Feature Story Draft

Will Grossenbacher notes

Interview with grandad-


(Not a question just a little background information about attendance work as far as being a social worker goes.)

If a teacher notices a child is not attending regularly then they report that to the principal and the principal will call me and let me know and I will go out to the child's residence and contact the parents and try to see what the problem is, and see if there's anything that the school can do to help, because attendance is critical, if a child doesn't attend school, they can't do the work and they fall behind, and it creates all kinds of problems so attendance is very important.

What year was it when you first started out, and what school?

1998, I believe I had retired from my own business at the time doing social work for attorneys and I had retired from that and a good friend of mine who was superintendent of schools talked me in to helping out for a time and that was in 1998. And I'm still doing it although I've limited myself to a couple days a week now.

What school was it?

Right, Madisonville... Actually I do work for the whole school district, high school, junior high, intermediate, elementary and also the alternate or alternative school.

Note: Madisonville school district. MCISD

What was the most interesting thing that you encountered when you had to go to one of the kid's houses?

One thing I've noticed over time is if a family has some sort of trauma, if they have an automobile accident or a house burns down, obviously it creates a problem, and it interferes with their ability to attend school to concentrate on their work at school and that sort of thing. So I've seen some of those sort of things. It's always difficult for a student if their family undergoes some sort of trauma but they have to keep up with their school work.

Do you have a specific story about what trauma somebody went through?

Without divulging anybodies identity or anything I can just tell you I've been in situations where there's been automobile accidents, there's been house fires, I remember one situation where there was a homicide in the family unit. Anything like that that interrupts the child's education. Many things can do that that's stressful so some things might not be as stressful as others.

So there was a homicide?

In one situation, like I said, without getting into specifics (peoples names) I can remember one situation a number of years ago where there was a homicide in the family unit.

How did they try to get the child back on track?

Usually there's a number of resources in the community. If the family is active in the church a lot of times the pastors may help with some training and counseling,  might be able to help in that way. There are also medical facilities, the family doctor may be able to refer them to a counselor, so there's a number of resources that are available to students and also the school has counselors within the school district. Each school, high school, junior high, intermediate, and elementary all have counselors that are trained and are able to help some of these children if they have a problem like that.

My dad told me there was a story about how at one point you went to a house and there seemed to have been a party going on the previous night and the kid was really tired, could you tell me more about that?

In general, habits are important and if a child is, or if the children in a family are allowed to choose their own bedtime, they may go to bed at one o' clock in the morning after playing a game on their phone or on their computer or whatever. So obviously the next day in class they're not gonna be attentive and they can't listen and that sort of thing. It's important for families to set guidelines for the children and to make sure that they get enough rest so that when they go back to school the next day they'll be able to participate.

Did you usually see positive results after helping children out?

Yeah. Sometimes it depends really on the family unit and what kind of resources they have, and what sort of attitude they bring to it. If they're really interested and concerned about the welfare of their children, then they'll be more receptive to questions, If they have their own problems, and many times they do, then they're less able to provide guidance and assistance to the children. In other words to act as a parent.

Did you have any situations where you just had to remove the child from the situation?

What we do in a case where we find that the child's at risk is we report that to the Texas Department of Human Services, and the Child Welfare Division, and they take it from there.

So it's usually pretty benign, just kids not getting enough sleep, and cutting class?

Right. That sort of thing. The family could be having problems in a number of ways. For example it could be financial, they could be stressed financially, loss of a job, that sort of thing. It could be any number of reasons why. The family may be disrupted, I've had situations where the father and sometimes the mother too have been incarcerated. And sometimes the children were put in the care of grandparents, aunts uncles, family members, that sort of thing. That's obviously disruptive to the kids.

Have you ever had a situation where there was a child that was just alone?

There's two ways that a child can become damaged. One of them is from neglect, by not providing the proper care and supervision. And the other is through abuse, where the child may actually be injured. Emotionally or physically, and I've seen both of those.

I guess you always have to be ready for a call all the time, do you just get the calls and go?

That's it. Basically I'm on call and I depend on referrals from teachers to the principal, and the principal usually or the counselor, either one at school will call me and ask me to make a home visit for them and tell me at the time what there concerns are.

Do you ever end up going into the house and inspecting it?

Usually when I go out I knock on the door and ask them if I can come in, depending on the attitude of the parents and the situation and the severity. It may be a child has only missed 3 or 4 days of school and a teacher is concerned because, again, it's of critical importance that they attend so that they can keep up and do the work. So yeah when I go out to make a home visit, I may look as I drive up to the home to see if it's maintained or if it's neglected or how it looks and that sort of thing. One thing that I always look for is dogs running loose. I don't wanna be bitten. When I drive up to a residence I usually blow the horn and holler, "I'm a social worker, do you have any dogs that bite?"

Do you keep any kind of weapon?

No. Nothing. I do have a walking stick but I need it [for] my back, I have some problems with my back, and I keep a walking stick in the truck to help me get around and to fend off bulldogs.



Interview with Mom-

Can you tell me about Grandad's earlier days in social work?

