News-Feature and Features
With multiple tabs open on my Chromebook with statistical data, the voice memos app playing the interviews from my phone and a Google document open, this is how you could find myself while writing these stories. News-feature and features go in depth and require time and sources to reveal the full impact.
Design by Mary-Kathryn Wert
Photo by Alena Gillespie
Photo by Alena Gillespie
News-feature
Financial Relief
As seniors, we are often asked our plans after high school. For many, it is attending college, but with this come the cost of paying for it. In August of 2022, President Biden announced a historic student loan forgiveness plan. I related this national news, locally, to the seniors and faculty of our school. I interviewed current seniors who already plan to use student loans for college, counselors, as well as teachers who are still paying off their college debt.
News-feature
CHOWING DOWN IN A PANDEMIC
2020 -- the year that brought so many unforeseen changes. One of them being the way we ate school lunch. Due to social distancing guidelines, students were not allowed to eat in the cafeteria, so they could either eat in the gym or at restricted areas outside. Another difference was that to receive a school lunch, students had to pre-order their food the week prior. I interviewed students on this new change and gathered online data from the school population.
Feature
Cracking the code
Knowing little to nothing about coding, I admired the students in STAGS Who Code who stayed after school every Thursday to compete in cybersecurity challenges. Initially, I interviewed a junior who competed in these challenges and remember him using coding lingo that went way over my head. So, I knew that I needed to attend one of the cybersecurity challenges to fully understand what was happening. After spending an hour with them after school, I better understood words such as "cryptography" and "log data."
Feature
Making an impact
Faith is a major part of our school. During the summer of 2021, ten students traveled to Purdy, MO, for a week to serve individuals with special needs at a Christian summer camp. For this story, I interviewed students who took on leadership positions, as well as researched more about this program to better enhance my story.
Photo Courtesy of Ana Gajewski