News
Newswriting is the first type of article I ever learned how to write, and probably the most important. The purpose of a news article is to inform people about an important topic or event. There have been various instances where a newsworthy development has emerged, and I have quickly written a story to share the details on the development with my community. Here are a few examples:
Longtime Teacher and Coach Erica Hill Returns to MIHS in Administrative Role
When I first found out that Erica Hill was returning to the Mercer Island School District in the summer of 2021, I knew I had to write something. She had made such an impact on the community during her tenure as an English teacher and cross country coach, and her return to Mercer Island was, by definition, news.
Erica Hill returns to the school district after 20 years.
Photo by Alex Levin
After spending four years at Inglemoor High School, longtime English teacher and cross country coach Erica Hill has returned to Mercer Island High School as an associate principal.
​
Hill began her tenure at Mercer Island as an assistant cross country coach in 1996. She then taught as a parapro, a student teacher and an English teacher after getting her master’s degree in teaching.
While at MIHS, Hill proceeded to receive a certificate in administration, and interned under former principal Vicky Puckett before taking an administrative job at Inglemoor in 2017.
​
“I really feel like Mercer Island is where my educational roots were planted as a teacher and a coach,” Hill said. “With all of the connections and relationships [I’ve] built with staff, students and family over the years, I know what a special place Mercer Island is.”
​
Hill did not initially plan on leaving MIHS, but a lack of vacant administrative positions prompted her to take a position at Inglemoor School District. However, her four-year hiatus from Mercer Island has put her in an excellent position to succeed as a principal.
​
“In hindsight, I think it was really good that I had the opportunity to go to a different district and … have four years of experience as an administrator before coming back to [MIHS],” Hill said.
​
In her new role as an associate principal, Hill plans to put an emphasis on making sure every student has an equitable high school experience. To do so, Hill will rely on her previous teaching experiences on Mercer Island.
“I think that [MIHS] is a very unique place in the sense that students put a lot of pressure on themselves,” Hill said. “My hope is to really take my understanding, having worked in the school and the district for so many years, and think about how I can help students work through some of these challenges.”
​
Along with Hill's rich understanding of MIHS students over the years, her outgoing personality is sure to help her along the way.
​
“[Hill is] one of my favorite people in the world,” history teacher Dino Annest said. “She’s not just the happiest, but she spreads happiness, and you can't help but smile when she comes into the room.”
​
While Hill will not resume coaching cross country, she guarantees to remain a strong supporter of the team.
​
“Running has always been a huge part of me and will continue to be, and I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to coach,” Hill said. “I know that the team has been under great leadership and I’ll always be a huge fan of everything MIXC.”
​
Even though her role at the school has changed, Hill will continue to build relationships with students and spread her positivity throughout the MIHS community.
MIHS Athletics Plans a COVID-Safe Return to Sports
High school athletics during the COVID-19 pandemic were difficult to report on because the protocols and schedules were constantly changing. But students cared a lot about sports, so even though I knew that whatever I published would become out-of-date very quickly, I wanted to give my peers something to read and something to look forward to.
A breakdown of the different levels of normalcy that sports can return to.
Graphic by Lena Hardisty
With COVID-19 regulations in place, MIHS Athletics are going to look significantly different this year.
While all proposals are currently tentative, the athletic department has laid out a plan for sports seasons once teams are allowed to resume their activities.
​
“For the start of this school year, we are not immediately offering sports, but instead looking to get started with our traditional winter season at the end of December,” athletic coordinator Kyle Mckenna said.
​
The winter season will be referred to as Season Two. Season Three will then take place in late February/early March, consisting of the traditional fall sports, followed by Season Four in early May for all of the typical spring sports.
​
If sporting events do eventually occur during these respective seasons, safety precautions, such as limiting the number of fans, may potentially be put in place.
​
“Whether fans will be in attendance for sporting events and other activities will need to be consistent with the regulations by district, state and local authorities for gathering and matching up with the phase that we are in,” McKenna said. “As extra-curricular activities are an extension of the school day, we will work within the precautions that we have set up for in-person school.”
