Look at how this writer used description and a well-crafted beginning and ending to tell a story about a student who died. Use these techniques for any story.
Tim Shedor, sophomore of Shawnee Mission East’s student
newspaper The Harbinger Online, wrote a story about the death of a student, Jay Crnkovich, in Remembering Jay Crnkovich. Crnkovich was born with cerebral palsy and had to use a
feeding tube and a machine that enabled him to communicate with
others. Shedor uses vivid description and flashbacks to tell about Crnkovich’s life:
They tried to help Jay live a normal life. He wore
a Hawaiian shirt when they took a trip to Disney World last summer and
watched him ride the carousel and pet the animals of Animal Kingdom. He
ate breakfast with the whole crew; Goofy and Pluto were his favorites.
opportunity every day to paddle around. His parents carried him through
the water as he tried to flex his unbending legs. They called him “the
Frog.”
Shedor focuses on Crnkovich’s interest in Hawaiian shirts and does a
good job of connecting his details throughout the story, especially in
his lead…
Freshman Jay Crnkovich lay inside his casket, surrounded by Hot Wheels and dressed in his favorite button-up Hawaiian shirt.”
And his ending…
“He was buried on a sunny day. The sky was clear
and few clouds stood in the way. It was a little hot, but the mourners
didn’t sweat. They were wearing Hawaiian shirts.”
This story came to our attention on the listserv of the Journalism Education Association.
