MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT - THE PROFILE - MASON HIGH SCHOOL
NEWS WRITING & REPORTING
LEADERSHIP
While on the Profile staff, I have had the opportunity to serve in multiple leadership roles. Each role required me to use a different set of skills to fufill my duties, and I learned and grew while in each one.
10TH GRADE - STAFF REPORTER
11TH GRADE - ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT
12TH GRADE - MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT
As a staff reporter my sophomore year, I was able to learn the ropes in the class and understand how production of the paper worked. I observed the editors to see what kinds of obligations they had as leaders, and I tried to inhibit that when I was the Assistant Managing Editor of Content my junior year. During that year, I was on the Editorial Board and my leadership role included helping assign stories and becoming the go-to person for editing articles. I also attended the MIPA One-Day Workshop to start preparing for the current year. But I think my true leadership skills came out that year after all of the seniors left. Suddenly I wasn't the assistant anymore, and I would be responsible for the next year's staff.
Over the recent spring and summer, I worked to plan for the current year. I worked to make goals for myself, individual goals, and goals for the paper. I set a majority of these goals when I went to the 2015 MIPA Summer Workshop. When there, I took the News Editors class to further develop my leadership skills.
Taking the News Editors class at MIPA taught me how to be a better leader. The class is based on collaboration, so the Sparty award didn't go to one person, it went to everyone.
Soon after that, I found out my adviser accepted a different job at a neighboring school district. The Managing Editor of Design and I were invited on the interview panel to help determine the new adviser. That expereince was a key piece in developing my leadership role.
As a fellow editor has said, my main job on staff this year is to "keep all of those hooligans from burning the class to the ground." In all seriousness, I love being the Managing Editor of Content. I get to help others fall in love with journalism and lead them in creating a paper that makes a difference in our school community. I often lead lesson plans and brainstorming sessions, and I work with others to make the paper the best it can be.
Here I am leading a brainstorming session for an issue. I help facilitate discussion among staff members and write down story ideas on the board. This is one of my most important leadership roles.
As a leader this year, I made it my goal to finish the staff manual and to create an online platform. I am excited to say I have accomplished both this year! Click the links below to check out both.