The Bellville Herd

 

NEWSROOM

 

A Brahma Video Productions Student Newsroom

Kristin Jones
HOSA Coordinator
Room Number:  Room 5, Learning Center
Email: kjones@bellvillebrahmas.org

Known HOSA meeting dates:

  • September 17
  • October 15
  • November 19
  • December 17
  • January 14
  • February 18
  • April 15

The exact meeting time and location still need confirmation.

HOSA–Future Health Professionals prepares students for careers in healthcare and health science. Members develop medical knowledge, technical skills, leadership, teamwork, and professionalism through classroom learning, service activities, conferences, and competitive events. Contact the HOSA coordinator for information about membership, meetings, competitions, conferences, service projects, and upcoming activities.

  • Health science and healthcare career activities
  • Medical knowledge and clinical-skills competitions
  • Emergency response and teamwork events
  • Leadership conferences and professional development
  • Community-service and health-awareness projects
  • Competition results and student advancement
  • Officer elections and student leadership
  • Awards, scholarships, certifications, and member accomplishments

Covering the HOSA Beat

Start Here

  • Introduce yourself to Mrs. Jones and explain that you are covering HOSA for the BVP Newsroom.
  • Confirm the listed HOSA meeting dates and ask when and where meetings are held.
  • Ask how she prefers to be contacted and how far in advance interviews and coverage should be arranged.
  • Request the current HOSA calendar, including meetings, competitions, conferences, service projects, fundraisers, and deadlines.
  • Ask for the names, grade levels, positions, and contact information of HOSA officers.
  • Ask whether reporters may attend meetings and which activities or competitions may be photographed or recorded.
  • Check with Mrs. Jones and the student officers regularly for schedule changes, results, and upcoming activities.
  • When you discover a possible story, submit it as a pitch before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.

Your Responsibilities

  • Check for HOSA updates at least once each news cycle.
  • Maintain contact with Mrs. Jones and HOSA’s student officers.
  • Keep track of meetings, competitions, conferences, service projects, fundraisers, officer activities, and deadlines.
  • Watch for students earning certifications, awards, scholarships, or advancement to higher levels of competition.
  • Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
  • Arrange interviews, photography, video, and event coverage in advance.
  • Confirm names, event titles, competition categories, dates, locations, results, and awards before publication.
  • Follow up after competitions and activities to obtain official results, photographs, and student reactions.
  • Include student voices by asking members about their preparation, experiences, goals, and interest in healthcare careers.

Important

Competition results are not official until they have been confirmed. Clearly distinguish between students who participated, students who placed, and students who advanced to the next level of competition. Verify all results, award titles, and advancement information with Mrs. Jones before publication.

Some HOSA activities may involve medical demonstrations, simulated emergencies, or personal health information. Make it clear when an emergency scenario is a simulation, and do not publish private medical information about a student or another person without permission. Confirm that photography and video are allowed before recording clinical-skills activities.

Reporting Your HOSA Stories

Possible Story Ideas
  • HOSA officers are elected or begin their terms
  • New members join the chapter
  • Members select their competitive events
  • Students begin preparing for a HOSA competition
  • HOSA attends an area, state, or international conference
  • Students place or advance in competition
  • Members compete in medical knowledge, clinical-skills, leadership, teamwork, or emergency-response events
  • HOSA organizes a health-awareness campaign
  • The chapter begins a community-service project, fundraiser, or donation drive
  • Members volunteer with a healthcare or community organization
  • A student earns a healthcare certification
  • A member receives an award, scholarship, or special recognition
  • A healthcare professional speaks to members
  • Students participate in a healthcare career experience, workshop, or field trip
  • HOSA partners with another school organization or community group
  • Members organize a blood drive, wellness event, or public-health activity
  • A student or team reaches an important preparation, service, fundraising, or participation goal
  • HOSA introduces an activity or program Bellville has not offered before
  • Members return from a conference with awards, new skills, or an interesting experience
  • The chapter reaches a membership, service, or organizational milestone
Signs There May Be A Story

Pay attention when:

  • A meeting, competition, conference, service project, or deadline is approaching
  • Members begin selecting events or preparing for competition
  • A competition team is formed
  • HOSA announces who qualified for or advanced to the next level
  • A student earns a high placement, certification, scholarship, or award
  • Members begin an unusual or difficult medical-skills project
  • The chapter plans a health-awareness campaign or community-service activity
  • Students are being asked to volunteer, donate, register, or participate
  • A healthcare professional visits the chapter
  • Members attend a workshop, conference, healthcare facility, or career-related event
  • HOSA begins working with another organization or community partner
  • A student takes the lead on an important project or competitive event
  • Members are doing something for the first time
  • A project reaches or exceeds an important goal
  • Competition schedules, event details, or results change
  • Members return from a competition or conference with awards, new knowledge, or an interesting experience
Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H

You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.

Who was involved?

  • Which HOSA members participated?
  • Which officers or members led the activity?
  • Who developed or organized the project?
  • Which students competed, placed, or advanced?
  • Were healthcare professionals, teachers, other organizations, or community partners involved?
  • Who judged, supervised, or officially confirmed the results?

What happened?

  • What meeting, competition, conference, service project, or healthcare activity took place?
  • What competitive event or category was involved?
  • What responsibilities did HOSA members have?
  • What skills or knowledge did students demonstrate?
  • What did the students accomplish?
  • What awards, placements, certifications, or recognition were earned?
  • What should members or other students know or do next?

When did it happen?

