3 Maui Students Selected for PBS News Hour’s Reporting Lab

PBS News Hour, Student Reporting Lab Fellows: Giel Marie Tolentino (bottom left); Zoe Whitney (bottom right); and John Fabella (top left).

By Wendy Osher

Three Maui students are among a list of 18 from across the nation that were selected to participate in PBS NewsHour’s first Student Reporting Labs Academy in Washington, DC.

Maui High School juniors Zoe Whitney and Giel Marie Tolentino will join John Fabella of Maui Waena Intermediate School as participants in the SRL Academy in June and July, 2015.

Both Maui schools brought home awards recently at the 12th Annual Student Television Network Convention held earlier this month in San Diego, California.

Maui High School students also had their work on campus safety featured in a recent PBS News Hour broadcast that was aired nationally.

During the SRL Academy, the fellows will work alongside media mentors to produce original news content.  “They will also help program leaders develop strategies to engage young people in news and current affairs, and ensure that youth voices are active in the conversations about critical issues facing the nation,” according to an announcement from PBS Hawaiʻi.

Other students named as fellows for the 2015 SRL Academy include: Georgie Abbey, Royal Oak High School; Annie Collick, Royal Oak High School; Isabel Evans, Philip’s Academy Charter School; Chloe Golan, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High; Evan Gulock, Royal Oak High School; Alexander Lischak, Trumbull Career & Technical; Alex Maxwell, Judge Memorial Catholic High School; Sydney Payne, Carlsbad High School; Keenan Penn II, Fraser High School; Alizah Rizvi, Philip’s Academy Charter School; Ben Root, Stephen F. Austin High School; Jakira Smith, Free Spirit Media and Simeon Career Academy; Alex Trevino, Stephen F. Austin High School; Nicholas Weiss, Cedar Crest High School; and Erykah Williams, Vista PEAK Preparatory.