Starting of school signals beginning of reporter's job

School starts Monday for much of the South County, signaling the end of summer vacation and the community's return to a more business-like set of priorities. The lazy days of June and July are fast fading into our collective memories, and the dog days of August are upon us.

As a former school teacher, I sometimes miss the return to classrooms, school books, lesson plans and playground monitoring schedules.

Okay, that last little bit helped me remember why I gave up my sixth-grade classroom in 1977 and traded my elementary teaching credential in for a master's degree in journalism and a whole new career.

Wow, was it really almost 30 years ago that I walked across the University of Oregon lawn to receive my master's hood and diploma from Dean Galen Rarick?

Yes, from the looks of the calendar on the wall, it was!

Memories of my early days in newspapers come flooding back this week as the Valley Post prepares to welcome aboard Maghan Hunt, our newest reporter. Hunt's enthusiasm won me over early on in the interview process.

A Shasta County native, she recently finished her bachelor of arts program in Communication Design and Media Arts at Chico State University and is awaiting word on her second major, Journalism. While attending Shasta College, she served as Sports Editor for the Lance, the student newspaper, and served on a committee to restructure the Journalism Department.

General Assignment Reporter Michael Woodward has a more complete story elsewhere in the newspaper to introduce Hunt to you, our readers.

Hunt's main responsibilities at the Valley Post will be to cover sports and education throughout the South County. I know that all of you will welcome her warmly and grant her the grace all new reporters deserve as they learn the finer points of dealing with teachers, coaches, players, parents, school administrators, cheer squad members and the legions of volunteers who help create our excellent school and community sports and education programs.

One of my jobs as Editor will be to help Hunt hone her reporting and writing skills in the work-a-day world of community journalism. She already has a deep appreciation for all manner of sports as well as a broad understanding of life as it is lived in Shasta County.

I am looking forward to watching Hunt grow and blossom in her chosen field as she tackles the easy as well as the tough stories that often come our way as journalists.

Many folks with whom I come in contact on a regular basis are far from shy in predicting the demise of print journalism in this modern era of FaceBook, Google, Craig's List, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube. While cellular phones, 3G or 4G networks and instant communication are providing some challenges for traditional print media, we are embracing the new techology and putting it's applications to work for you. Check out our Web site at www.andersonvalleypost.com

We have a long - 127 years - and proud history of service to this community. We will not let you down.