Published: September 17, 2008 10:38 am      

ALBION: New class at Gotta Dance by Miss. Amy is about news

ALBION — Six little heads are bent intently over their shiny new notebooks, ideas flying across the pages.

It is shortly after 4 p.m. on a Monday evening, and the room is hushed for a moment, broken only by the sound of scratching pens, until Miss Veronica draws them to attention.

The fledgling journalists smile at her in awkward anticipation as she welcomes them to the first meeting of IpPi News — It’s Positive Press Ink.

They like the sound of what they are about to embark on.

The newest addition to join Gotta Dance by Miss Amy is not a ballet class, but a journalism seminar for aspiring writers and photographers. Throughout the year, instructor Veronica Burroughs Morgan will guide students as they learn about what it takes to publish a monthly newsletter from scratch.

For those who struggle with reading or writing, IpPi News will help motivate them to improve, Morgan said. And for those who are already strong academically, it is an opportunity for them to excel in new areas.

“The sky’s the limit,” Morgan told her first class Monday, listing off ideas for columns, comic strips and a Web site.

The kids soon joined in, suggesting a best and worst bathrooms article and a profile on Albion Middle School Principal and funny man Daniel Monacelli. Sixth-grader Mitchell Grater, 11, called dibs on covering the grand opening of the new McDonald’s Restaurant on Route 31.

“I can take a picture of the first person who buys a milkshake!” he exclaimed.

Every meeting will take place in Morgan’s new Sterling Photography studio, accessible through the Gotta Dance by Miss Amy building on West Bank Street. The room has a college-like atmosphere with a green couch, directors chairs and wood shelving for the students to store their materials.

To complete the picture, each journalist will be required to wear their very own press pass ID tag and IpPi News uniform.

Businesses and influential community members will be invited to attend meetings so the class can hone their interview and note-taking skills, Morgan said. She also has ideas for field trips, the first of which will take them to Rochester for the Broadway Theater League’s performance of “Legally Blonde.”

Morgan’s sister-in-law, Susan Burroughs, a fifth-grade special education teacher in Medina, will provide assistance.

“We want the children to become aware of professionalism,” Morgan said. “We want to build their esteem. ... Everyone is going to get a chance to find their strength.”

An emphasis will be placed on writing the old-fashioned way, as opposed to on the computer, she said. Students will be encouraged to schedule their own interviews, shoot and edit their own photographs, create newsletter graphics and meet article deadlines.

Down the line, Morgan dreams of incorporating broadcast journalism into the class. She envisions an entirely student-run newscast.

The project would build public speaking and video skills, while fostering an interest in local and world news, Morgan said.

Albion sixth-grader Lennon Groth, 11, can’t wait to “take pictures” and “write about what happens in the pictures,” he said. He knows a successful newsletter will depend on teamwork, despite the group’s wide age range — from middle school to high school.

His mom, Laurie Groth, said IpPi News is perfect for Lennon, who is a “people person” and “loves attention.”

“I love that it’s very student-based,” she said. “They’re the drive of it. ... It gives them ownership of something.”

The unique journalism class is one of many art-inspired offerings now at Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. Since opening 12 years ago, owner Amy Sidari has added guitar, voice, violin and piano lessons. Dance classes include ballroom, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip hop, tap, gymnastics, fitness boxing and martial arts.

Sidari’s sons, Keith, 14, and Kyle, 4, run their own mini-businesses at the studio, Gotta Java and Gotta Chill, selling coffee and ice cream.

Also new this year is Inspire Studio Art, an affiliation of Gotta Dance run by Laurie Groth. A certified graphic artist, Groth’s business launched for the first time this week with a handful of art classes for toddlers, children and adults.

It is an aspiration the mother of four has had since childhood, she said.

Topics include drawing, cartooning, graphic design and watercolor. Future classes will incorporate oil painting, clay, set design, storybook illustrations, advertising and still life drawing.

“It’s another alternative for kids,” Groth said. “I cannot wait to get more people excited about visual arts.”

For more information about IpPi News or other Gotta Dance classes, stop by 28 West Bank St., Albion, or call 354-2320. Sign up for Inspire Studio Art by calling 319-2469.

Contact reporter Nicole Coleman at 798-1400, ext. 8227.