PROGRAM INFO

The Critical Current is a critical thinking program designed to provide students with opportunities to read, view, and understand relevant news stories about the world they live in. Students will practice thinking critically about the information they consume, develop media/news literacy skills essential to their growth as critical thinkers, engage in discussions using multiple perspectives, and write investigative news stories about their community and world.
THE OC REGISTER
For our first field trip, we visited and toured The OC Register.  We have been spending the last two weeks learning about the role of journalists in society, and freedom of the press as the foundation of democracy. From Jefferson to FactCheck.org, our students learned about the power of words and the importance of thinking critically when we read the news. We're so fortunate to have such an awesome news company right in our neighborhood!  Our student journalists learned about what it takes to create original graphics and breaking news content from the Register's talented art director and news editors! We then went through the advertising department and met so many welcoming staff members. Finally, we toured the production department and witnessed machines print 60,000 pages per minute. All of our students had so much fun today. Thanks, Orange County Register for opening your doors and allowing our student journalists to learn through valuable experiences!
BREAKOUT EDU
It's all about critical thinking for our summer enrichment students as they participated in their very first BREAKOUT EDU game during Week 2 of our program. Students became investigative reporters as they checked facts, navigated through false leads, incorporated multiple perspectives, and used their critical reading and problem-solving skills to break a series of locks before reporting their stories! We had so much fun learning. Go Mustangs!
THE NIXON LIBRARY
Students visited the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California! The week leading up to this Friday field trip, we learned about whistleblowing in journalism and discussed various topics from the recent Panama papers, to wikileaks, and the Watergate Scandal and Pentagon Papers. We viewed these controversial topics through multiple perspectives to practice our critical thinking skills and discussed the advantages and disadvantages, ethical conflicts, and moral obligations to exposing truths. We also discussed personal privacy, national security, classified documents, executive privilege, and freedom of the press! At our field trip, our awesome tour guide Terry showed us through the facility, explaining the various state flags, the East room (which is a replica of the same room in the White House), and a stone from the original White House. We also learned about the seal of the United States, and how it was changed from the eagle gazing upon the arrows, to the eagle gazing upon the olive branches, which signified America's focus on peace rather than war. We were able to view the beautiful gardens, tour Nixon's helicopter, and visit the tombstone of Nixon and the first lady. There was so much to learn about this president who grew up locally right here in Orange County, and his tumultuous relationship with journalists. Our students really enjoyed this trip and they even got to meet a secret service agent, who is stationed at the library throughout the year! We didn't get to view the galleries because there was construction going on, but our students still enjoyed learning a few interesting bits of information about the building and Nixon's legacy. Throughout our program, students have begun to realize that journalism does not exist on its own, but is a rather intricate system that intertwines with law enforcement and politics, as all of these components of society work together to create a world that is safe and democratic. Students have begun to respect journalists and their work of public service to a large extent due to the various field trips and lessons in this program!
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
Students visited the Los Angeles Times! It was such an awesome experience to walk through the hallways of the editorial newsroom, and see reporters and editors hard at work. We even got to speak with Bill Plaschke, who is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the LA Times since 1987! We learned about the history of the LA Times, viewed informative pictures that show the power of photojournalism, and got to learn about the many (42) Pulitzer prize winners from the LA Times. We also toured the travel and food department, and saw an amazing test kitchen, where recipes are tested before publication. After an entire morning touring the newsroom, we went back on the bus to go six blocks down to view the printing facility, where we got an up-close view at the process of printing hundreds of thousands of newspapers every day. The most interesting part of the experience was learning how since the beginning of the LA Times, the newspaper has been in print every single day! That means that the printing facility is always being used 365 days a year and reporters don't get holidays because current events happen regardless of holidays or weekends! In fact, the morning of our field trip, our tour guide let us know that many reporters were at the offices overnight as a tragedy had just occurred in Nice, France. They had to work through the night to get a new front-page out and roll out the articles on the website as well. We arrived at our field trip a bit early, so we were able to take a quick walking tour of downtown Los Angeles as well! Students were able to visit Los Angeles City Hall, the beautiful Los Angeles Police Department building, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by famed Architect, Frank Gehry. Through this long yet amazing field trip day, our students were able to learn about the convergence of city government, law enforcement, and reporters in providing citizens and constituents with the news they need to know to become informed and effective citizens! Our students particularly loved the inscription on the wall of the building that expressed what we learn about everyday, that journalism and freedom of the press is the foundation of democracy. We loved our field trip to the Los Angeles Times, and many of our students exclaimed how they wanted to work in the world of media journalism after this eye-opening experience! 
USC 
​Students visited USC to tour the campus, learn about the admissions process, and visit several of the schools, such as the Annenberg School of Journalism, as well as the School of Cinematic Arts. Students had a lovely time exploring the campus on a very sunny Southern Californian day. They spent an entire day there, opening their hearts, minds, and eyes to the possibilities that are in their futures. 
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