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NISS Students find out what journalism is all about

Four students visit the Gazette for a work experience
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HANNA PETERSEN PHOTO NISS Students Molly Lash-Burrows, Courtney Hilts, Tabeni Lightheart, and Emily Barrett visit the North Island Gazette with their Principal Jax Dixon for work experience through the Connections Program.

The normal routine at the North Island Gazette office was pleasantly interrupted by four students from North Island Secondary School who showed up for a work experience visit.

Gazette staff gave the Grade 11 and 12 students a brief tour, spoke about the basics of writing articles, layout and design, ad sales, and digital processes.

“I was interested in coming because I was looking into going into journalism,” added Courtney Hilts, when asked why she participated in the Nov. 9 visit to the Gazette.

“I wanted to see how a newspaper worked,” added Emily Barrett.

The student’s visit was a part of School District 85’s Connections Program, which “gets students out of the schools into workplaces to get hands-on experiences,” said NISS Principal Jay Dixon.

He also noted the program provides students with relevant experiences and exposes them to different career pathways. “It’s like a traveling career fair so students can get workplace awareness and see the jobs that are offered throughout the North Island.”

Molly Lash-Burrows said she thought the visit to the Gazette would be interesting because “it has a lot to do with the jobs we want to get into and it’s a really interesting topic to look at because it’s such a big part of our community.”

“I just wanted to see all the different opportunities it provided and I thought it would be a fun trip to Port Hardy,” said Tabeni Lightheart.

Dixon said any businesses throughout the North Island that are interested in having his students come by for work experiences, volunteering, or workplace awareness activities, should contact NISS to get involved with the Connections Program.

“We look forward to seeing our students in many more workplaces, businesses, and organizations,” said Dixon.

Lash-Burrows said she enjoyed the visit to the Gazette, adding that journalism “was my second choice for college, but now that I’ve seen how it works I’m interested more.”