Providing a consistent publication that pleases each student is no easy task for the member of journalism; students that participate in the yearbook and newspaper staffs often have to jump through hoops to make sure students enjoy each and ever page of every issue and volume of the newspaper and yearbook, respectively.
“I am co editor-in-chief of the yearbook with Austin Robbins,” senior Jessica Bonnot said. “Yearbook is a lot of fun because it combines design skills, writing skills, and most importantly to me, people skills. We always try to make the yearbook about the students and not entirely about the staff, so it’s important to get out there and talk to people and find out what they’re involved in.”
Involvement on newspaper and yearbook can sometimes be overwhelming for all levels on each staff; due to the sizes of the publications, staff members may take on multiple jobs at once, creating a heavier workload.
“One of the biggest challenges is getting your interviews in on time,” sophomore Becca Saffier said. “It takes a lot of outside effort so you have to be proactive during class. You need to make sure you always know when things are due so you can keep up with the deadlines and make sure you don’t give yourself too much downtime when you could be working.”
Journalism follows the content of the first amendment, which states that “Congress shall create no law limiting the freedom of speech and freedom of press.” This often times means that newspaper and yearbook are judge-free environments.
“When you first get on newspaper, everyone accepts you,” junior Claire DeVry said. “On newspaper you’re accepted for who you are. We work like a big family on newspaper and being on staff looks good on college resumes. One of the best parts of newspaper is the people you get to meet and become friends with. Journalism introduces you to people you originally wouldn’t imagine being friends with.”