Scandia: capturing the year
I decided to explore the inner workings of our yearbook as my first page lead article in the section feature. In this story, I learned how to add color to my writing and let the yearbook staff tell their story without adding bias. Through these interviews, I struggled with asking unbiased questions and getting meaningful quotes from my sources as a result of my personal connections with some of the staff members. However, through practice and feedback from my editor, I was able to improve my interviewing skills and produce an article that highlighted the hard work and dedication of the yearbook staff. This experience taught me the importance of staying objective and seeking out multiple perspectives in order to provide a fair and accurate representation of a story.
Reducing recycling roadblocks
Through my involvement in our school's Earth Corps club, I became intrigued by the question of whether our school was actually recycling or not. This led me to take on an investigative piece as my next project, where I followed up on a lead from our teacher advisor. Despite encountering conflicting answers from different parts of the administration, my page partners and I were able to carefully navigate the issue and shed light on the problem through ethical reporting.Not only did we report on the problem, but we were also part of the solution. Our work caught the attention of school officials, and we were invited to a meeting where we helped develop a plan to improve the recycling process in our school. It was a great feeling to see the impact of our reporting and to be involved in making a positive change towards a more environmentally friendly school.
Breaking the silence: Teen Dating Violence
Following my news article on OSPI data, I discovered the alarming increase of Teen Dating Violence, which prompted me to feature it as our first center spread. To tell the survivors' stories without compromising their safety, we took great care to keep their identities anonymous, even from our advisor. We also took a relationship-centered approach rather than focusing on the victim or instigator to avoid potential libel. This experience heightened my awareness of ethical journalism and gave me a glimpse of the impact it can have, as members of the community expressed their appreciation for our work.
The Sobering Truth of Teen Alcohol Consumption
For our third issue, we decided to focus on teen alcohol consumption. We hoped that our coverage of this important topic would raise awareness and stimulate productive discussions among our readers about how we can work together to promote healthy choices and behaviors among teenagers. However, instead of focusing on the negative aspects of teen alcohol consumption, we decided to take a more holistic approach and explore the various factors that influence teen behavior and decision-making. This not only voiced the perspectives of students and adults but also raised awareness about the 911 good samaritan law which helps to protect teenagers at risk of alcohol poisoning.
Lack of gender diversity in academic extracurriculars
For my third issue of senior year, I decided to take a look at the gender disparity in academic extracurriculars. With my partner, we individually went through the major clubs to figure out the disparity. We found a clear trend and wrote an article investigating it. This article, especially, helped me learn the value of data collecting in journalism.
