Tyrone instructor named Pa.’s top journalism teacher
Trending
TYRONE -- Growing up around Patton's Union-Press Courier, where his dad, Frank Cammarata, was publisher, Todd Cammarata was called on to help lay out ads and run the paper cutter.
Working and spending his free time around writers and other staffers at his hometown paper instilled a deep interest in journalism -- an interest he strives to impart to the students at Tyrone Area High School.
Now, his work as the journalism teacher and the adviser for the school's Eagle Eye Newspaper has earned him the title of 2023 Pennsylvania Journalism Teacher of the Year -- an award bestowed by the Pennsylvania School Press Association.
Cammarata, 51, found out about the award through an email. He's still not sure who made the nomination.
"I'm honored but still feel undeserving -- there are a lot of great teachers out there," he said.
Cammarata holds a bachelor's in history and political science, as well as a teaching certificate in social studies and civics.
Focusing on those fields tied in well with his journalism background, he uses his experiences to teach students to think about the world they live in -- locally in Tyrone and beyond.
"I got my start when I was younger," he said. "I always just liked to write."
He also learned how to take photographs, to develop the film and to make prints, in the "old days" before digital took over.
It's that background that had him take on the duties of journalism teacher and adviser for the school newspaper 12 years ago after a retirement in the English department.
He accepted the offer to break up the seven periods of civics classes he was teaching, he said, and was challenged to make the school paper relevant and available online to reach a wider audience.
Once a site platform was worked out, the paper took off, he said.
"It has grown and evolved into, not only a student-run newspaper website, but a multimedia venue for the Tyrone Area High School and the community," Superintendent Leslie Estep said.
Cammarata encourages his students to experiment with story lines and research, which provides them with unique learning experiences, Estep said.
Under the umbrella of the Eagle Eye, the students also create video recorded announcements, host podcasts and livestream events.
Under Cammarata's direction, Estep said the Eagle Eye has won numerous Best of School Newspapers Online awards and many individual students' articles and photos have won similar honors.
"I really credit it all to the students and the community's willingness to embrace what they are doing," Cammarata said.
Because the Eagle Eye is online, there is no limit to the number of stories students turn in. In addition, other than sports, there is no deadline, which allows students to take their time on articles.
Students remain the core audience, but because the paper is available online to everyone, the audience is limitless.
Students keep in mind what readers might be interested to see, and try to keep ideas fresh, he said.
"Everybody has a story, and there are great stories to be told everywhere," Cammarata said.
About 35 students work on the newspaper, and he is amazed by students' creativity and willingness to try new things.
MacKenzie Hyde, a senior and Eagle Eye editor-in-chief, said she has enjoyed being a part of the paper.
"I really like writing, so that was the first thing I found a passion for -- being able to write in a different way from a normal English class," she said.
"We are able to bounce ideas back and forth between each other to make them even bigger," she said.
Hyde, who plans to work at the student newspaper at Penn State Altoona while taking classes in early elementary education, said she hopes to find a way to incorporate journalism into her career.
"He has taught me a lot about the journalistic style, being more creative and open to writing different things," she said.
Cammarata "always makes things fun," said staff writer Riley Lawson, who likes the creative process and enjoys talking to people in the community.
Students aren't just working for a grade, Cammarata said. They take pride in their work and are always interested to see how many views or how many people read their articles.
"They like when things get shared a lot on social media and people are talking about them," he said.
The student newspaper can be reached from anywhere and has been read by people in Tyrone County, in Ireland and in South Africa, he added.
Skills for the future
Whether students decide to pursue journalism or go off on a different path, taking part in the newspaper provides them with communication and writing skills, creativity, experience working as a team and the ability to work with the public.
Those deciding to take the elective class will find something to do, he said, even if they're not interested in writing.
Some students find they are interested in podcasts, photography, managing the website or working behind the scenes.
"I find something for everyone," Cammarata said.
Cammarata wants the Eagle Eye to keep growing.
To that end, the newspaper now has a TikTok account that has been successful, with a recent video going viral with half a million views.
The Eagle Eye is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat as well, and even has a social media editor.
Social media often gets a bad rap, but there is a lot of good out there, too, he said, noting it helps drive traffic to the Eagle Eye website and helps with story idea generation, too.
A story that won first place in the Keystone Awards focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Feature news editor Haley Vanish's idea was to craft a story on Tyrone people who were in the path of the storm, and they posted on social media looking for contacts.
Six people responded and agreed to do interviews by email. One even came into the studio for a podcast.
"They wrote about Hurricane Ian from a Tyrone perspective," Cammarata said. "It was really cool and it won."
"I think it is great to have students creating content for social media for the good."
Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.