2021-2022
Life experience isn't the end-all-be-all
Editorial Writing
This opinion piece actually sprouted from a Facebook argument between myself and a community member that was originally about the importance of honest journalism, and eventually morphed into the community member telling me that my opinion was invalid since I was a teenager. The conversation really bothered me, and it still bothered me six months later. This piece really helped me transform that exasperation into something constructive. When I first wrote it, over half of the piece was a summary of the Facebook argument. However, the point of the op-ed wasn’t to act as a cliché personal statement for college about how I grew from this experience. I rewrote it to serve as a testament to a pervasive attitude that just about every teenager has dealt with, as something that people (more than I) could relate to. My pride and satisfaction with this piece stems from not only the tactful approach of a complex topic, but also my ability to turn something that caused such annoyance into something so constructive.
District announces changes to midterms
News Writing
For the past two years, us on North Pointe had been trying to get a breaking news story together. In my 7th hour on Jan. 7, I received word that there would be major changes to midterms’ effects on semester grades. It was the perfect opportunity to write that so-elusive breaking news piece. I reached out to my adviser to let her know my plan, and I was able to push the story through the editing process within 12 hours. The story, though brief, streamlines the most important information that impacted our readers the most.
Protecting this house and each other
Editorial Writing
A few days after the Oxford tragedy, a couple of my section editors suggested that we write a story regarding the issue of gun control, or related to school shootings in some way. I was apprehensive from the get-go; the impact that this event had on our school community was significant, and as Editor-in-chief, I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. I didn’t want to publish anything that would cause more harm than had already been done upon our school community. However, I still recognized that we had to acknowledge the elephant in the room. So, my managing editor and I came together to craft something that addressed the tension we felt in our building, while offering solutions. This story was hard to write as I was still processing my own set of complex emotions about what occurred, but I am proud that it upholds my tenet of harm reduction with anything that we publish.
Pandemic causes teachers to revisit grading methods
In-Depth Feature
As one of few seniors on the North Pointe staff, I’m one of the only ones who had somewhat of a “high school experience” pre-pandemic, as I had three full semesters that hadn’t been impacted by the pandemic, so I knew what “real school” felt like. This year, I noticed a general trend where many teachers had more flexible grading policies. My observations also echoed conversations about more progressive grading ideology on a national level. This story was a feat. Doing research for the story involved me combing through a 55-page document that staff was using for professional development this year. The ins and outs of grading practices and philosophies is not a brief topic. In true journalistic fashion, it was incredibly important the story reflected the opinions of those with more traditional perspectives on grading, rather than just progressive ones. This story was roughly 2000 words, and I honestly think I would’ve been able to write that much five times over. When it was going through the editing process, it probably got read over 50+ times. In the end, I believe it turned out to be a well-done piece that reflected the fruits of our labor, and still covered many aspects of a complicated issue.
2020-2021
Board votes to loosen quarantine restrictions, teachers express their discontent
News Writing
During my time in high school thus far, I’ve had a few days with “core memories” that stick out to me, and likely will for the rest of my life. One of those is April 28, 2021. That day, over 40 teachers at my school called in as a protest against the Board’s decision making, which didn’t include teacher input. The event was incendiary in our community, and many had their own opinions about the event, including myself. I supported my teachers’ actions completely, but had to put all of that aside to write this story. Myself and my story partner had to commit ourselves to putting all our energy into representing all sides of an incredibly contentious and emotional issue for many, and gathering several interviews to achieve this goal.
Board votes on return to face-to-face learning
News Writing
In the 2020-2021 school year, there were innumerable changes to students’ and teachers’ schedules, and how those schedules worked. The question of whether or not to have full-time face-to-face learning was a battleground in GPPSS, just as it was in many other districts. The vote to return full-time was one of the biggest changes and strides toward a return to normalcy out of the infinite number of changes to schedules, and it was important that this piece showed that, while still recognizing the controversy of the decision.
Handling the holiday season while considering COVID-19
Feature Writing
Oftentimes the sources for our stories on North Pointe stay within the bounds of our school and district due to time constraints. However, I was able to secure inarguably one of the best sources to speak on the topic of COVID-19 affecting holiday gatherings: an infectious disease specialist. Last year, there were many conflicting opinions and information about gathering with family for the holidays. Though time spent with family is precious, we found it important to bring the most factual information to our readers to help them inform their decision-making.
An analysis of the 2020 Presidential debates
Editorial Writing
At close to 2000 words, this is by far the longest story that I’ve ever independently written for North Pointe. I spent hours upon hours writing this story, and had to put myself through the pain of watching the admonishable debates from the 2020 election that I think we’d all like to forget. This piece was laborious to write, but I was proud of the product. I’m incredibly interested (and opinionated) in politics, but I tried to somewhat put my own biases aside and analyze the debates for what they were worth (not much).
2019-2020
"Save Our Schools" group advocates for preserving district structure
News Writing
It’s almost silly to think about how reconfiguration was once the biggest issue in our district. However, it was one of the most inflammatory issues in our district, with many against the changes due to the effects it’d have on their children. This story was one of many firsts. It was the first story that I wrote where I covered an issue that really affected people outside of Grosse Pointe North. I distinctly remember attending one of the meetings held at a group member’s house, my first true “investigative journalism” experience. I recall the difficulty of securing interviews directly related to the topic of the story, but my story partner and I produced an article that showcased one of the major forces pushing back against reconfiguration.
Noorjahan brings new flavors to Grosse Pointe
Review Writing
Though they may not hold much journalistic significance, reviews are undeniably fun to write. In my inaugural year on North Pointe as an intern, I was a frequent reviewer of local restaurants, and didn’t always hold back my true feelings about something. This is also true with this review. Honesty is important, and sometimes the truth hurts. Although I wouldn’t have a moral dilemma about “misleading” someone about the quality of garlic naan, it’s still an incredibly important pillar of journalism. Us journalists must always tell the truth, even when it may not be pretty.