HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: NEXT JEN
For many students, R-Jeneration is a chance of a lifetime.
R-Jeneration is a program offered to local high school students interested in the field of journalism by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Many of these talented teenagers write for, or even edit, their school newspapers. Others have a passion for photography or art.
For an hour and a half a week, the teens have a chance to learn about journalism and are taught in-depth by professionals from the Review-Journal about everything from how to find good sources for their articles to how to write interesting movie reviews. The students then use what they learn to produce the paper's weekly teen-oriented page, R-Jeneration.
Professional writers, photographers, and artists work one on one with the students to produce the page's content, articles written by teenage writers for teenage readers about issues that interest teens.
Here is the 2007-08 school year's R-Jeneration team:
RACHEL ALGER
Writer, photographer
Foothill High School, senior
Interests: Writing, photography, lifeguarding
Favorite music: Indie rock, the band Rilo Kiley
Quote: "I have an adorable chubby pug named Gingerbread, and she has the most adorable curly tail in the world."
CHRISTINA BAZAN
Writer
Centennial High School, senior
Interests: Politics, current events, reading
Favorite music: Imogen Heap, Sufjan Stevens, Federico Aubele
Quote: "Everyone who looks at me makes the assumption that I'm full Caucasian, but I'm one-half Argentine."
MARC BECK
Writer
The Meadows School, senior
Interests: Aviation, computers, playing football and track
Favorite music: Rock/metal, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Quote: "I've built the last three computers I've had and also am half black and half Asian (Taiwanese)."
JOHN CALLAHAN
Photographer
Arbor View High School, junior
Interests: Photography, baseball, cross country
Favorite music: Everything but rap
Quote: "I am called the 'photo guy' at my school."
CRYSTAL CHASE
Writer
Clark High School, senior
Interests: Selling clothes to people at work, camping, reading
Favorite music: Gives everything a chance
Quote: "I love warm, home-cooked meals, it makes me feel like I'm in one of those Cambell's soup commercials."
LAUREN CLARK
Writer
Eldorado High School, senior
Interests: Listening to music, hanging out in Boulder City, texting
Favorite music: Rock, Weezer
Quote: "Nearly anything that I say won't likely be repeated and I talk really fast."
VALERIE DE ANGELO
Writer, photographer
Sierra Vista High School, senior
Interests: Student council, broadcast journalism, watching football
Favorite music: Country music, "High School Musical"
Quote: "Over the summer I am a lifeguard, and unlike most people, I LOVE my weird tan lines."
CASEY GOODWIN
Writer
Advanced Technologies Academy, junior
Interests: Reading, wasting time on the computer, and science and engineering
Favorite music: The Beatles
Quote: "All my friends think I'm crazy because I'm obsessed with purple elephants and Bob the Builder. Purple Elephants forever!"
ANTHONY GRAHAM
Writer
Liberty High School, junior
Interests: Books, movies, music
Favorite music: Alternative rock/folk-ish music, some powerpop
Quote: "I guess I'm always trying to be an interesting and intelligent person with a certain mystery about them, but I always end up being a typical suburban kid."
LAUREN HOENEMEYER
Writer
The Meadows School, senior
Interests: Journalism, art, piano, volunteering
Favorite music: Classic rock, rap
Quote: "I won the Most Elegant in the Miss Cinderella Nevada Beauty Pageant. I must say the pageant world is pretty crazy. I participated in that pageant for the first time this summer and met some psychotic beauty queens, one in which she told me she was going to break my kneecaps if I won! No joke!"
CHRISTINA HOUGE
Writer
Liberty High School, junior
Interests: Choir, dance, journalism
Favorite music: Country, hip-hop, pop
Quote: "I am a twin and my sister's name is Amanda."
JESSICA KANTOR
Writer
Canyon Springs High School, senior
Interests: Journalism, politics, friends
Favorite music: Tri-hop, folk, afro-beat
Quote: "'All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral or fattening' -- Francis Woolcott."
ALEXA KELLY
Writer
Liberty High School, junior
Interests: Journalism, baseball, shopping/girlie stuff
Favorite music: Rap, R&B, particularly Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Timbaland
Quote: "I'm a huge Yankees fan. Seriously, HUGE."
KERSTIN KENT
Writer
Faith Lutheran High School, senior
Interests: Writing, cheer, traveling
Favorite music: Brand New, Motion City Soundtrack, Mae
Quote: "I speak Czech fluently."
