Even before my high school journalism career, I was a writer. I have a soft spot for poetry and get obsessive over making logical, compelling arguments in essays or constructing a sturdy thesis. But I was never really an opinion blog writer or even had the chance to practice journalistic writing.
Joining the “Print and Online” class felt like a new-type-of-writing-is-defying-everything-I-was-previously-taught culture shock. I wrote article after article, laboring for hours on a six-seven page document about something I was passionate about. I scrambled to get a variety of perspectives in my interviews and I edited and revised like there was no tomorrow. But for the first few months, everything was rejected. I worked so hard and the space under my name on the website had “no content available.” I was ashamed but perhaps more confused.
I spoke with the editors and learned from my teacher that journalism isn’t about using big, fancy words and a structured thesis, it’s about communicating in a way that other people will understand. Especially this past, year I was able to write meaningful and relevant pieces that got published in news, feature, sports, and opinion (though the majority is news since that is the group I was initially assigned to). Take a look at my work below:
NEWS
Speaker of the House drama concludes… for now
I’ve been shocked to learn that the majority of high schoolers I have spoken to don’t frequent any news outlets. Not the big names or local papers — but they do follow the school publications. And while the fun articles and blogs keep teens reading and watching, I still feel responsible to keep my peers informed on politics. After all, juniors and seniors are right at voting age. I was fascinated about the politics occurring — I used a picture I took from a DC visit and went to work writing about the Speaker of the House Drama which was a history making headline since Representative Kevin McCarthy had been the first sitting speaker in American history to be ousted from office with a 216-210 decision.
Fines possible for students caught vaping
Our school days are constantly interrupted by fire alarms. Not because there are fireplaces or campfires going on. It isn’t at all far-reaching to say there is a smoking problem. Students are constantly caught vaping or smoking cigarettes (the occasional student is caught smoking weed) and if they aren’t caught in time by admin the alarms will notify the other 3,500 to 4,000 students in the school that we need to evacuate. It has been a disruptive, yet normal part of our lives. Starting the 23-24 year under a new principal, some policy changes were made and it is safe to say the threat of $400 fines and expulsion curbed the teenage desire for a mid-day smoke.
Indianapolis mayoral race escalates
NC is right in the capital city of Indiana itself. Being in a diverse school also means that there are a variety of political beliefs and that regardless of what side of the political aisle one is on, the articles published must be informative. As the incumbent mayor Joe Hogsett (D) was running for re-election against Republican opponent Jefferson Shreve, high schoolers were gaining interest and curiosity in what the outcome of the elections would be. Catering to the interests of the population I report for, I wrote about the escalating mayoral race and provided statistics about the primary election as well as the two candidates’ different policy perspectives. This informed young students as well as those old enough to vote in that election.
Mayoral election reflection
The mayoral race was occupying the minds of students for the several weeks prior to the election itself. It seemed everyone went home to be bombarded by the same, harsh attack ads the candidates made against one another. Naturally, this tension interested students and after previously publishing a story about the race escalation, it was time to talk about the results. This brief overview of the elections allowed students to quickly note that the incumbent mayor Joe Hogsett won re-election. It also provided some insight into what the first time voting feels like to a high school senior.
Seniors order graduation materials
Graduation time! Such an exciting topic of conversation. Our school has homeroom days on Tuesday, where the schedule shifts and allows an extra period for students to go to their homeroom teachers and get any information the school wants to push out. On November 28, 2023, the senior class took their homeroom period in the auditorium where counselors went over how to order graduation materials. After speaking to admin I realized something interesting: if students did not come to school that day, they would have to proactively seek the application forms. But what would happen if students didn’t even know they had to? With that in mind, I published this article so that if a senior was not able to or did not realize they had to order their cap and gown, they would now be informed and would not have to wake up to an unpleasant surprise on graduation day.
AP courses recommended to all students
North Central is a majority-minority school meaning there is actually a larger portion of Black and Brown students than Caucasians. That’s why it’s surprising that the majority of students in AP and honors classes seeking an accelerated diploma are White. This achievement gap can be explained by minority students being raised to feel they cannot be successful in academically challenging spaces or the stigma that it is “not cool” or that it is “nerdy” to be a part of these classes. I wrote this article to inspire and motivate those students to join, regardless of how capable they think they are, because I know they have the potential but just need some reassurance. I promoted the AP program while using my interview with our AP coordinator (who is a successful, Black woman in the STEM field) to further motivate students to be a part of such an amazing program.
FEATURE
Women make the most of Women’s History Month
This feature story was about the Ladies First club at NC. During Women’s History month in 2023, they launched a series of activities to educate, inspire, and empower all NC women including teachers, administrators, counselors, security officers, custodial staff, and cafeteria workers. Participants engaged in a self-defense training, learned from and spoke to a victim of human trafficking, and decompressed with some yoga. This was an inspiration and refreshing piece for me to write as a journalist because it is always motivating to see other women lift each other up despite all the odds and obstacles stacked against us.
SPORTS
Carmel’s not so sweet: the truth behind our one-sided rivalry
Ask any NC student who are rivals are. The answer will always be the same: Carmel High School. I pondered that one afternoon — how come Carmel nearly always wins against us and yet we scream our war cry against them? Carmel certainty doesn’t see us as their competition. So what is the truth behind this one sided rivalry? I looked deeper than sports here and noticed a jaw-dropping revelation: the state-funding formula, differing complexity indexes, and diversity levels directly correlate to our sporting game results. This took the charts as a trending article as soon as it was posted, taking on the most views for a month or so.
OPINION
“Love is…” community event inspires attendees
I am a youth advocate. Part of taking on this role is spending weekends and long afternoons at community events. It is always rewarding to do so: I speak to phenomenal people with unique experiences and have gathered so much. I wish to empower those most vulnerable in our communities every day, one interaction at a time. Within my capacity as a student journalist, I strive to motivate other youth to do the same by seeing the amazing opportunities and experiences that can come out of youth advocacy and civil engagement. This community event was a spectacular one which focused on how, despite all the negativity in our world, love can overcome hate. I wanted to spread that message through this blog/opinion writing by sharing my experiences in hopes it would allow another youth to create an experience of their own.
SALSABIL QADDOURA 