  • When was the meeting, activity, competition, or conference?
  • When did preparation begin?
  • When will the next round or stage take place?
  • What registration, submission, or participation deadlines should students know?
  • When were the results officially announced?
  • When will the next meeting, project, or competition occur?

Where did it happen?

  • Where was the meeting, competition, conference, or activity held?
  • Where did students prepare or practice?
  • Where can students register, volunteer, donate, or participate?
  • Where can students find official information or updates?
  • Where will advancing students compete next?

Why does it matter?

  • Why did members choose this event, project, or healthcare issue?
  • Why is this activity important to the chapter or community?
  • Why did students choose these healthcare career areas?
  • What community need or health concern does the project address?
  • Why should students participate or support the activity?
  • What difference is the project expected to make?
  • Why is this accomplishment meaningful to the students involved?

How did it happen?

  • How did students prepare for the event or competition?
  • How were responsibilities divided among members?
  • How were students selected for particular events or roles?
  • How was the project, conference trip, or activity organized?
  • How was it funded?
  • How were students evaluated or scored?
  • How can other students participate?
  • How will the chapter determine whether the activity was successful?

Questions for HOSA Officers and Members

  • What is your role in HOSA?
  • Why did you join HOSA?
  • What responsibility did you have for this activity?
  • Why did you choose this competitive event or healthcare field?
  • How did you prepare?
  • What was the most difficult part?
  • What skills or knowledge did you gain?
  • What have you learned about healthcare, teamwork, or leadership?
  • What does this accomplishment mean to you?
  • What happens next?
  • How can other students become involved?
  • What would you like students to understand about HOSA?

Questions for Competitors

  • Which event did you enter, and what does it require?
  • Why did you choose that event?
  • How long did you prepare?
  • What knowledge or skills did you have to demonstrate?
  • What was the most challenging part of the competition?
  • How did your actual performance compare with your preparation?
  • What placement or result did you receive?
  • Did you qualify or advance to another level?
  • What will you do differently as you prepare for the next competition?
  • What did you learn from the experience?

When interviewing members of a team, give each student an opportunity to explain their contribution.

Questions for the Coordinator

  • What was HOSA’s purpose in this activity?
  • How did students prepare?
  • What rules or requirements applied?
  • How were students evaluated or scored?
  • Have the results been officially confirmed?
  • Which students placed or advanced?
  • What skills did members develop?
  • How does this activity connect with healthcare education or career preparation?
  • What comes next for the students or chapter?
  • Is there anything about the activity or results that people might misunderstand?
People You May Need to Interview

Depending on the story, consider interviewing:

  • HOSA coordinator Kristin Jones
  • The HOSA president
  • Other chapter officers
  • Members who organized the activity
  • Students competing individually
  • Members of a competitive-event team
  • Students who placed or advanced
  • Students earning certifications, scholarships, or awards
  • Members participating in a service or health-awareness project
  • Healthcare professionals serving as speakers, mentors, or judges
  • Teachers or administrators involved in the activity
  • Representatives of partner organizations
  • Community members served by the project, when appropriate
  • Students interested in the healthcare topic or affected by the activity

Do not interview only Mrs. Jones or a HOSA officer. Include the students who competed, organized the activity, performed the work, or were directly affected.

For team stories, identify each member and explain that student’s contribution. For competition stories, confirm official results before describing anyone as a winner, qualifier, or advancing competitor.

What You Need to Collect

Before writing or producing the story, collect:

  • The complete and correctly spelled names of everyone involved
  • Each student’s grade level
  • Each student’s official position, role, or team assignment
  • The official name of the meeting, competition, event, conference, or project
  • The official name of each competitive event or category
  • The date, time, and location
  • The purpose of the activity
  • An accurate description of what students did
  • The skills, knowledge, or healthcare topics involved
  • Information about how students prepared
  • Official placements, scores, awards, certifications, or advancement results
  • The name of the person who confirmed the results
  • Important registration, submission, travel, or participation deadlines
  • Verified attendance, service-hour, fundraising, or donation totals
  • Information about how collected money or donations will be used
  • What happens next
  • At least one useful quote from a participating HOSA member
  • At least one useful quote from Mrs. Jones
  • A quote from a healthcare professional, community partner, or event official when appropriate
  • Photographs or video of the students preparing, competing, volunteering, or participating
  • Identification of everyone shown in photographs
  • Relevant schedules, programs, flyers, score sheets, certificates, announcements, or official documents
  • Confirmation that photography or video was permitted
Before You Leave

Ask yourself:

  • Do I have the correct spelling of every name?
  • Do I know each student’s grade level and official role?
  • Do I have the exact name of the event, competition, conference, or project?
  • Do I know exactly what happened?
  • Do I know when and where it happened?
  • Do I understand what students had to do?
  • Did I confirm the official event category and requirements?
  • Have all placements, awards, scores, certifications, and advancement results been officially confirmed?
  • Did I distinguish between participating, placing, and advancing?
  • Do I understand why the activity or accomplishment matters?
  • Did I interview at least one student who participated?
  • Did I speak with every member of the team when appropriate?
  • Do I have strong quotes—not merely “I’m excited”?
  • Have all dates, deadlines, costs, totals, and results been confirmed?
  • Do I know what happens next?
  • Do I have usable photographs or video?
  • Did I identify everyone shown in my photographs?
  • Did I confirm that photography and video were permitted?
  • If an emergency or medical scenario was simulated, did I clearly identify it as a simulation?
  • Did I avoid collecting or publishing private medical information?
  • Is there another participant, coordinator, healthcare professional, or community partner I should interview?