Multimedia
With a smaller staff, it can be a struggle for us to juggle every aspect of our publication. I wanted to give extra attention to our weaker areas that have struggled in the past few years. Since the system to manage the website was already in place, it is mainly led by Web Editors MeMe Malone, Kortney Allen and Bria Howard. This allowed me the time and energy to build up our social media presence and increase the number of video productions. This year, I worked hard to create a bigger and bolder social media presence. I organized a permanent social media team with its own budgets, roles and deadlines. While we do not have a news broadcast, we are making more videos for web packages and special events. We have produced more videos this year than in the past three years combined.
Web
While I tend to write lengthy features for the magazine, I enjoy experimenting with other sections and styles on the web. Even though I have not been able to personally update the web as much as I would like, I still oversee the making of both the web and magazine budgets. I decided to focus my attention on strengthening other parts of our publication since our web is established in leadership and production.
In Time We Look At Things Differently
This story ended up at a much deeper and more meaningful angle than I initially intended. I accidentally found out just how much the lack of Asian diversity in the media affected me and my self-image. As I continued writing the story and dove deeper into what made up my self-image, I discovered that by disliking my hair, I was actually disliking my race.
Seniors Head For U.S. Military Academics
This story covers the inspirations and aspirations of two seniors looking to serve our country. Both academies are quite competitive so it was a great achievement to get accepted. I am glad I got to share their excitement and accomplishment.
Learning Sign Language Opens Opportunities To Make Silent Connections
I was inspired to learn sign language and decided to use my role as a reporter to inspire others to learn it. The importance of sign language goes beyond accommodation. Knowing sign language builds a meaningful connection with those who are hard of hearing, mute, autistic and more. I encourage people to learn it to make the world more accessible and welcoming to those who are just a little bit different.
Teachers Share Their experience with Driving buses
In this story, I cover teachers who took the opportunity to get some extra pay and support the school by becoming bus drivers. The hours they put into driving, teaching classes and staying after school to prepare for the next day to astonishing. I hope by writing this story I could highlight all of the sacrifices made by our dedicated teachers and staff members. They deserve more appreciation than what they normally receive, especially the ones that go above and beyond.
Stage Production of “Mary Poppins” Lights Up Audience’s Faces
I enjoyed writing this story because I was able to have fun and experiment with the writing style. It is more like a conversation and quick review of some of my favorite moments from the show. I made sure to cover what made my school’s performance of Mary Poppins unique and a must-see.
New DC Hires Fire Henry Cavill
As Superman
For a seemingly simple A&E story, I spent days researching and pulling information from a plethora of websites and articles. At the time, it was a controversial topic for DC and its passionate fans, so I had to avoid rumors and ensure I published the most accurate information. While I dug into why Cavill was fired, I also explored how the decision will impact the future and fanbase of DC.
Students, Faculty Discuss Effects of The Virus
I had difficulty finding people who experienced COVID and were willing to share their experiences. I was able to find three sources who all felt the toll of the virus differently. While a couple had symptoms, another had a loss. I tried to cover all aspects of their experience from getting the results and feeling the symptoms to worrying for their family and encountering loneliness.
Weekly Providence Market Is Lifeline For Local Businesses
There I was standing, staring, shaking with my pen and paper looking over at all the people. I tried to speak with my wavering voice and ask them for an interview. To my surprise, I was greeted with a smile and great answers as questions poured out of my mouth. This was my first in-person interview with strangers outside of school. It is experiences like these where I am pushed out of my comfort zone that I learn the most valuable lessons and fall more in love with journalism.
Social Media
After a year or so of low activity, I dedicated time to assemble a team and system to revive our social media presence. The social media team focuses on taking eye-catching pictures and videos, writing captivating captions and designing a consistent brand. My favorite part of social media is creating highlights and posts that hype up stories in progress and the printing of the magazine.
More Coming Soon!
Broadcast
Despite not having a dedicated broadcast team or network, my staff practices video-making whenever we make a web package or want to visually cover events. We dip our toes in broadcast when we can and make an effort to incorporate video ideas into our budget meetings. This year, as a staff, we have been able to significantly increase the amount of videos we put out in comparison to the past.
MES Engineering Expo:
Rocket Launching
As a volunteer photographer, MES wanted a video to recap their Engineering Expo day. With three photographers, 24 rockets and so much ground to cover, we strategically spread out to capture everything. We prioritized the kids' reactions, especially for the first launch, since it would be the most exciting. I videoed the kids with the rockets while Noah Gewin got the crowd and Jayanna Curry got the rockets. After collecting the footage, I planned out and put together the fun recap video.
Practicing Safe Driving With SLC Students
Hearing about our beloved SLC students cheering each other on and getting a taste of teenage freedom seemed like the perfect story to portray in a video. I worked behind the camera alongside another staff member to get the shots. While she continued to film, I conducted the students and teacher interview. For the students, I had to be careful how I worded questions since some of them are not as talkative.