The Trident has been an extracurricular activity for quite some time now, but it looks as if that time has changed. With the new Publications, Media, and Communications class, students can learn a plethora of new skills that include communications, writing articles, giving interviews and more.

“There are a lot of skills that could be used in real-life jobs that kids from all backgrounds can gain by taking this class,” said Mrs. Sadie LaJoe, the mastermind behind the new class.

After completion of the first communications class, students can move on to Advanced Publications, Media and Communications which will focus on the production of The Trident.

“I found that when you have access to those students and can touch base with them every single day, the yearbook is a more successful program,” said the veteran English teacher.

Mrs. LaJoe has had a lot of experience regarding yearbook production. She has worked at three schools and has been a yearbook adviser in all three. She worked closely with the publishing companies and even worked as a sale rep for one publisher. As a rep, she traveled to over 90 different area schools and helped create their yearbooks.

Even with all of that experience, every school is different. Mrs. Melanie Bradshaw, one of the current advisers for the yearbook, believes it is important to note the differences in schools.  One thing she has learned in her first year here is “be aware of tradition because there’s a lot of tradition at Notre Dame.”

In fact, one of the major aspects of the class, according to Ms. LaJoe,  would be its emphasis on the 30th anniversary of NDA.  “I see the staff creating a book to celebrate the history and traditions here,” she said.

One of the great things about this class is that anyone can take it–that is, it is open to anyone and everyone. In addition,  a student can take the advanced course over and over again. After taking the regular publications class, any student can take the advanced course repeatedly and get the credits. This course will most likely be taught by Mrs. LaJoe and is worth ½ a credit.

Also available to students is journalism traditionally taught by Mrs. Carolyn Brown. Some are worried about the classes overlapping. However, this may not be a bad thing.

“I can see the two classes working hand-in-hand together.  Stories written in journalism class could be used by the yearbook staff, and the newspaper and yearbook staffs could share pictures, much like we do now,” said Brown.

“Journalism is such a changing world because the print press is being replaced by the electronic world.  Still, tighter writing, traditional journalistic writing, is invaluable. People want the facts fast, and everyone is vying for the reader’s attention,” added the journalism teacher.