In a small ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 12, Jeff Rogers of the Illinois Press Foundation awarded the News Media Production team a grant that is worth $1,173.
The grant, which will be used to purchase new videography equipment, is one of many that NMP has received over the past couple of years.
“Schools tell us how much they need, and we try our best to make it happen,” Jeff Rogers, director of the Illinois Press Foundation said. Harrisburg was one of 19 schools that received funds from the grant which totaled over $25,000. The grants are to be used by schools’ news production teams to pay for laptops, cameras, broadcasting equipment, newspaper printing costs, website hosting fees, and more.
“Thanks to a generous grant from IPF last year, we were able to purchase a creative cloud license. This gives us the software we need to edit broadcast packages, but we don’t have the equipment that we need,” said NMP teacher and coordinator Cathy Wall.
With Principal Scott Dewar and Superintendent Amy Dixon in attendance, Rogers handed Wall a check for $1,173.
“Each year of the grant program, we see an expansion of learning opportunities for students in the schools we visit, and that’s exciting,” said Rogers in a press release in June. “Today’s high school journalism students are doing it all – writing, editing, shooting photos and videos, producing newspapers, running websites, doing broadcast pieces. But no matter what format they’re using, these students are still engaged in and learning the foundational elements of journalism.”
Wall, who is set to retire after the ‘23-’24 school year, said “I am glad we were awarded this grant because it allows me to get this branch up and running for the next person.”
