Basin Life
Basin Life
MOSES LAKE — As students in other classes sit quietly at their desks listening to lectures, Bob McCaffery's journalism students at Moses Lake High School are doing nothing of the sort.
These students, who work to produce the monthly editions of the Chief Events, are busy writing articles, planning page layouts and discussing a wide range of topics related to the journalism field.
"It's a different kind of a class," said McCaffery, who serves as the faculty advisor for the student newspaper. "You get to individualize and be more creative."
McCaffery originally began teaching at Moses Lake High School in 1990. During his early years at the school, he taught English, helped run the student newspaper and coached volleyball, basketball and softball.
While he enjoyed all these, he cut back on his involvement with these activities to spend more time with his children, who were themselves entering high school and becoming involved in extracurricular activities.
"If you don't have time for your kids and family, you better make sure you try to find it," said McCaffery.
"It was time for a little bit of a break," the longtime advisor added. "I had done over 100 newspapers at this school."
McCaffery also cited philosophical differences as something that made the decision to leave the paper easier.
"The kids wanted to entertain, not inform," McCaffery said. "Since they didn't want to create an award-winning paper, I didn't want to be a part of that.
"I didn't want it to be my newspaper, I wanted it to be (the students') paper. It was their paper, but it wasn't going the direction I wanted to go."
As tends to happen over time, though, McCaffery began to miss his role with the student paper.
With some changes in his life, including a marriage to wife Denise, McCaffery found the time and energy to resume his position as faculty advisor of the student newspaper. When the need arose for a new advisor in the fall of 2005, McCaffery accepted the position.
"I'm going back into newspaper because I have a good, loving and supporting wife," McCaffery said. "I don't know if without Denise I would have taken newspaper back on."
McCaffery also highlighted his son Brent, the assistant editor and business manager of the Chief Events, as a reason for coming back to the paper.
With his return to the advisor position, McCaffery has set high standards and goals for his students. The group is considering entering this year's newspaper into the American Scholastic Press Association competition, where in previous years the Chief Events has won first-place awards.
"I feel there has to be a goal; a tangible one you can see," said McCaffery of the value of the competitions. "I'd like to see us go back to being one of the best papers in the Big Nine."
"To me, the best is creating something people will admire, not just enjoy or laugh at."
To do that, McCaffery's students will have to continue to progress as journalists, which can be a challenge even for the gifted writers who usually enroll in the journalism class.
"The group of kids I have are really good kids," McCaffery commented. "The kids this year have become aware of slander and libel; of how you don't have to avoid controversial topics, but you have to be careful."
Leading that group of students is editor Nesha Davis, who her advisor describes as a "real creative person." Davis, like many of McCaffery's previous students, is considering pursuing a career in journalism.
"The biggest thing as a teacher is you want to see your students be successful," said McCaffery of what he takes from his role as faculty advisor.
While McCaffery is firmly back into his faculty advisor role, he is easing back into the coaching positions he once occupied.
He helps out with high school teams from time to time, and continues to coach at the Big Bend Basketball Camp.
"I try to keep my hand in it as much as I can," McCaffery said. "Sometime, I plan on coaching again."
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