When I was in middle school and high school, he was a medical social worker for-(I think he said something about an old business where he was a law social worker?) Yeah he did that for a while and he also has a masters degree in social work and is a licensed professional counselor. So he at one point I know he was managing a facility for people that where transitioning from mental health and mental retardation facilities back out into the general population, another name for those would be a halfway house,  not for prisoners but for people that were transitioning back into the general population, but they need a little care and guidance. So my understanding is that he was managing a place where these men would be getting out of their situation where they were in a mental hospital dealing with mental health issues

Dispatch #2

Post-game Whataburger enacts additional security
1. Going to Whataburger after football games was always a student tradition, but Whataburger decided that they needed to have a security guard on the premises because of an altercation between a student and a Whataburger employee after the LBJ game. Many students describe how the officer's presence stifles the post game atmosphere, but Whataburger manager Marcus Casillas likes having the security guard to provide more safety for students.
2.
Whataburger manager Marcus Casillas
High school junior Rylee Holder
Junior Levi Ander
Not really, I didn't even know about the post-game whataburger tradition, but I'm sure if I actually enjoyed the freedom of whataburger after games, then I'd probably be more intrigued.
Conclusion was a quote
3.
Only photo in the story is the one of the whataburger cashier checking people out, so this is my favorite picture. It's a good picture because it shows how hectic the whataburger is after games because of all the people in the foreground.
No least favorite photo because there was only one photo
I think it would be fun to take pictures of the post-game celebration because then I could go to whataburger after a game and celebrate with everyone else as well as take pictures.
I think it's a pretty good picture because it stays focused on the subject.
Team 10 musical murder
1. This person is reviewing the song "It's everyday bro" by Jake Paul and Team 10. She goes on to talk about why this song is bad because of its repetitive beat and bland rapping.
2.
Nobody quoted in this story
I think the opening bit were she made a joke about the name of the song and the fact that everyone keeps bringing it up was funny and made me want to keep reading.
Conclusion was a statement
3.
There was one photo, and it was of the team 10 logo with 2,000,000 subscribers under it, and I liked this photo because it was a good job with photoshop and whatever she used to create the team 10 logo.
No other photos in the story, so no least favorite.
I think it would be cool to go to the team 10 house and take pictures because then you could travel to LA and get to take a picture of the team 10 house which is pretty cool.
I think this was  good picture because of the talent it takes to make a team 10 logo from scratch
JBHSOPE to face upcoming challenges 
1. This article is about the JBHSOPE getting ready to compete in the San Antonio super regional. It is going to be extra challenging this year however, because Avon high school from Indiana is coming to the super regional and they have one of the most prestigious marching band programs in the United States.
2.
Band director Jennifer Hanford
Junior Adam Dinkins
Senior Ali Rodriguez
3.
Once again, the only photo is of the guard members all on the bed with cloud guy and the girl, reaching up to the sky. I like this picture because it is a really cool part of the show and includes all the characters.
No least favorite as there was only one.
I think it would be cool to go along to a competition and get to watch all the bands perform because Texas bands are really good and they have really good shows.
I think it's a good picture because it really encapsulates the feeling of the whole show.
One Step at a time, one punch at a time 
1. This story is about a high school student, Evan Janowitz, who is pursuing his dream of becoming a boxer. He trains multiple times a week, and it is explained that boxing is much more than just a physical sport, it is also a very mental sport.
2.
Evan Janowitz
Evan's mom Sally Janowitz
Evan's trainer Conrad Sanchez
Evan's girlfriend Sophie Clain
The strongest quote was when Evan's trainer Conrad Sanchez talked about how Evan used to be a walking stick, which I thought was funny.
Yes the lead sentence made me want to keep reading
quote
3.
I think my favorite picture was the one of Evan punching the training gloves, which was shot from behind his trainer. I thought it was cool because it was intense.
My least favorite picture was the one of Evan punching the trainer from far away, I thought it looked kind of unfocused and wasn't as interesting.
I think this would be interesting to photograph because I have never seen a boxer train before and that would be cool.
I think overall the photography in this issue was good because it I like 2 out of 3 of the pictures because the subject was interesting and they were focused well on the subject.
The world needs to be more careful with North Korea
1. This commentary is about the current situation with North Korea, and the threat that they pose to the US and other nations. North Korea is about to develop a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching the United States east coast, and we need to do something about it.
2.Nobody really quoted in this article because it is a commentary piece.
No strong quotes as there were no quotes.
The lead sentence made me want to keep reading
Statement
3. The only picture there was a box with a bunch of nuclear warheads in it that had a postage stamp saying From:North Korea To: USA. I liked this picture because it is funny and i like political cartoons, which is kind of what this is.
No other pictures.
I would not want to do pictures for this story because usually Americans who go to North Korea never come back.
I liked the photography in this issue.
STRESS: The Kids Are NOT ALRIGHT
1. This story was about the overwhelming amount of stress high school students have to go through and how how high stress levels can be bad for students, and can lead to depression and suicide.
2.

Feature Story

1. I'm hoping to use my grandad because he used to be a social worker for a high school and I've heard he has interesting stories since he had to go to the houses of kids who were absent a lot.
2. I could talk to my nana and my mom because they might have background information, because they were living together when he was a social worker.
3. A story from when he was a social worker and the situation that he found at the houses of kids who were absent from school.
4. I assume I would be the narrator and include direct quotes.
5.
-How old were you when you were a social worker?
-What year was it?
-What school did you work at?
-What is the most interesting story from your time

The man who played the violin

I think that we can perceive beauty in a crowded commonplace environment, but there are many people who hear the music but choose to ignore because they're to busy.

Most of the people in the subway did not stop to appreciate the music. I think this is because they don't know about music and probably have never heard really good violin music before.

I think many of the people were able to recognize the talent and hear the beauty, but refused to get into it and preferred to block it out.

Peer Reflection #1

1.  Nathan Stowe
2. He's trying to convince people to end the war on drugs.
3. He thinks that decriminalizing drugs and making soft drugs (weed, etc..) legal would lower incarceration and death rates due to drugs.
4. No
5. No he was very straight about his opinion.
6. 1st.
7/