A Reporter’s Career Day

A Reporter’s Career Day

Senior Reporter Patrick Sullivan shared tales from a career in journalism for Career Day at Sharon Center School, April 11.

Provided

SHARON — I was a guest speaker at Sharon Center School’s Career Day on Thursday, April 11.

For a week prior I carefully rehearsed and refined my remarks. I made careful notes.

Then I forgot to bring them.

I did remember my props. To wit, a pile of back issues of The Lakeville Journal and two stacks of Real Official Reporters Notebooks, as endorsed by H.L. Mencken, Woodward and Bernstein, and Clark Kent.

There were about a dozen of us. I knew Tom Bartram, who was representing the Sharon fire department along with Nikki Blass, Beth Klippel and Quentin Leibrock. Also on hand were Adam Smith, art sculptorist; Ashley Coon, formulation engineer; Sarah Coon, Owner of Paley’s Gardens; Zachary Rodriguez, electrician and Devon Sheehan, Sharon Center School nurse/hospital nurse.

At the appropriate moment we were herded into the gym/auditorium so the students could get a good look at us, and then it was off to the classrooms.

We each had three groups of six or eight students in rotation, each for about 15 minutes.

It’s a bit of a blur, but I explained what the Journal is, how I came to work for the paper, how we go about putting the paper together, how the seasoned reporter operates, and answered questions.

I found the way the middle school girls stared at me completely unnerving. As if they couldn’t quite believe it.

But as a whole the students were polite and engaged, asked good questions and even followed up a couple times.

One student asked how I became a reporter and received the unorthodox answer (“by accident”) with aplomb.

Another asked if a degree in journalism is required. Feeling diplomatic, I suggested that working on a newspaper — any newspaper — is the best way to learn the craft.

Good thing I brought the notebooks. That and the subsequent note taking advice chewed up five minutes easy.

The advice part went something like this:

Me: You should type or rewrite your notes as soon as possible after the class or event, before you forget what they mean. (Show page of old notebook to students.) Can you read that?

Students: No.

Me: Me neither. And I wrote it!

It’s been a long time since I stood before a classroom to impart Knowledge [sic on the capital K]. I admit to being a little rusty.

But by the third time through I was ready to take on all comers. Unfortunately, Career Day was over.

On the way out I thanked my host, School Counselor Elizabeth Foster, and reminded her that Lakeville Journal Managing Editor Riley Klein is much younger, considerably taller and overall a vastly better choice for such activities in the future.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker

WINSTED — Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker, of Monroe, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at the age of 77. Born on Jan. 18, 1948, in Winsted, Connecticut to Gilbert and Alta (Bierce) Schoonmaker, Gil spent four decades enjoying life on Highland Lake before settling in Monroe.

He is lovingly survived by his wife of 56 years, Sally (Gustafson) Schoonmaker, and his two daughters, Lynn Sindland and her husband Lee of Lead Hill, Arkansas, and Deb Pikiell and her husband Tim of Bristol, Connecticut. Gil was a proud grandfather to Ozzie, Tommy, Betsy, Katie, George, Lucy, Maddie, Joey, and Julia, and he cherished his time with his eight great-grandchildren. Gilbert leaves behind his siblings Ann, Gary, Gail, Jan, and Tim.

Keep ReadingShow less
Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less