CLASS REFLECTION: Through being part of the Animas Quill this year, I have learned a lot about the world of journalism and the nuances that come with writing journalistic news stories. It is a whole different type of writing and investigation that I have not experienced before. I saw how journalism is what we rely on around the globe. However, it's not just any journalism. We as a global community put our trust in reliable news. The work of a journalist is to collect the relevant facts, check the sources, and create news that reaches a wide audience. In our democratic America, journalism is a connection between the citizens and politics. As voting citizens, we depend on our journalists to give us reputable facts so that we may inform the decisions we make that impact our country. However, this can be a blurry line. Sometimes, those who call themselves journalists stray too far into politics and become hubs for intensely politically biased news. This is where we must be careful as journalists.
Even if I do not continue in life as an active journalist, I believe the learning I have done through this class is essential. I have learned the importance of collecting your own news, and a lot of it. An informed global citizen is one who strives to make the most impact. I have learned to not only find the information, but investigate multiple sources and sides of the issue. It is not always wrong to use sources like FOX and CNN that are incredibly politically biased, if you know how to read them. Being able to sift through the bias and see the true journalism and reporting going on beneath the surface is a skill that I have cultivated and intend to continue. I can now see the importance of maintaining healthy news consumption habits in order to stay involved in the wider community (local, national, and global). As a journalist, I have also learned the importance of recognizing your own bias and working hard to give the most truthful news possible.
Throughout this year I have been able to explore many different types of journalistic writing. From features to photo journalism stories, I have cultivated my ability to look at the world as a journalist.
This is the feature story that my peer Sailor Kabeary and I co-wrote about the forth and fifth estate and how they are changing the world of news:
These are some photos and a story blurb that I contributed to a photo journalism story that featured the Freshman Biology Exhibition, which was the first (and possibly only) exhibition Animas had this year (2020-2021):
STORY BLURB/EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION: The 9th grade class at AHS studied climate change for their spring semester project diving deep into issues that affect them personally. Using a variety of resources including drawdown.org as an anchor website, students investigated how their actions, behaviors, and lifestyles contribute to the ongoing issue of Climate Change and how carbon can be sequestered by being proactive, changing how we live and operate as humans, and looking for solutions. By studying geology, glaciation, historical climate data, looking at ice core samples and data, and earth/space science, students got a deeper understanding of the complexity of our changing climate and how we're contributing to the rise in global temperatures. Then they were off to examine their own lives and look for solutions to the problem they identified. No two projects were the same, no two solutions equal. Projects ranged from plant based diets with a cookbook (which is for sale at Maria's bookstore), to the fashion industry and sustainable clothing design and manufacturing.
PIC #1: Animas Freshman Teo van Tyn presents his Biology project to Assistant Head of School Libby Cowles during the first in person exhibition this year.
PIC #2: Freshman Mae Lobig explains her project to her brother Max Lobig, AHS Junior, that is focused on climate change and community outreach.
PIC #3: pictured - freshman Nelly presenting to Assistant Head of School Libby Cowels
SEMESTER ONE "NEWS STORY" REFLECTION: It is evident that learning in the midst of a pandemic is challenging. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, students across the globe have had to re-learn how to learn in alternative ways. “The hardest part is not being able to see my teachers and peers in person,” Naima van Tyn, a junior at Animas High School in Durango Colorado, shares. “It’s not only that I have to self-motivate to get most of my work done, but that I do not have as much support from my school community.” However, even with the challenges of teaching through a screen, many of Naima’s teachers have continued to inspire and teach her. “Oh I’m definitely learning,” she says, with an air of stating the obvious. “Even with all the craziness, my teachers still manage to show me the vast swaths of topics I have yet to learn about.” When asked to go more in depth, she reflected on a specific class she took this year. “One of the classes I was more interested and excited to take this year was Journalism [taught by Jessica McCallum] and I was not disappointed. Throughout this semester, I have learned how to correctly interview someone, you [the reporter] are doing a great job by the way, I have learned how to write different kinds of news stories, and how to come up with interesting ideas that can reel people into reading it.” Still, Naima faced many challenges in this class despite the great instruction she was given by her teacher. “It was especially difficult to find a story idea that felt right. When I finally settled on an idea, there were even more obstacles to overcome.” She shared that she is still working on the story and hopes to get it into the Animas Quill, the student newspaper run by Jessica’s Journalism class. “I feel that my story [exploring the experiences of the teachers during this pandemic] is still very relevant and interesting. I really just need to get it all put together.” For some reason,” she admits, “that has almost been the most challenging part.” As she pushes through the final stages of finishing her news story, she hopes to demonstrate her lasting interest in the work of journalism and of being a part of the Quill. “I want to show how much I have learned and in a way I also want to prove to myself that I can finish what I set out to do. Next semester, I want to be able to overcome this block and really contribute to this class and the newspaper.” She acknowledges that this will take work, but as she puts it, “The only way to truly learn the ways of a journalist is to be one, and it doesn’t hurt that I’m learning from an amazing teacher, writer, and journalist.”