EDITING, LEADERSHIP AND TEAM BUILDING
Below: EDITING AND LEADERSHIP: ODYSSEY Media Group Print Managing Editor Chloe Sears (left) and Digital Editor-in-Chief (right) Ireland McCage, Clarke Central High School seniors, sit in the ODYSSEY classroom working diligently on their assignments. Sears and McCage momentarily isolated themselves from their classmates in order to focus on their work. "It looks ridiculous, but it's totally normal for us to do that at this point," Sears said. "You can't see it, but I'm also wearing earbuds. I think I do this once a month, maybe every two weeks? I was working on compiling peer evaluations for conferences that day and Ireland had a workload she needed to get through as well. Everyone thought it was hilarious, but it really did help us focus." Photo courtesy of David Ragsdale
JEA/NSPA NHSJC FALL 2021
JEA/NSPA NHSJC FALL 2021: When I attended the virtual Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association National High School Journalism Convention during Fall 2021, I compiled a list of notes with my reflection on each course taken at the end so that rising editors would have a resource to turn to if they have questions or need guidance during their leading years in ODYSSEY. As a graduating senior editor, I wanted to make sure that future editors had a resource to turn to if they had any questions. So while I did take several classes that were for my own interest, such as the classes on photojournalism, I mainly focused on using this conference as an opportunity to help future leaders of ODYSSEY.
EDITING: ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE
Abstract: Below is a photograph of the edits and comments I left on a fellow editor's column while Issue 1 of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine was being edited and prepared for publication. I love working with other staffers on their work—nothing is better than seeing someone else feel so proud of themselves when they publish a story after working so hard on it. There are a lot of new staffers in ODYSSEY this year and it's been so much fun to work with them.
HELPING THE FRESHMEN
Leadership and Team Building
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Abstract: Above are pictures of comments that I left on a freshman's blog. She was a staffer in Journalism I, the introductory journalism class at Clarke Central High School. I spent several class periods conferencing with this student, helping her transition from hard news reporting to personally reacting to the event she wrote about in her blog. This was during the second semester of my junior year, and after spending the first getting to know the ropes of journalism, it felt good to take what I had learned thus far and teach that knowledge to someone who's position I had been in not long before.
Becoming a Writing Coach
Abstract: Below is a screenshot of the story I co-bylined with one of my freshman journalism students. I became a Facilitator to the Journalism I program, which is the introductory journalism course for freshmen interested in joining the ODYSSEY Media Group. One of my students, McKinley Dykes, was interested in sports journalism, so I walked her through the process of interviewing and writing a story with me. While I wrote the majority of the story of the story due to the fact that I'm a veteran journalism student, McKinley enjoyed contributing what she could and I was glad to see her get real experience in journalism. One of my goals as a journalist has been to help the freshmen find their footing as journalists, and I was so happy to be able to do this for McKinley when we worked together.
BUILDING THE FRESHMEN'S CONFIDENCE
Abstract: Below is a picture of the Scene I wrote with one of my freshman students, Victoria Garland. A scene at Clarke Central is a photo-driven short snapshot about a community member. Victoria had never interviewed anyone other than her classmates before, so I took her with me to interview the Front Office Secretary, Linda Glenn. She was unsure of herself, but I led her through the interview process and allowed her to take control by asking all the questions. I just jumped in where it was necessary for follow-up questions. Victoria did a great job, and I was so proud of her when we were done.