RYAN KISSAM
Writer
Canyon Springs High School, senior
Interests: Straight Edge, film criticism, shows
Favorite music: Sleeping Giant, Brand New
Quote: "I am a vegetarian."
KATHLEEN MEHOCIC
Photographer
Bishop Gorman High School, senior
Interests: Rollerblading, hiking, debating
Favorite music: Everything except opera
Quote: "I love animals, and at one time had 27 pets (20 of those pets were fish, but I didn't have an aquarium, just a whole bunch of fish bowls that took hours to clean each weekend)."
RIKKI MITCHELL
Writer
Faith Lutheran High School, senior
Interests: Dancing, taking photos, keeping memories
Favorite music: Anything she can dance to
Quote: "The world always looks brighter from behind a smile."
LAUREN NOORDA
Writer
Shadow Ridge High School, senior
Interests: Violin, reading, journalism
Favorite music: Rock, alternative rock
Quote: "When you say my name really fast, it sounds like 'Law & Order.'"
LEAH PARR
Photographer
Las Vegas Academy, senior
Interests: Horses, taking pictures, school newspaper
Favorite music: Anything to jam to while driving, especially "Shock Value" and the "Across the Universe" soundtrack
Quote: "I have my whole life plan set around going into photojournalism and marrying Anderson Cooper and being the premier journalist power couple in the business. He's beautiful, a dedicated journalist, graduated from Yale, and is a Vanderbilt. What's not to love?"
ROSEMARY PETERS
Writer
Bishop Gorman High School, senior
Interests: Tutoring, partying with friends, making scrapbooks
Favorite music: Everything, especially alternative punk
Quote: "My greatest joy in life is making other people laugh."
CRISTINA RODRIQUEZ
Writer
Cheyenne High School, junior
Interests: Collecting records and CDs, sleeping, shopping
Favorite music: Everything, with a favorite band every week
Quote: "Most people don't know that I don't eat meat or dairy products, my own personal choice."
LEA RUDNER
Photographer
Palo Verde High School, senior
Interests: Shopping, hanging with friends, taking pictures
Favorite music: Everything
Quote: "I'm Native American."
SARA SALAYICH
Writer
Coronado High School, junior
Interests: Dancing, singing, learning sign language
Favorite music: All kinds except for country and opera
Quote: "I can pick anything up with my feet (toes)."
JILLIAN STENZEL
Writer, photographer
Faith Lutheran High School, senior
Interests: Dance, photography, natural health
Favorite music: Indie, pop, hip-hop
Quote: "My words to live by are from Philippians 4:13, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' "
RAQUEL TREICHEL
Artist
Liberty High School, junior
Interests: Playing guitar, tennis, concerts
Favorite music: Hard rock, Godsmack
Quote: "My dream college is Columbia University and I plan on majoring in chemical engineering."
ERIKA TURNER
Writer
Liberty High School, junior
Interests: Writing, running, music
Favorite music: Indie
Quote: "I have, since the third grade, loved Sailor Moon and always will. This is what led me to fall in love with the Japanese culture."
PASHTANA USUFZY
Writer
Arbor View High School, senior
Interests: Reading, travel, writing
Favorite music: Pop
Quote: "I'm the president of my school's Key Club."
TARA VERDEROSA
Writer
Palo Verde High School, senior
Interests: Writing, reading, laser tag
Favorite music: Linkin Park and Flyleaf
Quote: "I have two jobs. One working as a safekey counselor and the other as a Laser Quest marshal. I absolutely love working with kids."
SHERESE WELSH
Writer
Coronado High School, junior
Interests: Hanging with friends, going to concerts, visiting California, going to theme parks
Favorite music: Fray
Quote: "I was born in Los Angeles, California."
CASSANDRA WILLEY
Writer
Sierra Vista High School, senior
Interests: Writing, finding new music, playing "Madden" for Playstation
Favorite music: Any music you can come up with
Quote: "I suppose the most interesting thing about me is that my older brother has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and is currently in the Army stationed in Germany, and my mom breeds chugs (Chihuahua/pugs)."
ROBERT WINN
Writer, photographer
Eldorado High School, senior
Interests: Socars, road trips, movies
Favorite music: Alternative, the Beatles and Brand New
Quote: "'The moving finger writes; and having writ, moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.'(-- Omar Khayyam)."
R-Jeneration
