Elementary reporting in Harrisburg

WESTFalL - Delaware Valley Elementary School’s DVE-News and DVE-TV staff submitted a grant proposal during the 2004-2005 school year, and were fortunate enough to be awarded $2500 for their proposed special project. The students’ special journalism/media project involves at least two trips to Harrisburg as well as appearances before local governmental bodies to ask for sponsorship and/or support of a proposed law and to document the way state government functions. To complete their project, a video-documentary will be produced and supplied to the parties involved as well as to the state’s education department and interested schools in the state. Since there are so many reporters, more than 80, involved in the school’s journalism programs, the group was split in half with each half taking a trip Harrisburg. The first trip garnered special interviews with Governor Edward G. Rendell, several state department leaders as well as State Representatives Jerry Birmelin & John Conti and State Senator Charles Lemmond. Fifth grade reporter Dominique Marcial, along with DVE-News/TV reporters Austin Rufano, Emily Belsterling, Martin Strenk, Zoe Worstel, and Rachel Workstel, actually interviewed Governor Rendell. Rendell spent almost an hour answering DVE-News/TV reporters’ questions and explaining his involvement in state government and the logic behind his passage or veto of bills. “He answered our questions well and it was a good experience for all of us on DVE-TV and DVE-News who went to Harrisburg,” she wrote in her report.