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Florida Senate
-
2026
(NP) SR 1808
By
Senator Rouson
16-02192B-26 20261808__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing and commending Pinellas
3 County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism program on the
4 occasion of its 25th anniversary.
5
6 WHEREAS, since 2001, Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in
7 Journalism program has provided students with innovative, hands
8 on journalism education through classroom instruction and real
9 world reporting experiences, inspiring young reporters,
10 photographers, editors, and page designers and winning numerous
11 national awards at the elementary, middle, and high school
12 levels, and
13 WHEREAS, the Journeys in Journalism program was founded by
14 parent and journalist Gelareh Asayesh Brown at Melrose
15 Elementary School in partnership with the
Tampa Bay Times
under
16 the leadership of teacher and founding coordinator Cynda Mort
17 and was later expanded to John Hopkins Middle School and
18 Lakewood High School, where it operates as a district magnet
19 program, and
20 WHEREAS, the program currently serves approximately 800
21 students across Melrose Elementary School, John Hopkins Middle
22 School, and Lakewood High School, providing a continuous pathway
23 for journalism education from elementary through high school,
24 and
25 WHEREAS, as part of its curriculum, students in the
26 Journeys in Journalism program cover the news of their
27 respective schools and participate in reporting projects that
28 take them into the field, where they conduct interviews, gather
29 information, and report on stories through multiple formats,
30 including audio, photography, print, and video, and
31 WHEREAS, students in the program have completed a wide
32 range of reporting projects, including a documentary examining
33 the proposed redevelopment of St. Petersburg’s historic Gas
34 Plant neighborhood, interviews with prominent officials and
35 celebrities, documenting changes in downtown St. Petersburg,
36 photographing race car drivers, conducting man-on-the-street
37 interviews at local festivals, and producing podcasts and video
38 projects featuring local residents and businesses, and
39 WHEREAS, the Journeys in Journalism program has produced
40 alumni who have gone on to pursue careers in a wide range of
41 fields, including journalism and multimedia, media literacy,
42 marketing, business, law, hospitality, grades K-12 and higher
43 education, and nonprofit operations, and a number of these
44 students are recipients of scholarships established in honor of
45 program contributors, including the Cynda Mort Scholarship for
46 Outstanding Journalist and the Peggy Peterman Book Scholarship,
47 and
48 WHEREAS, for 25 years, the Journeys in Journalism program
49 has enriched the lives of students in the Pinellas County school
50 system by strengthening their communication skills, enhancing
51 their critical thinking and media literacy, encouraging their
52 civic engagement, and preparing them for future educational and
53 professional opportunities, NOW, THEREFORE,
54
55 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
56
57 That the Florida Senate hereby recognizes and commends
58 Pinellas County Schools’ Journeys in Journalism program on the
59 occasion of its 25th anniversary.