Leadership & Team Building


In January of this year, the Hi’s Eye published an article that I wrote regarding the recent Juul epidemic that appeared to be sweeping the high school social scene. Although we had published a Juul story last year when the epidemic first broke out to explain what exactly these portable, rechargeable, electronic cigarettes actually were, I reported on the ever-growing trend that does not appear to be improving. In fact, I found that teenage Juul use had only grown over time, so I interviewed students--many of whom had been suspending for Juuling in school--as well as teachers, administrators, and doctors to get to the bottom of the issue. The article immediately created buzz in the school, and it was only a matter of time before a representative from Juul's headquarters reached out to me to issue a formal statement. I was getting recognition from both the school and district administration, and eventually I received an email from a local publication asking if they could publish the article to reach a wider audience (which can be found below). Soon after, the PTSO reached out to me asking to mass-distribute the article to parents at their next meeting, and eventually I was contacted by the New York Times asking for an interview for their own story they were writing about teen Juuling.

While these experiences from writing the Juul article have certainly made me grateful and appreciative for the work I am able to do on the Hi’s Eye, it has also given me confidence to be a more effective and helpful leader. Not only do I use this experience to guide my fellow reporters, I will also use it to help this year’s junior class as they transition to taking over the staff. With this strengthened self-confidence in my work and in my ability I hope to not only hone my own leadership skills but also to pass them on to the Hi’s Eye staff that follows me.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/montville/articles/student-says-its-almost-normal-to-juul-here-at

Following the election of a new town mayor and four town council representatives, the Hi’s Eye wanted to find out exactly what the people of Westfield wanted to see for the future of the town-- so we asked them. Nearly the entire staff came together to create a special edition called “Voices of Westfield.” In this issue, we asked parents, teachers, firefighters, local business people, and even second graders what they wanted the future of Westfield to look like. This experience allowed for not only an impressive final product, but also the opportunity for the staff to come together in a sort of team-building exercise. If this paper came out poorly we would all be responsible, and if it came out well we would all benefit-- but either way we would endure the outcome together as a team, as each of us contributed a vital part of the success of that paper. Below I have posted links to this six-page edition of the Hi's Eye.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4I5TGTkW_f-SW53eHI2ZUttWmNDWEtjSEI4QkF6em9BT244

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Writing

     A good journalism article would be nothing without proper writing. A story cannot captivate readers by merely listing facts or spewing statistics, but by speaking to readers and connecting with them through writing. This not only brings entertainment to the piece, but also humanity and personality that cannot be achieved through a fact sheet. Below are two of my stories that demonstrate my writing proficiency.  ‘Mom… I mean Ms…’ Greta Frontero, R2 Editor-in-Chief October 20, 2017 Typically, students spend the first two months of school getting to know their teachers’ personalities and particular teaching styles. However, some WHS students have known one of their teachers for years. The reason is simple—they live together at home. The WHS community is full of parent-child relationships involving students and teachers, which can be a tricky dynamic to navigate. For example, senior Alex Fonseca had his mother, Ms. Maria Garcia, as his Spanish teacher last year. He sa
Read more

Editing & Design

     As Editor-in-Chief of the Hi’s Eye , I oversee the editing, layout, and design of each of my team’s publications. Not only do I work side-by-side with reporters to edit and resolve stories, but I also guide page editors through layout crises and determine whether or not a story is cut on deadline. It’s not unlikely to find me in the newsroom until seven or eight o’clock at night, working diligently with reporters and page editors alike in order to turn out a final product on deadline. Below you can find links to five particular editions of the Hi’s Eye that show skill in editing as well as creativity in design. Oct. 6, 2017: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HwEQAG2RZS9jTOWxUBj0SegxyeLm6txe Nov. 3, 2017: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4I5TGTkW_f-NTNqaVpnRjJFTUhvSFlKR2ZNWWhjVHRRMjIw Dec. 15, 2017: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4I5TGTkW_f-dkZZS291VF9KWVRKWG5LX2p4OE4zdlNlTjlB https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4I5TGTkW_f-VmFHWEZ3Y2lZQzNFMkNpLUpsQUY3UmpSOF9B F
Read more