Detroit International Academy journalism adviser Christina Bell-Bowers has a unique connection to the High School Journalism Program.
Bell-Bowers, who teaches English at DIA, was a student in HSJP at Mumford High student in the early 1990s under teacher Kathryn Seabron. Now she’s in the role of teacher at DIA, guiding her students through the writing and editing process.
“When I was in high school, I was shy, and Kathryn Seabron helped me come out of my shell with writing,” Bell-Bowers said.
“I always wanted to be a teacher since I was a little kid, but when I went into high school I thought about majoring in journalism,” said Bell-Bowers. “I wrote about soap operas and house women, or housemothers who watch soap operas. I wrote about current events, what was taking place in the school. We stuck to sports, senior class things, senior events.”
HSJP was dramatically different when Bell-Bowers was a student. She said the program has changed due to technology. When she was in high school, they had to do a lot of fieldwork to make sure that they could find someone or documentation to back up their stories.
“In high school, I was able to do my own layout, and when you get it, and you see it, and you put all that hard work into making sure it was laying evenly, you appreciated that paper more. Now when you get the paper, someone else has done all the work,” said Bell-Bowers.
About seven years ago, Bell-Bowers found out the program was still in existence and tried to get in.
“I didn’t think I would be back in the program years later,” she said. “Ironically, when I started teaching in DPS and found out it was still around, I tried to get involved and could not reach a contact person.”
But three years ago she was able to start the program at DIA. Bell-Bowers’ program at DIA started as a club, but transitioned into a yearlong class at the start of the school year.
By Kristian Craig, Douglass Staff Writer
