SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Students at Point Loma High School are learning about the power of storytelling in Mrs. Jen Roberts’ English class.
Roberts invited ABC 10News to her ninth-grade class so her students could see how the media crafts people’s stories and shows fair representation among all different groups.
Roberts is in the middle of teaching a course about identity and relationships to her students and how they’re reflected in the media. She also said she wanted to show her students the importance of fair representation and seeking out diverse sources in the media.
"I started this project a few years ago called 'Follow That News,' where they choose a news story and they follow it all year long," Roberts said.
Roberts’ students had the freedom to choose whatever new topic they were interested in.
"Then whenever something comes up in the news about one of their topics, I know who my expert is," Roberts said. "I want my students to understand that everyone has a story to tell, how to tell their story, and have the skills to tell their story so that there's representation of all groups in the media."
Roberts’ students opened up about what they were following for the project.
Student Ochre McKinney said they chose teacher-related topics to spread awareness about the underrepresented members of the LGBTQ community.
"I'm pan, and I don't think I've ever seen a pan character in books I read," McKinney said. "They should be able to see themselves as the hero and not just a side character."
Student Nixon Mascarenas said she's been following new movie announcements and releases, and has learned how oversaturated the industry is on information.
"It's important to know all sides of the story and what's true and what's not," Mascarenas said. "TikTok and YouTube usually have a lot of misinformation. There are just a lot of people just wanting to click on news articles.
Student Jude Hudson said he's been following the San Diego COASTER train's stabilization project and SANDAG's plans to move the tracks away from the bluffs. Hudson said he's been following the developments on SANDAG's website, Wikipedia, and more.
"They may not 100% dig the tunnel under Del Mar because they've been mostly working on stabilizing the bluffs instead," Hudson said.
Student Sophie Dela Houssaye said she's been following the Russian-Ukrainian war because she wants to tell her family’s story.
"My mom is Polish, and she immigrated here," Dela Houssaye said. "When it first started, my aunts were talking about my grandma, and they were talking to me about how they've met so many Ukrainians that are flooding into Poland."
Roberts said her students will continue to follow their news topics through all types of mediums, write about it, and then present about it at the end of the year.
