Reporting and Writing
My passion for writing began when I was in elementary school. As I grew, so did my love for writing. When I reached high school, I was given the chance to create a program where students like myself could publish our writing for the school and community to see.
In my first year as a student journalist, I earned six awards. Five from my home state and one national award from Ball State University. Being able to see how much my work was paying off was a big part of what encouraged me to keep going with journalism and inevitably pushed my decision to go to college for journalism.
Photo by Kristin Ott
News & Features
Feature writing allows me to highlight certain students or organizations that are doing incredible things. This allows me to get to know my peers and community on a new level. Similarly, writing about news going on in our school and community allows me to learn more about current events and share them with other people.
Comfort Behind The Camera
Talan Nelson picked up a camera a few weeks into our senior year. Right away, he found a home and a lot of popularity for his photography and videography content. I decided to write about Nelson after he got the opportunity to take pictures at an Iowa Football game, where his talent really took off. On top of his creativity behind the camera, Nelson is a genuine person, who finds a friend in everyone and never misses a chance to show up for his school with the best school spirit.
This article received a Best of SNO award on November 25, 2023.
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Breaking Barriers
Evie Putz is a senior at West High and has been paving the way for not only women in STEM, but the LGBTQ+ community as well. Putz is West High's first ever transgender robotics captain, and while she views herself as quiet and antisocial, she has inspired many other students to follow in her footsteps.
This article received a Best of SNO award on March 26, 2024.
Coach B: End of an Era
Coach Berinobis is one of the most beloved coaches at West High. The news that he was resigning put a fog over the school as we all mourned the loss. Berinobis was an inspiration to his athletes, his fellow coaches as well as so many students and staff members around the school. Berinobis' legacy leaves big shoes to fill as he resigns, and has left a lasting impact on the team.
ChatGPT: Putting AI to the Test
Right when ChatGPT started getting popular, I knew it would be an important thing to write about. When I was brainstorming how I would go about the article, I decided I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and do something different. My idea was to compare my writing with AI writing and see if readers would be able to see the difference. I gave ChatGPT and myself the same prompts and word limits, then put them side by side to see the differences. This article also included 'How to Identify AI Writing' with a list of very clear warning signs to what AI writing styles look like.
Brewing Success
Bailey Kestel was a sophomore when she had the dream of opening a coffee shop for students at the Waterloo Career Center to grab a drink before class. Through working with multiple different trade programs and classes at the WCC, Kestel partnered with Savvy Bean, a local coffee shop, and opened up a small coffee cart in the lobby.
This article received a Best of SNO award on February 12, 2024.
Love, Mama Ruden
Amber Ruden was my Spanish teacher at West High for three years. Anytime there was a change in weather, a significant event or a big change around us, she would talk with us as if she was our mom. She would always say "I don't know if you have anyone at home to tell you these things," which always stuck with me. To this day, I always make sure my gas is filled during the winter.
All Iowa News Team of The Year
Wahawk Insider was created my junior year. In the beginning, we had no idea that it would grow to become the news team that it has. Being announced as an All-Iowa News Team of the Year felt surreal for us, I could not be more proud to be a part of such an amazing team. This article opens up the emotions we all felt and shares this experience with our community.
Opinion
Having the platform that I do, I am given the opportunity to share my opinion on current events or ideas. This allows me to take the opinions of others and give them a way to speak as well.
Dear Kim, Trans Kids Are Still Kids
As a queer student, hearing about a bill being proposed that would put my fellow peers in danger broke my heart. Beinga cis woman, I knew I would not face the same discrimination that others would, but that gave me the perfect opportunity to stand up for the students whose voices had just been silenced. This article talks about Iowa Bill 1145 and the damage that it could cause to not only queer students, but all students and their education.
This article placed third in Class C for infographics by IHSPA and received an honorable mention for photoshop by Ball State University.
Let's Talk About Perry
After the shooting at Perry High School, just two hours away from my home school, the queer community was attacked for the actions of transgender activist, Dylan Butler. There was a large amount of false information being spread about the shooter and the shooting itself throughout the state and the country, including misinformation about the 'Gay Agenda' and mental health. Let's Talk About Perry discusses these difficult topics openly.
What About The Girls?
My cousin, Lydia Parkhurst, has wrestled since we were freshmen. As I have watched her talent continue to grow, I saw the same empty stands over and over again. Girls across the state were underestimated for their strength and their determination. This created my desire to make a change, or at least allow community members to see the lack of recognition for not only Lydia's talents, but girls across the nation.
Girls In The Stands
Following a Tweet made that forced female students to stand in the back of the student section, alongside a student section tradition being broken, another staff member and I worked together to write an opinion piece about the student section and the female students at West High. Girls In The Stands highlights how important it is for women to be represented as students who enjoy sports and students who want to support their peers.
WE CAN'T HEAR YOU: Where Did The Student Section Go?
I have been a cheerleader since I was a freshman and I have witnessed firsthand the support for our athletics dwindling. However, seeing it happen to one of the most talented groups of girls I know, was heartbreaking. While the boys basketball team saw packed stands, the girls team saw as few as seven students cheering them on. This article was meant to encourage students to attend games and give these girls some support in a time when their confidence was falling.
Sports
Going to an athletic-oriented school, sports stories are an easy topic to cover. However, the hard part is getting the stories that mean something, the stories that are personal.
An Unseen Victory: Rugby State Championship
West High does not have its own Rugby team, so the three Wahawks who wanted to play, joined the Columbus Catholic team, a private school in our town. For the past four years, this team has brought home the State Championship title, but this victory rarely gets celebrated at West High. As all three of the Wahawk athletes were in my grade, I felt pride in being able to write about their hard work and all of their emotions surrounding their win.
Metro Champions: Wahawk Softball Defeats Cedar Falls
Being a summer sport, our softball team often goes unrecognized by many of the students at West High. Despite making it all the way to the substate tournament, these girls saw very few spectators at each game. Being given the opportunity to travel with the team gave me the ability to write about the team's successes.
Seniors Who Committed
Being from a school where sports are the main focus, dozens of seniors announce commitments each year. This article specifically hits home for me as I was able to write about people close to me and share their accomplishments with our community. I feel that even as a school that is nationally recognized for sports, a lot of our talented athletes fall into the shadows.
THATS A RECORD: Halli Poock Breaks Two Wahawk Records
Halli Poock was a senior my junior year. While I followed our basketball team around the state for the 2022-23 season, I watched as Halli's career points increased after each game. Just before the Wahawk girls punched their ticket to state, Poock scored her 2000th career point. Not only did she hit a personal goal of hers, but Poock also claimed the title as the leading point scorer for the Wahawk Girls Basketball Team.
A Week in the Life
Writing anywhere from one to four articles on any given week and keeping track of my process is a very important part of what I do.
From Monday to Friday, inside and outside of room 309, I am constantly working, writing and editing.
Tools and Resources
A major tip I give to our new staff members is to take advantage of everything around you. When it comes to writing, it is important to have as much information as possible. My favorite resources that I always encourage staff members to use include Otter, a voice recording app, sticky notes that can be stuck everywhere as reminders and aids and whiteboards which can be used as reusable paper for students who enjoy hand writing notes.