MARKETING AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
STREET TEAM FOR ISSUE 1
Below: TEAM BONDING AND TEAM MARKETING: ODYSSEY Media Group Production staffers pose with Issue 1 of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine after spending the morning passing out copies to every classroom in the Clarke Central High School building. Called the "ODYSSEY Media Group Street Team", staffers enjoyed seeing students' excitement in reaction to receiving a copy of the newsmagazine. "It was such a good feeling," ODYSSEY Media Group Print Managing Editor and Journalism I Facilitator Chloe Sears said. "It's one thing for the staffers to enjoy doing this, but it's an entirely different feeling to see students get so excited about reading these stories. It was so satisfying. We all helped make that newsmagazine and now the students are loving it." Photo courtesy of Lucas Donnelly
TRUNK OR TREAT 2021
Left: TRUNK OR TREAT: ODYSSEY Media Group staffers pose for a photograph with the the posters they made for the Trunk or Treat event as a way to market the program through volunteer work on campus. OMG Print Managing Editor and Journalism I Facilitator Chloe Sears, a senior, was excited to have this bonding experience with her classmates and participate in an event that would not only benefit ODYSSEY, but pay it forward for families in the community. "I didn't get to campus until March of 2021, so senior year has been my first and only full year of in-person learning at Clarke Central. I was really excited to do this for the program and get to know my classmates. It was all around a great experience," Sears said. Photo by David Ragsdale
Abstract: Above is a screenshot of the email template I made for the ODYSSEY Media Group marketing project, in which staffers had a competition to see who could get the most magazine subscribers for the newsmagazine. This project required a lot of communication with people I didn't know, so it was a major push for me to leave my shell and become more comfortable talking to people I don't know.
RECOGNIZING WHAT MY AUDIENCE NEEDS
Below is a picture of the Q&A I did with a community member about E-SPLOST 6, which goes to helping local schools by funding needed renovations and other projects in town that relate to the school district. While this wouldn’t be the most appealing to the typical audience of Clarke Central High School teenagers, this was something the community needed to read because of the proximity and timeliness of E-SPLOST 6.
LAWS, ETHICS AND MEDIA LITERACY
WHAT ARE ETHICS?
According to the Society of Professional Journalists...
Ethics are the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture. They are objective, clear-cut, impartial and based on a set of rules and guidelines.
CODE OF ETHICS
The Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics:
1. Seek truth and report it.
2. Minimize harm by treating people with respect. The general rule of thumb here is "do no harm."
3. Act independently.
4. Be accountable and transparent.
LAWS TO KEEP IN MIND
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FOIA: This is a law that provides any person with the right to access public documents or federal agency records.
FERPA: This is a federal law that protects the privacy of students' education records.
NOTES ON PRIVACY
Rules and guidelines to keep in mind
- Do not disclose information someone tells you if they expect it to remain private or between the two fo you.
- If you think you could be invading someone's privacy by publishing information or a quote, then check with your interviewee and ask for consent.
Abstract: The image to the left is a photo of a quality transcription from my interview with the boys varsity soccer coach at Clarke Central High School for my article on the spring soccer season. Since joining ODYSSEY, I've learned how to choose quotes for stories in a way that accurately represents my stakeholders and maintains balance throughout my stories. For example, I bolded a quote at the bottom of this page because I knew it was a quote I wanted to use—it will add to my story by informing my readers and giving in-depth details to help preview the upcoming soccer season. I know that I have to transcribe with fidelity not only because it's the right thing to do, but because I also have to set a good example for my staffers and the freshmen that I'm teaching.
Abstract: The notes to the right and above are from the ethics unit in my journalism class. We spent several days talking about ethics versus morals and the different components of each so that as student journalists, members of the ODYSSEY Media Group can be prepared for any situation that our jobs may throw at us. The photograph on the left is a screenshot of my response to a scenario involving journalism ethics that demonstrates my understanding of the topic. This is from a summative exam in my journalism class.
Abstract: To the left is a photograph of the "Shattered Glass" guided questions that the Journalism I students completed as a way to interactively learn about laws, ethics and media literacy. They watched the movie in class in order to see and discuss examples of unethical situations in journalism. This year I had the pleasure of co-teaching the Laws, Ethics and Media Literacy unit with my journalism adviser to the Journalism I class, and I appreciated the opportunity to pass my knowledge on to them. One year after joining the ODYSSEY Media Group, I was able to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of this topic to a group of students who had never been introduced to it before.
Abstract: The image on the right is a screenshot of my media literacy project, which is a thorough examination of another school's journalism company. I was assigned this project as a way to see the differences between ODYSSEY's coverage and other schools' coverage. This opened my eyes to what ODYSSEY should and should not do to maintain a large following and ensure that our content is diverse instead of only relating to the Clarke Central High School community.
