Chris Valdez
Stagg High School
Publications advised:
The news website staggonline.net. Please follow us there or on IG @staggonline!
How long have you been advising? At the same school? Other schools? Where are you originally from?
This will be my fourth year advising after the instructional coach and former adviser Don Bott approached me with the idea to lead a Journalism 1 class, despite the fact that I had never taken a journalism course or even worked for my own school newspaper in high school. I originally taught English in Elk Grove and grew up in Fremont, California.
What’s the best part of your advising day?
The best part of my day is when I get to recognize the victories of any size. Whether that be hitting a viewer milestone, writing a really good first draft, or watching someone become more and more like a leader, the best part of any day is when I get to shout out my students.
What’s great about your publication kids?
I like that they’re nice. It becomes really hard to work with personalities that are grating, or domineering, or disingenuous, so I appreciate that the vast majority of students that I work with and stay in the program are genuinely kind, compassionate people.
What’s your favorite part of being an adviser?
Compared to being an English teacher, I really like the continuity and legacy that comes with advising a program. If I teach a good gen ed class, I can smile and wave when I see them around campus, but with a publication, that entry level English or Journalism becomes the start of a high school career and the growth that comes with it. To look at my current EIC and how capable she’s become since freshman year is heartening, and not really possible to observe in other classes.
Where do you find your journalistic inspiration?
My main inspiration, who I could talk to every single work day and still not learn enough, is Don Bott. But I’m also trying to branch out and learn from as many people as possible. I appreciate all the advice that Sarah Nichols has given me, as well as the advisers at Paly like Brian Wilson and Paul Kandell. I’ve referred to Aaron Manfull’s FHNtoday.com at least a dozen times over the school year.
Why are you a JEANC member?
I’m really interested in the idea of JEANC as an advising community, a place to learn from each other. I want to keep absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like music. I’ve played guitar since I was middle school, and picked up a little bit of bass, ukulele, piano, saxophone, and drums along the way. My favorite songs to cover are all the 90s and 00s alternative rock tracks that were on the radio in my youth, and I think “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters might be the best song of all time.
Favorite journalism movie:
“Nightcrawler” with Jake Gyllenhaal was an eerie and unsettling look at unchecked ambition and sensationalism over reporting the truth.
Last great book you read:
“The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead is a novel based on fact. The real Dozier School for Boys was an abusive and murderous institution for young boys, especially children of color. Their story didn’t come out until the school shut down, but it was heartbreaking how complicit society was in allowing these schools to exist. A film adaptation came out last year and it’s excellent.
