SURABAYA – The enthusiasm for learning continues to grow among students at SMA Negeri 22 Surabaya. One notable figure is Sebumi Mata Hari, a 10th-grade student who is considered to have a high passion for developing skills in journalism.
The journalism program at SMA Negeri 22 Surabaya focuses not only on writing but also teaches various skills relevant to the current development of digital media.
Students are equipped with the ability to develop social media as a means of disseminating journalistic content, both related to school activities and issues outside of school.
One example conducted was coverage of the “Indonesia Gelap” protest by senior students the previous year. This activity provided a real experience for students to understand the journalistic work process firsthand.
Additionally, students learn techniques for writing news, opinions, and articles with proper and correct standards. Beyond writing, they are also taught content design strategies to make it more appealing to the younger generation.
“As my parents said, I will eventually become better than them. I always want to learn to be the best,” said Sebumi, who comes from a modest family with parents working as street musicians.
Visual focus is one of the main approaches in journalism learning at the school. Students understand that young people are first attracted to visual appearance before reading the entire content.
The principal of SMA Negeri 22 Surabaya, Agus Setiawan, emphasized that writing skills are an important ability that students will continue to use up to the university level.
According to him, good writing skills can help students in various educational fields. He even shared his personal experience during his undergraduate to doctoral studies, which were aided by having strong writing abilities.
“Writing is a basic skill that will always be used in any major,” he said.
Agus also explained that the school magazine is presented as a platform for student creativity. Through this medium, students’ work can be appreciated and serve as motivation to continue creating.
In the digital era, where print media is beginning to be abandoned, SMA Negeri 22 Surabaya actually utilizes the school magazine as a tool for school branding, as well as a medium for information and appreciation for high-achieving school members.
According to him, physical magazines have the advantage of being read together with family at home. Parents can also learn about school developments and activities through the students’ work.
The program has also successfully sparked students’ enthusiasm to produce larger works. Some students have even started publishing their own books with guidance from teachers who have writing skills.
However, the school emphasizes that the journalism program is not solely aimed at producing professional journalists. Its main focus is to hone students’ basic skills in composing sentences and paragraphs coherently, whether in the form of straight news, features, articles, opinions, or editorials.