REPORTING AND WRITING
Portfolio of Work
CCHS SOCCER TEAMS FACE GREENBRIER HIGH SCHOOL
Abstract: Below are the photographs that my colleague (right) and I (left) took for our combined sports coverage of the Clarke Central High School soccer teams. It was a fun experiment to step outside of hard news coverage and report on sports, as well as do the combined work of taking photographs for the story. I’m used to working by myself, but I enjoyed working with my fellow reporter to create a dual coverage package of the CCHS soccer teams.
CARING COUNSELORS
Abstract: It was actually very difficult for me to write this story. I had to email expert sources—who were professional school counselors in this case—several times only to be told that all of them were too busy for an interview, except for Dr. Ashlee Holsey. She responded to my email saying that she would make time for an interview that ended up giving me all the information I needed for my article.
WARNOCK RALLIES ATHENS
Abstract: This story means a lot to me for multiple reasons. First of all, the run-off Ga. Senator election was history, so I was more than happy to be covering it for my school newsmagazine. This was my first time attending a live event, acquiring man-on-the-street interviews, then going home to write a rough draft on the event while under the pressure of a 24-hour deadline. The entire experience was exhilarating to say the least. This story went on to win fifth place in Election Reporting in the National Scholastic Press Association Best in Show: Individual Awards during Spring 2021.
ATHENS BUSINESSES AND COVID-19
Abstract: "Athens Businesses and COVID-19" was the first news story I ever wrote. I was terrified. I did six interviews, not including the last minute phone call interview with the mayor of Athens-Clarke County, Kelly Girtz. I worked so hard on this story until it was time for the magazine to be published. It was the cover story of issue one of the newsmagazine, and I was voted as MVP Staffer for Issue 1 when we did in-house awards at the end of the publishing cycle. This news story helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses in news writing, as well as the fact that I love news writing more than any other type of journalistic writing.
I had to fight for this one. This story was a passion project that took countless hours of revisions and research that I was entirely new to. I'd never done anything like this before but I wanted to hear people's stories on the topic so I made it happen. And when I struggled to write this op-ed and it almost didn't survive the editing process, I kept fighting. This was a turning point right after I wrote "Warnock rallies Athens" that showed me once again, how much I love journalism.
UNREGISTERED BUT ENGAGED: GENERATION Z ON POLITICS
Abstract: This story was so much fun. It took five interviews with students and a lot of research, but I was passionate about this story because I felt as though teenagers who weren't old enough to vote were not recognized as having opinions about the country's politics that mattered. Therefore I decided to write a story on how teens who can't vote can continue to be influential in United States politics.
CELEBRATING MY COMMUNITY
Two feature stories that helped expand my worldview as both a journalist and a Clarke Central High School student.
These two stories in particular are important parts of my developing career as a journalist. I wrote them both during my junior year of high school.
"Celebrating Black Excellence: a Q&A with Andre Robinson", is about a former ODYSSEY student who I had the fortune of talking to about his life, his time in ODYSSEY, and his career. His story was inspiring. I interviewed him about his time in ODYSSEY and his journey to his current career and it's a story that I am so grateful to be able to bring to the Clarke Central High School community. I hope it was as impactful to them as it was to me.
"Celebrating 50 years: A mural in honor of the integration of CCHS" is a co-byline between me and several other colleagues about the 50 year anniversary of Clarke Central High School. I enjoyed writing this story because I had the opportunity to work with classmates I didn't work with often, and I was able to learn much more about CCHS. Writing about its 50-year anniversary made me feel more like I was a part of it. I was still new to CCHS at the time because it was only my first year at the school, so taking on this assignment felt like I was solidifying my place in the community by bringing its story to people who might not know it.
Both stories brought me a deeper understanding of the new community I'm part of, and they allowed me to learn more about it while also bringing its stories to my readers.
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SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEB
Abstract: Below are a compilation of stories that I have written for the ODYSSEY Media Group website throughout the 2020-21 academic school year. The first story I wrote was "Review: What Could Possibly Go Wrong" and the last one was "OMG at the National Scholastic Press Association." From the review to news brief, I have found my voice and developed it greatly in my journalistic writing.
