Editing, Leadership & Team Building

Leadership

I can vividly remember being an intern for North Pointe chatting with my advisor Ms. Dunn, and saying, “next year when I’m an editor, my sign off name is going to be Rouxster”. It was at that moment that I decided that I was going to put my all into journalism. When I did become an editor, I was opened into the world of connections. Through the myriad of interviews and distribution days, I can now say that I feel more connected to the people around me, and more confident in my communication abilities.

If it wasn’t for joining journalism, I don’t think I would be the person I am today. Through this program, I have met my best friends who have taught me the beauty of friendship, and the joys of being a teenager. I am forever grateful for the people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve learned that have improved my social, and academic skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My short time as an editor has expanded my ability to incorporate creativity, and leadership into my everyday life, which has shown me that being successful isn’t just getting A’s, but inspiring my community. I can’t wait to see what the future of journalism has to offer me, and I will never forget my place in North Pointe.

I owe it all to my wonderful editorial and executive board who have made North Pointe into an unforgettable experience. Thank you.

Click on the photos to read more

Pumpkin decorating contenst

After completing an issue, our class does a fun bonding activity. After our October issue we had a pumpkin decorating contest where I won best collaborative pumpkin. I always enjoy these activities because we randomly get paired with a group, so I always get the opportunity to share some laughs with people I may not normally work with.

Paper distribution with my mentees

As a second year journalism student, I have the job of mentoring first year journalism students. In issue 0 I worked closely with my mentees showing them how to conduct good interviews and layout a story. Then we put those skills to use in issue 1 where we worked on a news story together. I'm really proud of how far my mentees have come, and on distribution day we get together and hand out the papers while catching up with each other.

Class bonding

At the start of the year, every section editor had the job of creating one game to play at the beginning of class to get to know our classmates better. I created a game called "Boom, Clap, Snatch!" where my classmates and I competed for pieces of chocolate.

Inverted pyramid poster

This past summer I attended the MIPA summer camp. I took the class "Journalistic Storytelling" where we learned about the importance of the inverted pyramid writing structure. After editing a story that was a little all over the place, I thought our interns could benefit from a poster that explained how to write an engaging story.

Editorial board

I am so lucky to be a part of this editorial board. The talent that my fellow editors display is truly inspiring and helps our paper really stand out. In this photo were all wearing sweatshirts that say "this is my prod night outfit" designed by the editorial editor and editor-in-chief on a whim. Production nights are long and stressful, but I wouldn't want to spend them with any other group of people.

Vision board

Before school started, a few editors helped our advisor unpack our journalism equipment. We all decided that we needed something to do with our poster boards. I thought we could benefit from a vision board, so I printed out letters, and the editors from our two journalism classes wrote down what we needed to improve on and how.

North Pointe open house

In the beginning of the year, our advisor asked editors to volunteer at our high school's open house. During the open house, two other editors and I gave tours of our journalism room, and showed the process of creating a paper to upcoming high school students.

Photography contest

This photo is from spring 2023. The contests and activities we did as a class helped me bond with classmates that I would never of met if it wasn't for journalism. These activities also strengthened my bond with the editorial board that I am a part of now. Sixth hour journalism is a class I'll never forget.