While I spend a lot of time editing student drafts, I am involved in every part of the process. I help students with everything from first steps to sourcing. My co-editors and I select topics, assign stories and decide what visuals to use.

OPINION

It’s time to talk about the gun

Last Thursday, November 30, Hook students’ phones started buzzing near the end of second period. When searching a student’s backpack for a vape, school resource officers (SROs) found a loaded gun.

News spread quickly on a Thursday in November as students heard rumors of a gun on campus. Since many local media sources were already covering the incident, the Hook decided to write an editorial about our thoughts. We gathered opinions from the entire staff via a google form. Along with my co-editors, I assisted a new staff member in drafting this piece. After she completed her draft, I edited it to ensure we thoroughly covered this divisive topic.

I helped a new newspaper student publish this article on our school’s marine science club. Although he was inexperienced and unfamiliar with many stylistic and grammar rules, he was eager to learn. I enjoyed editing his writing and assisting him in transforming his draft into his first ever story.

I worked on my abortion investigative story with a first-year journalism student. I taught him how to do background research, find sources and write a draft. I then compiled our notes into a cohesive story. While I had my own 2023 investigative project, I also assisted my peers in finishing theirs on topics ranging from technology dependence to antisemitism. Since I had experience with investigative articles, I was able to suggest next steps in story development in addition to providing grammatical feedback.

In addition to meeting with students in class, I often provide feedback through google doc comments and suggestions.