Testimonial
North Pointe has made me into the person that I never dreamed I could be. When I would timidly approach my Editor-in-Chief to ask a question as a freshman Intern, the thought of me being in that position one day never even entered my mind. However, North Pointe and the people within it have allowed me to grow into a confident leader, learner and conversationalist. One of skills that I am most grateful to have developed as a journalist are my communication skills. Interviewing has forced me into conversations with a wide variety of people. I have learned the proper way to communicate with my peers, those younger than me, North staff, community members and more. I can start and hold conversations, and know what attitude is appropriate at different times. I know that my communications skills will continue to develop and prove useful as I am meeting new people, asking a teacher a question or interviewing for a job. Going into the world of business, conversational skills are incredibly important. Additionally, I will definitely utilize the skills that I have developed in leadership. The experience of working with and leading staff members to the moment when their work is published has not only shown me how to be an effective leader, but also a teacher. It has been rewarding to see such an exciting and dedicated staff this year. North Pointe, thank you for all that you have taught me about myself and the world around me. And more importantly, thank you Ms. Dunn. FOR EVERYTHING.
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Lockdown inconsistencies warrant protocol changes
(Volume 55, Issue 5)
On December 19th, Grosse Pointe North was put into lockdown after police received an active shooter threat. Students and teachers were barricaded into classrooms while police searched the building. As a reporter, it is often hard to cover topics that brought harm and fear, but I felt that it was necessary to give students more information on what had happened and how we will move forward as a school community. I was able to get into contact with the detective that was first to arrive at the scene, and I believe that his insight was a very important addition to the story. I was also able to talk to students and teachers about their individual experiences during the lockdown. Everyone handled the situation in a different manner, which helped us learn about the inconsistencies that need to be examined and changed for future safety. I am so glad that we were able to cover the topic, and in a way, writing the piece felt like a form of closure. Grace and I were awarded second place in News Writing for this story, which we were very excited about. In the future, I hope to see a follow up story on North's safety procedures.
North Pointe Source Directory
When we plan out our stories for each issue, we ask each staff member to submit their ideas for each section, along with sources. I felt that we needed a single, condensed place that provided information on every person in the district that could be a useful source for a story, and I believe that this accomplished that, which is why I chose to include it. I created the North Pointe Source Directory, a 50-slide guide to each category of frequently used sources. I included the school board, administration, teachers, counselors, department chairs, club advisors, coaches, and the athletic department. Additionally, I included stories that each individual would be useful for. It was published in our shared drive for the staff to use. During the creation process, I learned how to organize information effectively. One flaw of the slideshow is that it needs to be continuously updated every time something changes. In the future, I hope that those changes can be made.
Readership Survey
This year, I created a 14-question survey that was sent out to the North community. The survey asks our audience about the elements that draw them into a page design or a story, whether our website and social media platforms are attention-grabbing and easy to navigate, what they would like to see in the North Pointe, and more. With the responses that I got, I worked to make headlines more of a priority, both in terms of content and design. This was because 51% of people that responded to the survey shared that a headline is the most important factor in determining whether a story is worth reading. Additionally, there were many responses in the space where responders could put names and topics that they wanted to be featured. Any name that was specifically mentioned was featured in "Faces in the Crowd" and many of the teams/groups/topics that were mentioned were also featured. In total, there were 51 responses. I could have done a better job at gathering responses so that our feedback could have been more significant. I am hoping that the additional responses receive additional responses and use them to better the publication.
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Growing greens and gaining ground
(Volume 55, Issue 8)
This was one of the most interesting writing experiences that I had. When Grace and I signed up for the story, we didn't know if we would actually be able to interview any of the special needs students that were involved with the micro greens growing. Luckily, Mrs. Koontz was able to work with us, and be there for an interview with one of the students. During the interview, I was surprised to get some of the most detailed responses that I had during an interview. I was super happy with each of our sources, and believe that they all added something to the story. However, we received conflicting information from some of our sources, and did not have time to clarify every detail with them directly. The writing process allowed me to develop my communication skills. I definitely think that we could have improved the process and our writing if we had had the time for further communication. I feel that going forward, North Pointe can cover more of the things that the special needs students are doings, as there are a few that can be interviewed and give detailed responses.
Leading legacy: Senior class profile
(Volume 55, Senior Issue)
Writing this story felt like a satisfying way to wrap up my writing for North Pointe, and I am proud of the product. In the senior class profile, Grace and I made an effort to get a source from every area of focus at North. We covered sports, NHS, music, student council, and the school as a whole. The one area that I wish we had gotten a source from but didn't is the art department. I think that source would have been beneficial, and many students would have liked to see it. All of the sources were very positive and said a variety of things about the class of 2023. Their quotes were impactful and many had emotion. Interviewing our sources showed me the impact that our class has had at North. I am excited to read future class profiles to compare upcoming senior classes to ours.