Testimonial
Though I entered North Pointe as a meek, annoying freshman, I leave as a strong, confident senior. Of course, being in North Pointe has not only had an impact on me as a person, but the course, which in some ways mimics a real-life work environment, has pushed me to develop job-applicable skills and professional qualities. When I entered high school, I wasn’t that great of a writer, but North Pointe allowed me to practice writing and editing, and I can confidently say that I am now a strong writer. Journalism has also taught me ways of how to act professionally in different situations. For example, I know proper email etiquette. I have less (but still some) trouble conversing with people that have much more seniority than I. As Editor-in-chief, it’s also strange being somewhat like your peers’ boss one hour, then their friend the next, and I’ve had to learn to balance that, as well as finding a place between being a tyrant and a pushover.
AP Style: The Basics
Leadership Mini-Lesson
Throughout the first semester, Grace, Ms. Dunn, and IÂ noticed a distinct lack of proficiency with AP Style with staff, even among our readers. Instead of continuing to complain about it, we decided to create a presentation that made some of the most common errors apparent out of a 600-page book. The presentation and guided notes/practice sheet were engaging, and when giving the lesson, we made sure to call on a variety of people to answer questions. The notes felt a bit long, but it was mostly necessary so we could get the information out. As a teacher in the future, I hope to continue to craft better lessons that are well-suited to my students' needs.
Biden nominates first Black female Supreme Court Justice
News Story
I chose to include this piece as I think it represents the event of the nomination well. An essential part of news is helping readers understand the "Why" behind something over just the fact that it happened. The story is also very digestible and makes a complex process much easier to understand. I wish we had gotten a sort of "expert community" source, but the story is still strong without it. I am also proud of this story because I was partnered with someone who was new to the program, nd was able to guide them through the process of learning journalistic principles.
Thinking critically about the world around you
Editorial
This was one of the hardest stories that I've ever written. Not only because it was just hard to get words on the page, but because of the emotion involved as I had to somehow wrap my head around the fact that this was my swan's song after about 60 stories. The piece is mostly well-written. However, I don't think it has the "X factor" and doesn't feel like anything special, which I realized during the writing process. Though it wasn't the best thing I've ever written during my time at this publication, I will likely always have a fondness for it since it is my last one. In the future, I won't write cliche leads.
Bestselling author and professor visits Ford House
News Story
When receiving news that Dr. Ibram X. Kendi was visiting the Ford House, our decision to participate and attend was fairly last minute. The piece is fairly strong as it does a nice job of covering the who, what, when, where, and especially why. Some of the weakness in the story lies within the sourcing. We interviewed two students and Dr. Murray, but it would've been nice to have Dr. Kendi or someone else who helped in coordinating the event. Unfortunately, it proved extremely difficult to access Kendi quotes, but it was out of our control. In the future, I feel like this story would do well as an ASF as it has different sections and topics.
The Great Education Debate
In-Depth Feature
I had wanted the world with the story, but as is tradition, it fell a bit short from my expectations. It avoids the political "gotcha" arguments that are plaguing the issue, and instead focuses on important information from the experts. It does lean to one side a bit, but it is difficult to find someone on the other side of this issue whose quotes will not bring down the credibility of the story. Nonetheless, I think we do well with sourcing, and include experts at a variety of levels. In the future, I think it is important that in-depths are more compelling topics.
