Community’s student news program, the Inkspot, has been awarded two grants totaling $6,500 to expand multimedia journalism opportunities for students.

The Illinois Press Foundation, underwritten by the Illinois Farm Bureau, presented the Inkspot with $1,500 to purchase a telephoto camera lens on Sept. 12.

The organizations issued over $35,000 to 26 schools throughout the state, Illinois Press Foundation executive director Jeff Rogers said in a press release.

“Journalism and the sharing of facts and information,” Rogers said, are “more important than ever. Today’s students have so many platforms available to them.”

The funds will allow the Inkspot to improve its photojournalism and athletics coverage, better utilizing media platforms where high school students consume news and entertainment, like Instagram and YouTube and offer more visual content on NCHSinkspot.com.

The award compliments $5,000 from the Beyond the Books Educational Foundation the Inkspot received to convert a conference room into a Multi-Use Media Studio project in August.

That space hosted volleyball media day productions in early September and has served as the setting for weekly video interviews with Community’s head football coach.

The studio, according to Inkspot advisor Mr. Brad Bovenkerk, offers students practical training in multimedia skills—operating cameras and lighting, conducting on-air interviews—while providing opportunities to develop technical and journalistic skills in a professional-style production environment.

Since 2018, the Inkspot has received more than $35,000 in grant funding—$29,000 from the Beyond the Books Educational Foundation and $6,000 from the Illinois Press Foundation—support that has expanded the program’s multimedia capabilities and provided long-term resources for student journalists.