The Story Behind the Story

Imagine being in high school and also being in a position of leadership with extra responsibilities. That’s what it’s like to be an editor in the Writing for Publication class. They manage everything from their own articles, pages, and segments plus everyone else’s tasks. They are the ones that make your yearbook full of memories possible. The ones who make sure the broadcast shines brighter than the last. Finally, they provide this very newspaper for you. Now, none of this would be possible without the staff, but the editors really bring it into full swing. So what is the story behind the story? What work goes into these detailed publications? We are about to find out.

Clearly, there are extra responsibilities that come with the position of being an editor rather than a staff member. “I work with Morgan, my assistant editor, and we review all of the yearbook pages. I also work with her to decide what pages should look like and what should be on them. I help people in the class and talk with the teacher to make sure everything for the yearbook is running smoothly,” Abby Volk, the yearbook editor, stated. The yearbook has a lot of different parts that Abby and Morgan have to manage, and they even have their own pages to worry about.

“Making sure that everyone gets what they need to get done, outlining what we want things to look like, and making sure everyone completes that,” Tommy Lund, broadcast editor, said. Staff members need to meet deadlines, and sometimes when they don’t complete them, the editors have to go out of their way to make sure the missing parts are accounted for.

Being a part of a class like this definitely has its creative benefits. “Probably being able to work with everyone and have that creative freedom, as well as giving people creative freedom and seeing those ideas come to life,” Jade Homewood, a newspaper editor, said when asked about the best thing about her position.

“My favorite part of being an editor is giving people creative freedom and being able to set things up how I want to and see how it looks. I also really enjoy working with the other editors in the class, even if they aren’t yearbook editors,” Abby Volk mentioned. The cool parts of being in that position of leadership definitely outweigh the extra responsibilities.

Along with the extra tasks that come with being an editor, you have to be accountable for your team. When someone doesn’t fulfill the requirements of an article or segment, they make up the difference. “The worst part about being an editor is the stress that can come with it. For the yearbook, we are working on one big project all year, and if we don’t stay on top of or ahead of deadlines, things can pile up. Also, when working with a staff, there are always some people who may not meet the deadlines, which can be kind of frustrating,” Morgan Paulson, yearbook editor, stated.

The frustration makes for a tense environment, which can decrease the amount of work that gets done. “When others do not get things done, we have to make sure things still happen. We end up doing a lot of extra work,” Tommy Lund said. The extra work that an editor ends up doing depends mostly on the diligence of the staff members.

Clearly, the position isn’t just handed to kids randomly. It’s an application, and you get chosen to be in these positions. So these hardworking students chose to take on the role with all of its good and bad parts. “I wanted to become an editor because I loved working on the yearbook, and I wanted to be able to do more for it than just make my spreads. Holding a leadership position also contributed because I am able to bring my ideas to life,” Morgan Paulson mentioned. The juniors in editing positions were staff members last year, and they wanted to bring their ideas to the team. “I would say the opportunities that Marcus and Norah created inspired me to step up into that leadership role,” Tommy Lund said.

Given the challenges but the freedom that comes with these positions, anyone can be an editor, and anyone can be a member of the staff. It’s an amazing opportunity for creativity, and we all need that outlet in high school. “I would definitely recommend being an editor. Not only does it look good on applications, but it is a really fun experience!” Abby Volk said.

After our seniors leave, the positions need to be filled by the hopeful underclassmen. “It’s not for the weak-willed. You have to be willing to work hard and overcome challenges,” Maddie Griffis, broadcast editor, said. It might not be for everyone, but anyone willing enough can take on the challenge.

Well, that’s the story within the story. The behind-the-scenes take on the things you see and read all the time.