Category: Blog 2026

By Hennie England

My first day at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists introduced me to the basics of of journalism. On a day consisting of rain and questionable food, I learned how to write news stories, feature stories, and shoot broadcasts.

The structure of stories varies based on what type they are. Written news stories, for example, start with the most important details and as it goes on the details become more insignificant. In an upside down triangle shape. This is because when editing the information that is not needed or does not fit will be cut from the bottom. Feature stories are written in an hourglass shape. The most important details are still at the top, but at the end there are more important details.

Broadcast news stories take the shape of a diamond. They start by focusing on one person experiencing an event or problem. Then, they branch out by describing how the person is not alone and many other people experience this with them. Showing the broad scope of the event. They end by checking back in with the original person and their problems.

The thing I enjoyed learning about the most was how to shoot video broadcasting. one thing that stuck with me was “The Mantra.” This is a wide shot, medium shot, tight shot, super tight shot, action shot, reaction shot, and to capture the moment. We practiced this by taking a series of shots from each of these angles, the aim being to tell a coherent story. I took videos of a bench with a water fountain in the foreground. This was my wide shot. Then a bird landed on the bench and I took medium and close up shots of that. The bird flying away and the empty bench were my action and reaction shots. Together these shots capture the moment and tell the story. 

In between these lessons, we went to lunch. The food was not good, but later the dinner food made up for it. There was chicken, rice, pasta, and fries. The best part was the cheesecake I had for dessert. 

The craziest part of the day was the rain. While the whole Greene Team was walking to the newsroom, it started pouring. Everyone got soaked. But, overall, the day was fun and I’m excited to learn more. 

By Hennie England

Today I started working on my first two stories with my group, Faith Welch and Lisseth Hernandez. The first story is about the Zuccaire Gallery. The gallery is on campus and currently has an installation centering indigenous culture and language through art. Our assignment was to shoot a video and interview the art director. I filmed the videos using the rules of framing we learned yesterday. 

The second story is about the Stony Brook school of nursing’s new simulation center. The school just announced they will be updating their nursing simulation center with new technology and 10 times the area they currently occupy. We interviewed two nurses that have been at Stony Brook for over 30 years. They were both excited to help nursing students learn how to operate state of the art equipment. They explained that it will be helpful to students because it will be a more realistic environment than what they have now. 

Additionally, the whole Greene Team held a press conference with Ray Weber who works for New York state Senator Anthony Palumbo.  I asked about why the senator wanted to change the common core curriculum. 

Today I learned interviewing is very nerve wracking and definitely something I can work on to improve. 

By: Emily Soriano

As I woke up for my first full day at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists, I woke up energized for the day. I brushed my teeth, put on a t-shirt, pants, and some crocs. Then as a group we all headed down to the East End dining hall for breakfast.

Breakfast was at 8 a.m. I ate hash browns, a bagel, eggs with ketchup, and water. Then we walked towards the newsroom to meet with Ray Weber, community affairs liaison for NY state Senator Anthony Palumbo, who represents many communities on the North shore of Long Island. There we learned about Palumbo’s mission, like how he wants more first-time home owners on Long Island.

Then we had lunch around 12 p.m. at the East Side dining hall. I had garlic spaghetti pasta and water. Once lunch was over, my group — Gavin, Shirley, Araya, and I — walked over to the game theory convention. There we learned about the importance of Game Theory and what it is. A term that stood out to me was when Tim Chin, head organizer of the convention said, “What would happen if you played the game in equity and everyone wins?” It was an interesting analogy on how what would happen in the world if everyone just helped each other. To give aid to those who have less to be equal.

Following the trip, we headed over to the dining hall at about 5. There I enjoyed penne spaghetti pasta, a pizza slice, chicken parmigiana, and French Fries. As a beverage, I had Coke and water. For dessert, I had a tasty vanilla doughnut.

Once dinner passed, the real fun began. We headed to the stadium and watched a movie titled “Moana 2.” There we received many cool freebies. For example, hand sanitizer, Moana stickers, Ashwaganda gummies, a blow-up ball that we played volleyball with and many other cool items. I sat with my good friends Shirley, Hennie, and Allison to enjoy the movie.

After the movie we ended the night walking towards the dorms. I took the first shower. Once I was done, we recapped about our day and then lights out for bed. Ending the night on a great note.

By, Emily Soriano

What is the word to describe my experience to this moment? I was mixed with my emotions of being fearful, homesick, and worried. All these feelings ventured through my mind during my first few moments at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists. This was the case until I started interacting with my fellow green peers.

I began to speak with my suite mates, Lisseth and Hennie. I was initially hesitant about being alone but with their comfort and reassurance, I now feel secure. As the day went on, we met with all the other Greene Team members at 11 a.m. in the dorm lounge. There, friendships were created. Although I may not know them on a personal level, I am looking forward to continuing to get to know them. I started to get settled in. Then we went on to meet the other Greene Team members in the main lobby.

As we were walking towards the news room, rain struck us. Although we were soaked, it was filled with many smiles and laughter as we ran towards the building. We created a memory that we will cherish. It may not be ideal to some but, to us on the Greene Team, it was a beginning to a story to be told.

Once we entered the newsroom we learned about “The inverted pyramid.” It’s the ideal in writing journalism where the first paragraph is your lead and all the important information you want people to read while the next paragraphs are adding on more facts. I believe it is very interesting on how journalists go about the fact knowing that due to some of the readers’ attention spans they may not want to read an entire story. They just want the main idea.

The day continued to be filled with more knowledge to be learned but by the time we knew it, It was time for lunch at 12 p.m. As we walked through the campus we saw the beauty of nature and the environment. At lunch I ate pinto beans, grilled cheese, sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, water, as well as a salad. There I created a bond with Hennie and Shirley. We sat together and had great conversations.

After lunch we went back to the newsroom. We continued learning. Another thing that stood out to me was the tips for shooting video. I was unaware of the ideal of having a two finger space above the person’s head and right next to the sternum (rib cage) on the bottom half. I also learned about the 7 angles in shooting. Wide, Medium, Tight, Super Tight, Action, Reaction, and Capture the Moment. This peaked my interest as I never have heard about it before that moment that it was introduced.

As the lesson continued, we were taught how to spot out propaganda. A video was shown about a guy skydiving, but the guy is never seen falling to the ground. We were asked the question, “Would we share this video to our friends yes or no?” The video was created to be an advertisement for a trampoline park and to appease the public eye. We learned to ask ourselves these questions. “Who is making this video?” “Are they identifying themselves?” and “Is this accurate?” These questions allow a deeper thought process while watching. The lesson was filled with thought-provoking ideals.

Once the lesson was over we walked over to the dining hall for dinner around 5 p.m. At dinner I enriched myself with some tomato penne pasta and French Fries. As a beverage I had water. For dessert, we had a cheesecake, which was very delightful. After dinner, we walked back to the dorms where we finished unpacking and took turns showering.

In conclusion, the first day was an introduction of all the fun expected for the rest of the week. My Dorm Mates — Sorbs, Allison, Hennie, Gabrielle, and I then finished the day up by saying our goodnights.