By Morning Glory Farr

Assistant Professor Kirby Moss and George Washington High School newspaper adviser Amanda Schmidt discuss the upcoming issue of The Surveyor. (Photo/Morning Glory Farr)

On any given weekday, a buzz can be heard coming from room 323 in George Washington High School in Denver. That is where the school's newspaper, The Surveyor, comes to life. And while the buzz coming from The Surveyor's busy newsroom is fairly typical in journalism, the diversity of its student staff is not.

"Over half of my writers and contributors are minority students," said Amanda Schmidt, adviser for The Surveyor. "That's more diverse than most newspapers."

The diversity of the staff is due in large part to an outreach program undertaken by the CU School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In an effort to bring more minority students into the journalism program, Dean Paul Voakes worked with Dave Martinez, SJMC's diversity outreach coordinator, and Assistant Professor Kirby Moss. Discussions led to a collaboration of the SJMC and the Rocky Mountain News.

With a grant from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Rocky Mountain News helped launch a program with George Washington High School this fall. The grant has allowed The Surveyor staff to purchase equipment needed for the newsroom and has helped fund student trips to journalism conferences.

"We wanted to reach students at the high school level and show them the value of journalism as a way to express their unique perspectives, to find their voices, " Moss said.

Moss is an integral part of the program, visiting the high school every Tuesday and Thursday morning. A former daily newspaper reporter in Nebraska and Texas, he serves as a mentor to the students, offering advice on everything from reporting and writing to laying out the newspaper.  

"He has really helped me improve my writing and learn how to share my ideas," said Jasmine Rainey, a student journalist at George Washington.

Besides offering technical advice in journalism, Moss serves as a role model.

"There are very few African American teachers at the school here, or in the field of journalism. It's good for my students to spend time with Kirby," Schmidt said. "He's been in the field, he's young, the kids can relate to him."

In addition to Moss's participation, the Rocky Mountain News arranges guest speakers to visit the class. Students get a chance to talk with newspaper professionals such as designers, photographers and advertising salespeople.

 The CU President's Office of Diversity helped fund the project, Voakes said, adding that the School would like to expand the program to include journalism majors as mentors for high school journalism students.

"The goal is to see if we can create a program that will work with many high schools," Voakes said.   "If the School can offer instruction and expertise to help raise the level and diversity of high school journalism, it will ultimately help our program."