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PUSHING MY LIMITS WITH SPORTS JOURNALISM
The biggest impact that fall semester of my senior hard had on my career as a journalist was that I covered the varsity football team for the first time. I'm new to both the realm of football and sports journalism, so while this was a jump outside of the comfort zone, it was one I was so excited to make. I published three stories: "Running back to normalcy", "All or nothing", which I co-bylined with one of my freshmen students, and the pre-game coverage for "55th Classic City Championship: Cedar vs. Central". I had fun learning about this sport and this team during my time covering varsity football, and I'm excited to keep working in sports journalism this spring with girls varsity basketball and boys varsity soccer.
DESIGN
Abstract: Below is a sample of the trivia graphic that I created for the ODYSSEY Media Group's Instagram story, specifically on "Trivia Tuesday." I wanted to dive into the history of feminism because I felt as though women's history wasn't known well enough, and that the originating history behind feminism was stigmatized.
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Learning design!
The notes on the left are from a virtual design workshop that I took during my junior year. To help prepare students for next year, my journalism adviser enrolled ODYSSEY Media Group students in JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Association workshops. I was signed up for news design to better prepare me to take on a leadership/editor position during the 2021-22 academic year. My news design workshop gave me a very detailed breakdown of how to use Adobe InDesign and what to use it for, as well as detailed lessons about how to strategically design a layout that will efficiently reach my target audience.
Abstract: Below are several of the press passes that I made for my classmates. I watched YouTube videos on how to properly use Adobe InDesign, then I used the ODYSSEY Media Group press pass template to update positions, headshots and fonts so we could have new press passes for the school year. It was difficult at first, but I appreciated the opportunity to expand my skill set to a more designed-focused area. Learning how to use InDesign was a brand new experience for me, and I enjoyed the challenge.
Abstract: The graphic below was an exercise in words. It's a recap of the 2021 Georgia state championship track and field meet. Designing this graphic was difficult because I had to strategically organize the information in a way that wouldn't be underwhelming or overwhelming. It had to be exactly good enough so that viewers would be interested in the graphic when they saw it on the OMG Instagram account, as well as the website.
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PHOTOJOURNALISM
Trunk-or-Treat 2021
Athens and Clarke Central High School families came to school to go trick or treating with their kids. Various clubs and programs decorated their car trunks with signs and candy for the children.
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Graduation 2021
Abstract: My graduation photo gallery from May 2021 was by far the most fun I have ever had photographing a school event. This gallery taught me a big lesson in trusting myself. I started the day terrified that I would mess up the photoshoot, but I ended the photoshoot feeling confident in myself and my ability to use a camera.
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CCHS 2021 Senior Prom
Abstract: I photographed the Clarke Central High School senior prom, "Maskerade in Paris" on May 1. This was my first time photographing for ODYSSEY. Assigned to take atmosphere shots and create portraits of those who attended the dance, I was excited to be experimenting with my DSLR camera and step outside of my comfort zone by doing something other than reporting and writing.
BROADCAST
I don't have any experience with Broadcast Journalism. I've never made any broadcast-type videos, but I took it upon myself this year to learn how. I've been in contact with people for information and resources because I want to go to film school, and I think this would be a great way to gain film experience. While this is still a work in progress, I'm excited to be gaining this knowledge so I can pass it on to next year's staffers before I graduate. There isn't a Broadcast section anymore since the Broadcast Editor graduated in 2021, so my goal is to bring Broadcast back in the best way possible so the younger staffers will be set up for success in the future.
Abstract: Below are photos of the notes I took during a meeting with a former ODYSSEY student, as well as resources sent to me and a photo of my Zoom-based conversation with another alumni. I've talked to four alumni thus far, and I'm working to branch out my skills as a visual storyteller in hopes to bring broadcast back to ODYSSEY as best I can. My goal is to start simple and do my best to gain mastery in this area, then pass some of my knowledge onto younger students before I graduate.
Clarke Central High School senior prom, video promotion for ODYSSEY Media Group coverage posted to the OMG Instagram account
Abstract: This is a promo for ODYSSEY coverage of the CCHS senior prom on May 1. Filming this was difficult because teachers and school administrators were making last minute adjustments to the school courtyard before the senior class showed up for prom, but it was fun to make this on the fly. We made sure to use hashtags that would target our audience, which was specifically the school community during this night. Despite a few difficulties with our setting for this video, we were able to get it posted to the OMG Instagram account to let our audience know that ODYSSEY would be covering prom for the night.