​
These precautions include wearing masks, using hand sanitizer and distancing six feet from others when possible.
Unfortunately the delayed kickoff of MIHS sports may negatively affect many players’ college recruitment processes.
​
“With the season in jeopardy, I might not get the opportunities that I would like to have,” senior athlete Luke Shavey said. “I am hoping to have a great senior year in football to help with recruiting, but I basically have to wait until early spring to begin sending highlights to college coaches.”
​
Athletes like Shavey face an even greater competitive disadvantage since high schools in different states across the country, unlike MIHS, are open and playing sports, giving students at those schools more recruitment opportunities.
​
Additionally, with the three sports seasons being condensed into a limited timeframe, athletes who play back-to-back sports, such as runner/wrestler/pole vaulter Connor Pettigrew, may not have the usual hiatus between seasons.
​
“Usually I get a little bit of break time in between each [sport], to just kinda relax and focus on school for two-three weeks,” Pettigrew said. “It’s kind of like a vacation from sports, which is usually nice.”
​
Despite the various downsides that come with modified school sports, having any sort of normalcy should serve as a relief to athletes who have not practiced together since last spring.
​
“In light of everything that is going on, just having an opportunity to have a football season in the school year is a blessing,” football head coach Ed Slezinger said. “If you think about the impact on the 2020 Senior Class where events and sports were lost, it is welcomed and warranted that we do all we can to make the year as “normal” as possible.”
​
The postponed athletic season will also provide new athletes with an opportunity to compete and embrace the community aspect of high school sports.
​
“I’ve fallen in love with the cultures of the sports I have participated in, and so probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give the freshman is: don’t give up hope on these sports,” Pettigrew said. “I’m really hopeful that these communities will kick back up [and] it will be a really exciting time.”
​
Mercer Island Athletics are a fundamental element of MIHS culture, and students have unquestionably felt the absence of sports since last March. Even though athletics will not look like they have in past years, they are definitely something that students can look forward to.
Driving Out Pollution: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Helped the Environment
I submitted this article for the WJEA 2020 State Write-Off Competition— Newswriting Category. I earned a superior rating and first place. While this contest took place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the unfortunate circumstances in the world provided me with an excellent topic to write about. Because this article was for a competition, it is not published on themihsislander.org, nor is there a photo to go along with it.
While the COVID-19 outbreak has caused substantial devastation and weakness across the globe, there is one thing that the pandemic has made healthier.
With fewer people commuting to and from work, the amount of harmful pollutants that come from automotive exhaust has drastically decreased, greatly benefiting a previously-damaged environment.
“As part of the shelter-in-place orders, people are not driving as much and they are working out of their homes, which is a big contributor to [the lack of pollution],” meteorologist Jeff Renner said.
With the stay-at-home order in place, the majority of non-essential businesses across the United States have adapted to some form of virtual engagement.
However, this transition has negated many less-environmentally-friendly business activities, given that they are no longer feasible to execute.
“With less industrial activity, we are seeing fewer pollutants go into water sources,” Renner said. “[This includes] less discharge of effluent pollutants into waterways, rivers, streams and lakes.”
Humans are not the only ones who have felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of cars on the road has vastly improved the livelihood of animals as well.
“As there are fewer people out there being active,” Renner added, “animals are feeling more comfortable in coming out, and we see ecosystems beginning to recharge.”
As the COVID-19 outbreak begins to restore the environment, the pandemic produces a well-needed reminder about the effects of air pollution.
“There are 8.8 million deaths caused yearly by exposure to air pollution,” Renner said. “That could make air pollution be considered as a pandemic in it of itself.”
Although the world is experiencing difficult times right now, the best thing to do from an ecological standpoint is not to return to the way things were, but to grow and adapt to a newer, better style of living.
“We really shouldn’t get back to normal,” Renner speculated. “Hopefully we are going to take some lessons from this, and maybe people are going to realize [that] this [pandemic] has made a difference.”
Even though there is an abundance of stress in today’s harsh reality, the COVID-19 pandemic has offered humans a new opportunity to breathe deeply.