The Spartan Shield
The Spartan Shield is the student newspaper at Pleasant Valley High School, where I served on staff for two years. In that time, I served two semesters as Copy Editor, one as News Editor, and two as Editor-in-Chief. You can view my full staff profile here.
Award Winning High School Work
This was the fourth piece in a series of articles about a school board election. In the wake of the election, previous sources reached out with information about a controversial recount.
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B school news story
Photo credit to Arun Pillutla
In a bout of writer's block, I decided one night to write something that would be easy and fast. But when I began writing, I realized that there was more depth to the topic than I had imagined, and the piece grew to be a much more serious deep dive into conspiracy theories and misogyny.
Best of SNO Winner
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Second Place for Class B column/opinion
Photo Credit to Addie Kilcoin
I was inspired to write an article about the culture surrounding mass shootings after I read The Washington Post's piece featuring real photos from the scenes of mass-casualty events. I drew from both the Post's piece and my own interviews to make a commentary on the apathy I recognize across the country.
Best of SNO Winner
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Second Place for Class B staff editorial
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Towards the end of my junior year, I heard from a friend that a mishap at a choir concert had left a student in a wheelchair unable to access the stage. I was infuriated on her behalf, and she was happy to share her experience. I quickly learned that this accident was not a one-time occurrence, but an indicator of a larger problem in our district- one that I wanted to draw attention to with my writing.
Best of SNO Winner
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B social justice reporting
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B staff editorial
Photo Credit to Lynsey Stevenson
A special-needs only school production of The Wizard of Oz is the perfect feature story. It's wholesome, detailed and has room for creative writing. I wanted to make sure I interviewed the students who would be involved in the program as well as the founders, creating a balance of quotes.
Best of SNO Winner
IHSPA Spring Contest 2023 Second Place for Class B feature story
Photo Credit to Chloe Knobloch
When my fellow editors and I released the senior superlative form at our school, we were disappointed at the misogynistic response from our classmates. I decided to respond with a piece about the progression of feminism, and the distance still remaining.
Best of SNO Winner
While at school board meeting in January, I heard an AEA representative speak to the board on the potential impacts of a proposed bill to limit AEA services. I was moved by her speech and knew right away I had to write a piece explaining what is at risk with the bill and how my school district might respond.
Best of SNO Winner
IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Third Place for Class B in-depth news story
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When I learned of the new Iowa laws impacting transgender and nonbinary students in Iowa, I knew I had to write a piece that would explain how various groups were affected. The resulting article is a conglomeration of students, teachers and parents' experiences, and I couldn't be prouder of how it turned out.
Best of SNO Winner
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I was in the audience for the Spartan Spotlighters' inaugural production, and the joy I witnessed onstage inspired me to write a follow-up to my initial piece about the program. For this article, my biggest challenge was finding the best way to accurately quote a nonverbal student. I ended up emailing him, using my question to fill in the gaps of his quote.
Best of SNO Winner
Photo Credit to Mallory Carslake
When I wrote this article I had been thinking a lot about how we consume media, specifically in the context of "hate-watching." I wanted to look further into the idea of intentionally watching bad media for entertainment, something of a paradox to me.
Best of SNO Winner
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