Leadership
I have not only continued to develop my writing and editing skills with The MIHS Islander, but I have flourished as a leader. Whether it was assigning editors to different articles, organizing team events or teaching other journalists in my specific leadership roles, I have worked to make my newspaper run as smoothly and effectively as possible.
Pairing editors with staff writers:
My journalism program is split up into two class periods: beginning journalism (staff writers) and advanced journalism (editors). One of my primary jobs as a the Editor in Chief is bridging the gap between these two class periods.
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To bring the staff writers and editors closer together, I created a buddy system: we assigned advanced journalists to edit a staff writers' articles and work more closely with them.
Teambuilding/bonding:
Planning bonding and team-building events is integral to the success of my newspaper staff. Meeting outside the newsroom in an environment where we can relax, get to know each other and have fun boosts morale and allows us to work together and communicate better in the future.
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Finding safe, effective bonding opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult, but regardless of whether we were on Zoom or in person, I have tried my best to make my journalism staff feel like a family.
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In the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, we weren't able to meet in person so we did an online game night over Zoom.
In the spring of 2021, we gathered for a masked, socially-distanced picnic— one of our first in-person social events of the year.
To enjoy the hot summer weather, we got together for a beach day. We both said goodbye to the 2021 seniors and celebrated our new 2021-2022 editorial staff.
Journalism Club:
In my junior year, I served as the president of Journalism Club, a group I helped reintroduce with the primary goal of providing more people with the opportunity to be a part of journalism. Since I was in the MIHS Marching Band through my junior year, I was not able to be in the journalism class since the band and journalism periods overlapped. I had to work extra hard to continue contributing to the MIHS Islander, and my focus with the club was making sure others did not have to deal with the same conundrum.
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In my role as club president, I led club meetings, edited club members' articles and encouraged more people to join.
Sports Coverage:
As the Sports Editor, I mentored staff writers on how to cover sporting events, conduct interviews, take photos and write post-game articles. I also edited all sports articles and worked with students in class on how they could improve their writing skills.
The cover slide of a powerpoint I presented with on sportswriting.