast was 20-year-old Nathan Long of Croydon, Pa., who was one of the handful of males in a sea of girls at this event.

"Twilight is not my thing, but meeting the cast was cool," said Long. "I was only there to get the casts' autographs to surprise my girlfriend. She's a huge 'Twilight' fan, but she's at home now recovering from swine flu. I definately think she'll fully recover after seeing her gift."

Thirteen-year-old Allie Saxton of Pine Hill, N.J., received a meet and greet wristband for her birthday.

"My mom first told me I couldn't go," she said. "I was mad because my best friends were going. But today's my birthday and this morning my mom surprised me with a wristband to meet the cast! This definately was the best birthday gift ever! Thanks, Mom!"

Lorraine Jerolamon of Elizabeth, N.Y., came out to meet the cast with her daughter. "Well, I'm definately a 'Twilight' mom, so I was excited to meet the cast just like everyone else," said Jerolamon. "Meeting the boys tonight was wonderful."

Besides vampires, screaming fans also welcomed monsters at Tuesday's event. The lone member of the band Hurricane Bells treated fans to "Monsters," a song from the "New Moon" soundtrack.

"Hurricane Bells' song 'Monsters' is the best one on the soundtrack," said 16-year-old Emily Beth Parker of Wilmington, D.E. "His performance was epic! This whole night was epic and amazing. I really hope Hot Topic does this again next year. I had so much fun!"

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Tiana is currently a student at the College of Southern Maryland.

Student Writer: Patrick Schlegel (2009)

County moves to protect special needs population
Database will identify those needing extra help in future disasters

Wed., March 18, 2009
By Patrick Schlegel
Special to the Independent

Charles County citizens with special needs won't be forgotten or left behind in the event of a natural disaster once a new county database is complete.

William Stephens, director of the county's Department of Emergency Services, and Dina Barclay, division chief of the county's community services, went before the Charles County commissionrs last week to propose a collective database to integrate several county agencies that already use databases to identify and aid residents with special needs.

Stephens and Barclay defined the special needs population as "individuals among the general population that have unique needs that hinder or prevent them from taking protective actions on their own, and who may require special or individual services during an emergency or disaster."

County agencies that will participate in the database include the departments of health, community services, social services and emergency services.

Barclay said each participating agency will mange its own clients, though it will be a master database.

Read the rest of the story: http://www.somdnews.com/stories/03182009/indymor153207_32210.shtml

Patrick was published again in 2009 in the Maryland Independent (Engineering our future...with Legos): http://www.somdnews.com/stories/04082009/indytop173500_32247.shtml


Patrick Schlegel wrote these stories as a journalism II student at CSM and is currently a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

Student Writer: Rebekah Hallisey (2008)

October 2008

Just Words

By Rebekah Hallisey

Keonya-Christian Cannon picked up her brother from school every day. One day, she was caught in the crossfire of a gang fight.

This story and many more like it are told in Just Words, a Peabody Award-winning radio program about the working poor in Baltimore. Series host Marc Steiner and producer Jessica Phillips visited the College of Southern Maryland Oct. 17 to discuss the program.

The program was created on the premise of giving a voice to those who are normally denied a say. Steiner said the program focuses on those who feel their "humanity has been denied." For example, the series tells the stories of Lucille Robinson, who takes care of her five grandchildren, and Nargas Hyman, who takes in homeless people.

Steiner and Phillips were interviewed at CSM's Leonardtown Campus by student Jerome Newberry and the audience was able to hear select podcasts from the program.

Later in the night, audience members asked the journalists questions. One attendee asked Steiner and Phillips if any of the subjects stood out as their favorite. The pair commented that they enjoyed working with all of the subjects. However, Nargas Hyman stood out in their minds. "She believes human beings are not trash and that people have value," said Phillips.

Steiner and Phillips emphasized that they tried to make sure they did not exploit their subjects, making them victims of "parachute journalism" (i.e. dropping in on the subject's world just for a good story) as other media have done in the past. Instead, the pair wanted to portray their subjects' stories accurately. Steiner said other stories focus on "showing muck, not the light coming out of the muck."

Just Words, Steiner and Phillips said, is about perseverance. They said these people are trying to change the world from the inside out.

Just Words was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Institute--Baltimore and was produced by the Center for Emerging Media. To listen to the podcasts, visit http://www.centerforemergingmedia.org/podcasts/just-words.

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The Best of CSM Journalism Students' Writing

Anyone who has taken a journalism course has been told: "Get clips!" [Clips are journalism jargon for getting articles published; whether online, in print, or broadcast on TV or radio.]

But how is a new writer to do this? Isn't that pretty hard? Most student journalists find it very difficult to get their first clips. And that's precisely the reason I developed this blog.

Here, you'll find the best writing that's been created in my introductory journalism classes at the College of Southern Maryland. Keep your eye out for these bylines in the future! Enjoy.