Writing
Everyone has a story. You just to have to find it. My favorite part about being a student journalist is hearing and sharing others' stories. Here are those stories.
Click on the image to read.
Lockdown inconsistencies warrant protocol changes
February 2023
I wanted to cover the lockdown in a way that represented all students who were affected, and the fear they felt in the moment and the days following. We addressed the inconsistencies that were present in certain locations, such as the doors being unlocked and the lights on in the school store. I also wanted to focus on how the school will improve our protocols in the case of a future lockdown. In this story, we went through the lockdown in chronological order, interviewing a teacher, two students, a detective on the scene, and the assistant principal. Our diversity of sources is one thing that contributes to the quality of the story. The story ended with a word count of 900, much more than a typical news story but we believed that each and every word was necessary to report on every aspect of this serious topic.
Emergency board meeting postpones adolescent health clinic
February 2023
To write this breaking news story, I attended a four-hour long emergency school board meeting. This story was very important to me, as the adolescent health clinic that was to be placed into our school was very controversial around the community. It was the first time that I have actually gone out into the community to report on something happening in the moment. I enjoyed the experience, as I was witnessing news as it was happening. I am proud that we published this story less than 24 hours after the board meeting took place and covered both sides of the topic in an unbiased and informative way.
Adding fuel to the fire
December 2022
This story was written in the midst of the Kanye West and Elon Musk twitter controversies. I knew this story would be a huge load to take on, and a sensitive topic to cover, but I was ready to take on the challenge. My favorite part about this story is how we covered 4 different main topics, while weaving them together to create a cohesive story that was all under the same umbrella topic. We successfully connected the teenage brain to these social media discussions, to render the topic back to our school readership. I am very proud of the story package we created.
Climate crisis worsens
November 2022
For this news story, I got the chance to interview the meteorologist for a local news outlet. It was such an amazing experience to interview someone outside of the school who works for the news. The interview lasted 20 minutes and he had incredible answers that were perfect for this story about Hurricane Ian and climate change. I also like in this story how we captured the emotions of someone personally affected by Hurricane Ian, as well as presenting the scientific facts. Another thing I like is how it is not just a news story about the hurricane, but rather we connect it to the greater issue of climate change.
A look into the lives of Norsemen worldwide
October 2022
I love to write about other people, so I jumped up at the opportunity to write this feature. I got to interview the exchange students at our school, and I was so interested in their journeys to America. Interviewing someone from another country was such an enlightening and special experience for me, and of course getting to share their story. Alessia, the Italian exchange student I interviewed, showed me that she sent my article to her family and friends in Italy. Reading the praise about my story from people on the other side of the world showed me that my words in this medium can create stories that can touch the hearts and minds of people well outside of my small world. When I look back on this piece I am reminded of the impact that writing and publication can have on others.
Dating through the decades
February 2022
MIPA 3rd place feature
This is one of my favorite features stories I have ever written. From the interview process all the way to adding the final touches to the finished story, I enjoyed every second of it. For this story, I interviewed our school's student activities director, and her husband who started dating in the 1970s. Sitting down and talking with them about their relationship from then to now, is the moment I knew I had a passion for capturing and sharing people's stories. We also featured 2 other couples, to create this wholesome story for Valentine's Day. My goal in this story was to highlight both how dating has progressed throughout the decades, and to share people's love stories in a heartwarming piece.
Onward and upward
January 2022
A topic from which we could not seem to get away from last year was the never-ending construction project at our school. The construction was surely newsworthy but we needed to find a different take than simply, 'there is construction in our school.' In this story, I wanted to answer the questions that the students have been wondering. Such as "When will this be over?" and "What will we have once it is?" I walked around the school with an assistant principal, and got a full tour of the construction and the new rooms that were being built. I got so much valuable information from her, that we were finally able to deliver answers to the student body with this news story. I love this story because we were reporting on something the students wanted to read, and I think it gave some of them hope for the future of their school.
MIPA 2nd place follow-up news
Swimming into the science wing
January 2022
Although short and sweet, this news brief is a very special one to me. This article was awarded a first place MIPA award. This article focused on a unique program that my school has, called Salmon in the Classroom, in which we raise salmon eggs in one of our science classrooms. I wanted to bring attention to this unique program, and invite other students to come see the salmon grow as well. Through talking with a DNR coordinator and a chemistry teacher, I learned new information myself, and I was excited to share it with the student body.
MIPA 1st place environmental news
There's no place like home
June 2022
Although it is neither news nor editorial, the entertainment section of a paper is nothing to gloss over. A good review can be informative, and fun for readers. When my favorite singer released his newest album, "Harry's House" I was ecstatic to write the review. What I love about this piece is that you can almost hear the music without even listening to it. Through my words, I captured the feeling that these 12 songs emit when you hear them. I focused on using descriptive words such as "irresistible," "vivacious," "vibrant," and "smooth" to describe the album.
Common sense stalls in the girls' bathroom
October 2021
When I came into school the first week of my junior year, I was appalled to find out there were no disposable bins in the girls' restroom for sanitary products. This was especially so as they had just spent an extravagant amount of money on renovating the bathrooms to include marble wall tiles and top - of - the - line hand dryers. I knew for the first issue of North Pointe that year, I had to express my concerns in an editorial. Menstruation and the requirements that go along with it are undoubtedly taboo in a school paper, but I took a leap and I had to let the School Administration know about the situation. I am very proud of this piece, because two weeks later I walked into the restroom and each stall had a disposable bin. This piece taught me that writing can truly effect change.