2016-2017 Writing
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Feature Writing--
Where they are now: South alumna named Michigan's 2016 Miss Tennis
This is the first story I wrote as part of The Tower. I will always remember the interview I had with Raven Neely's (the girl who was named Miss Tennis) coach: I had to ride my bike, because I couldn't drive at the time, to the tennis courts where he was coaching the boys team, and talk to him there while everyone was looking at me after his private lesson, before he coached the boys practice. I was terrified, and it was my first interview for The Tower. However, experiences like these made me a stronger journalist and more confident person overall. I also got to talk to Raven Neely over the phone and her coach at the college she was attending over the phone, which threw me right into the Tower experience and taught me that no matter what, I have to make sure I get the right sources for every story, not just the easiest ones. This story had a unique angle and was a great experience to write.
Students show sharing is caring​
Feature Writing--
"I love Lucy"
This is one of my favorite pieces I have written, because the writing and interviewing process, along with the feedback I received after was heartwarming. I wrote about a South student who was almost three years in remission from cancer-- who I had gone to middle school with as well-- and got to talk to her, her mother, sister, father and best friend about her journey. I talked to her mom for 45 minutes and almost cried during the interview several times as Mrs. Loch described in detail when she found out about Lucy's cancer and some of the challenges they faced. Both Lucy and Mrs. Loch texted me after the story was published and during the process thanking me for writing this piece, which showed me how much student publications like The Tower really do matter. Figuring out which information to include was extremely difficult for me, and I had to cut the story to half the size of my first draft, which was a lesson that has helped throughout all of my years on staff.
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News Writing--
Staff continues diversity professional development through service activities
This news story is on a topic that is not often covered, and that many students are uneducated about. The staff development day was in a special location in Inkster, Michigan that year, so I reported on what happened and the impact it had on each teacher. The article gave parents and students a better view of what happens on our seemingly random day off in the middle of the year and gave them the staff perspective.
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Feature Writing--
Diversity: What it's like to be a minority at South
This story covered a controversial topic because our school and community is overwhelmingly white, and there is a history of racism in both the community as a whole and school specifically. I wanted to try to capture what it is like for a minority at South. We talked to two students who were minorities and a professional to try to show our students and community what is different and what is similar for students of different races at our school.
Opinion Writing--
Privitized security should not replace our valued, community-oriented hall monitors
The issue of replacing our hall monitors with security guards from a private company in order to save money was a larget struggle that students are still bitter about today. I attended the board meeting at which students spoke about the importance of keeping our current hall monitors and the relationships they form with us. This is the first editorial I wrote, and I am proud of it. We received several comments and emails about how powerful and convincing the editorial was when this came out, and it was about an important, controversial topic.
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News Writing--
Students show sharing is caring
This was a news story about a new club/initiative that was being started in order to save food waste and help those who did not have lunches to eat. This lead connects the small initiative to a widespread global issue, and draws readers in with two powerful facts. It was published after the article I wrote that took up a page and a half, when my adviser challenged me to write shorter articles and say more with less, so this was an accomplishment that showed my ability to write all types of stories early on in my time on The Tower.
Opinion Writing--
Rotary experience brings role models
I atttended a Rotary leadership conference for two days at the recommendation fo my Editor in Chief this year, and I fell in love with it. I met a new group of friends, expanded my social skills and became a much better leader in a short amount of time. Then my editor asked me to write a column about it, and the first draft was 1,000 words. I was able to scale that back, and this was another experience that taught me about saying more with less and learning to cut my work. This is the first column I wrote, and it powerfully explains how this experience helped shape me.
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