Editing, Leadership, and Team Building
Even more important than the articles written are the people who write them.
As editor-in-chief, it is my role to edit and publish most articles that end up on Denebola's website or social media. This year, I have made a strong effort to work through articles with my editors and writers so they can understand what changes I'm making and why I'm making them. I believe that this is a crucial step in creating strong articles and a talented group of writers.
Editing
Denebola's virtual article board – our way of organizing all articles to be published
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Neil Giesser (Photo editor), Sam Lee (adviser), Reese Pinto (Opinions editor), and I at NESPA in Boston
Team Building
Outside of room 9202, I have worked hard this year to keep the tight-knit community that Denebola is known for. This means holding "Denebola Dinners" every few weeks, along with other outings and meetings for the sole purpose of bonding and bringing the group closer together. Every year, NSPA does a great job of bonding the group as we explore the city together while simultaneously learning about journalism – the connection between us all.
Me presenting a fun birthday slideshow for Volume 62 editor-in-chief Abby Hepner
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Volume 63 out to eat downtown
Diversity
One of Denebola's main priorities this year was to bolster our Opinions section. I appointed two new editors of Opinions, one, a woman of color and the other, a woman who lives outside of Newton (true of a very small population of our high school). Together, they recruited a completely new group of writers and our most diverse section to date. We had a group of Israeli Opinions writers and a duo who moved from Brazil earlier this year. In having a diverse group, we were able to publish many insightful Opinions pieces that discussed these writers' backgrounds and perspectives and were unlike our typical Opinions pieces before.
Our expectations document originally created for the interim editors
(click photo to see full document)
Leadership
This year, with a focus on building a strong foundation of writers and future editors, my co-editor-in-chief and I implemented a new practice for the first time ever: interim editors. During the month of December, seniors are busy finishing up college applications and underclassmen are chomping at the bit to gain leadership positions in their clubs. We had each section editor appoint one "interim editor" who assumed their role as section editor for the month. This means they worked directly with us, the editors-in-chief, and crafted article ideas and ran section meetings. It was a great learning experience for both the interim editors and us as editors-in-chief and it helped us solidify a foundation of future editors who we know and trust.