Reporting and Writing
Often, I find myself feeling sonder: the realization that every individual around you has a full, challenging, significant life. Even if they don't think it, everyone always has something going on, and they always have a story worth sharing. To find these specific stories, I make sure to always keep an ear and eye out for what's going on.
I don't always end up writing the idea myself, as a coeditor-in-chief I have few traditional spreads to write stories for, so I will share my ideas with staffers to make sure these people get covered.
Everyone has a special story. It's up to us to share it.
THE USHERS BEHIND GRADUATION
GUIDING THE GRADUATES
On the graduation spread, the other editors and I wanted to ensure we covered more than just the graduates. So, I wrote a mini story over the people behind graduation: the ushers. I wanted to cover both their jobs, since many people don't know what exactly they do, as well as their connections to the graduates. While a limited space can make it challenging to cover everything you want, it can end up making the story stronger by covering just the most vital details.
photo: kaylee anderson
photo: kaylee anderson
CELEBRATING THE SENIORS
ONE LAST TIME
I started brainstorming angle ideas a week before senior night, and ended up with two that I based my questions around: how senior night is special to a person's specific group and how Halloween being the same night affected it. I got all of my interviews in the second half of the game because I always prefer to get the story while it's happening. I ended up dropping the Halloween question because after a few interviews, it was clear there was no strong story there. I interviewed at least two students from each group so I would have plenty of material to work with, and to give each group the lasting recognition and story they deserve.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS SCORE WIN THROUGH TIES AND OVERTIMES
DOWN TO THE WIRE
A game that had everyone out of their seats and screaming. You could feel the shift in the air when people started thinking, "What if we don't win this time?" For context, we went the whole season undefeated, previously lost the 2023 semi-finals after a five-year winning streak and brought the trophy back in 2024. I started recording voice memos on my phone describing the environment's highs and lows because I realized: I have to write a story on this. When writing, I watched the livestream back to get down the highlights, made specific questions for the night's star players and put it all together in a week. The full, uncut version is 1,131 words, and was cut down to 643 to fit on a spread.
photo: kaylee anderson
photo: kaylee anderson
I BELIEVE THAT WE JUST WON
FOOTBALL BRINGS HOME SEVENTH CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY
Unlike the semi-final game, the championship was a relatively easy win, so there was no strong story for me there. Instead, I decided to cover each group that contributed to the spirit and the win. Particularly, I made sure to cover the student athletic trainers (often incorrectly called water girls) because they are at every camp, practice and game, but rarely get the same recognition as the football players. Throughout the game, I noted things that were specific to that night: seeing my breath in the air, football celebrating with cheer and dance in front of the student section, the player flipping with the cheerleaders, etc. to include in my story to most accurately represent the environment of the championship game.
2026 CLASS OFFICERS
LEADING IN ACTION
I first wrote this story focused on the specific jobs of each officer and what they learned in their position. However, it just was not hitting. It was not a strong angle, and it felt like something you could find in any school. So, I shifted my focus: why did each person run for the role they did, and how did the start of their team leadership go? Changing angles created a year and school specific story—when is the next time there will only be one class presidential candidate, someone is inspired by their grandma or someone who didn't even want to run at first win?
photo: kaylee anderson
Concluding Thoughts
I strive to cover everyone, especially those typically underrepresented. Like the student athletic trainers, who spent years mislabeled as "water girls." It's important to highlight the people who put a lot of effort into what they do.
I've grown to love finding stories, researching, creating questions, interviewing and writing stories. It can be tough, sometimes, trying to find the "perfect" wording or the most interesting story, but the extra effort is what really matters.
