Student Press Freedom Day

Sara Matthews, The Delphi Staff
March 23, 2022

Student Press Freedom Day, held this year on Feb. 24, is a day for students to share their own thoughts and views in celebration of the First Amendment. Previous to the lunchtime celebration, history teacher, Ted Manner, was interviewed about student first amendment rights for an episode of The Delphi’s “The Oracle” podcast. The staff worked diligently to edit the podcast for release the morning of the event. (Sara Matthews)
The Delphi staff also organized an event for all Del Val students to express themselves. Using #unmuteyourself, The Delphi organized a way for students to use their creativity and celebrate the day. A few days in advance, the staff began preparing examples for its #unmuteyourself activity, which would be set up outside of the cafeteria on Student Press Freedom Day. The Delphi staff was looking forward to hosting a table for students to express themselves. (Sara Matthews)
The staff set up examples to inspire students to communicate their opinions. Multiple examples were provided on the table, which included rants, thoughts, opinions and talents! The staff wanted to provide a way for students to start getting ideas flowing, if they needed some help getting their thoughts processing. (Sara Matthews)
Journalist, Peyton Smith, shared her opinion on the stresses of school. She allowed it to be used as an example set on the table for a reference. Looking at this rant, students gained ideas and felt more comfortable writing their honest opinions. Smith’s example was a rant about the stress of homework and standardized testing, issues that affect all students across the country. (Sara Matthews)
On the day of the events, students were able to take a marker and paper and write anything they felt. Individuals were quick and enthusiastic to share what they had come up with. Senior, Philip Sosidko, was excited to write his thoughts down and practice his First Amendment rights. Representing The Delphi, journalist Carol Anne Bredeson, worked the table to to help students who had writer’s block. (Sara Matthews)
Crowds soon started to form around the journalism table. Groups of students, including a few individuals, stopped by to add to The Delphi’s collection of student voices. Students ended up spreading the word during that lunch period, leading to a large overall turnout. (Sara Matthews)
When developing its marketing plan, the staff asked “who doesn’t love doing something fun, and getting something free?” After students participated in advocating their emotions, The Delphi offered freebies for students to take. The event had successful turnout, with over 40 students participating. (Sara Matthews)
Once students finished “unmuting themselves,” photos of their writing were captured and shared on Instagram (@delphinewspaper). Some examples as to what students wrote included sports views, extra-curricular activities, and life rants. Some students decided to team up and get creative. Right outside of the cafeteria, Deeksha and Rayna put their thoughts together. Although thinking of an objective to write may be challenging, having a friend made it easier for students to share their ideas. Due to the success of this first celebration, The Delphi staff is looking forward to advocating next year’s Student Press Freedom Day. (Sara Matthews)