You get the pop-up notifications, you read the stories, but do you know who’s behind the SunDevil Times? Did you know Journalism is a class that anyone can take?
Taking journalism gives students the opportunity to interview students and staff, write stories, practice graphic design, and even dabble in photography. The class runs more like a newsroom than a traditional high school class. During the first several weeks, the first few minutes of class are dedicated to team building, which helps create lasting connections between classmates of all grade levels.
Mrs. Kathleen Trace has been the journalism advisor/teacher for the past nine years
Q: What is the best part of advising the journalism staff?
A: I get to teach in the beginning and then I become more of a mentor and I get to see so many students find their voices and rise to leadership positions.
Q: How has this class grown over the years?
A: The class ebbs and flows over the years. Sometimes it is senior-heavy and the next year is mostly new students. Sometimes I have more underclassmen returning so there are more students who can help guide new members. It’s always fun though. We get to know each other so well over the year and I love seeing students create life-long friendships. I’ve even had two students who met in my journalism class end up getting married!
Q: What would you tell students to advise them to take this class?
A: I would encourage anyone who loves writing, photography, or graphic design to take the class. Also, students who are self-motivated. After the initial instructional portion of the class, students choose what they want to write about, get a deadline, and do the assignment independently. It takes a certain amount of commitment and organization to stay on top of that, but it’s also great practice for the real world.
Editor-in-Chief
Lily K. Check
Grade: 11
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I decided to take this class my sophomore year because I want to pursue journalism after high school. I have always loved writing and want to become a sports journalist, so I thought this class would be a great starting point for me.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: My favorite part and most exciting thing about Journalism is getting to tell the stories that have never been told with angles that have never been heard. There are so many aspects of Salem that are newsworthy, but no one will ever know about them if the stories aren’t written. I love getting to write those stories, especially the hard ones.
Q: What is something you love about being an editor?
A: I love everything about being an editor, but if I had to choose my favorite part, it would be getting to know the staff and what makes them passionate. I love watching their interests become evident through their writing and it is so fun to see them grow as journalists. We have such a great group this year!
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Rylee M. Partridge
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took journalism because I’ve always really enjoyed writing. I actually had no idea that, by signing up for the class, I’d be writing for the SunDevil Times.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing for me in Journalism is being able to write stories for people to read. Whether it’s informational or something I have a strong opinion on, being able to share things with others is a big part of the excitement I feel for this class.
Q: What is something you love about being an editor?
A: Something I love about being an editor is the ability to help students in and out of the classroom. It makes me feel needed when others ask me about schedule changes or upcoming events and I’m able to give them the information they need.
Managing Editor
Kendall E. Warlick
Grade: 12
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I originally took journalism to fill a time gap in my schedule. I also really wanted a place to openly speak about my interests and creatively write.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing for me is definitely being able to creatively write about the things I find interesting like I said earlier. In most classes, you really don’t have the freedom to write as you may have in a journalism class.
Q: What is something you love about being an editor?
A: I love being there to help people out. Being an editor gives me access to that.
Returning staff:
Tierra Adams
Grade: 11
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I always had a joy for writing. I would write short stories when I was growing up and took that interest in journalism. In Journalism, we get to write as much as we like and we get that opportunity to express ourselves.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: I love the writing. I think the interviewing is fun too and I love how close we are as a staff. We’re actually playing photo tag right now and it’s so fun!
Ariyana Roberts
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: In all honesty, I had no interest in taking journalism. I just thought it’d be extra work, but Rylee was very adamant about taking this class and seemed really excited so I gave it a chance. I am glad to have taken this class because it makes me step out of my comfort zone and I get to write about things I actually am interested in.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing is the people here. Everyone is so fun and lively and they make every A-Day a little less miserable. I think that anyone who enjoys writing should give this class a chance. Even for anyone who enjoys photography, Mrs. Trace would be happy to show you how to work our camera.
New staff:
Isaiah Bolden
Grade: 11
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took journalism because I love writing and being able to connect with others who are as into writing and research as I am.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: I am most excited about being able to express my interests, thoughts, opinions, and connections through my writing and sharing them with others!
John Diwa
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took journalism because a friend convinced me to take it. Otherwise, I do not think I’d be taking the class. Journalism is one of my favorites right now.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing in Journalism, to me, is the freedom to write what is on my mind and what I find interesting.
Elijah Harfst
Grade: 12
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I decided to take journalism because of my ongoing love for writing and pop culture.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting part of journalism is being able to put out my own opinions and articles about my favorite media.
Emma Lewis
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I decided to take journalism because I wanted to take a class that felt more like a community with people working towards the same goals.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting part of journalism is getting to learn about all of the ins and outs of how articles are put together.
Morgan Lombardi
Grade: 12
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: Journalism was my back-up plan in case my plan of becoming a game developer fell through, and that plan fell through.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing for me in journalism is having my NEWS articles published for the SunDevil Times.
Adrian Lumba
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I initially chose journalism because I needed something to replace the band, and since I’ve always been a writer, journalism seemed perfect.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: There are so many exciting things about journalism, but I think I’m most excited about the opportunity to share my writing with others as well as seeing other people’s writings.
Em Montalvo
Grade: 11
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I have always wanted to write for a newspaper, and I was finally able to fit it into my schedule this year.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: For me, it’s the community. The people in the class are so much fun to be around, and it’s amazing how much fun we all have in that class
Joseph Moore
Grade: 9
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I chose this because I always wanted to write for a newspaper.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: To write more stories and get better at it.
Andrew Murphy
Grade: 12
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took journalism because my schedule was getting busy, and I wanted something relaxed and I heard it’s a very enjoyable class.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: Being able to just let my mind write with little to no hindrance.
Jay Pena
Grade: 10
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took journalism on a whim while I was picking classes. I was looking at some of the electives and Journalism caught my eye; I thought it was interesting so I signed up. It was a pretty great decision.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing about Journalism for me is having the freedom to write about almost anything I want that interests me. The creative freedom is something that’s very unique to this class and I really appreciate it.
Jaeda Phelps
Grade: 11
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I decided to take Journalism because one of my backup career plans is to become a news anchor and I wanted to learn how to figure out how to write different articles.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: The most exciting thing for me in Journalism is trying to learn how to take pictures for articles and make thumbnails.
Declan Smallwood
Grade: 12
Q: Why did you take Journalism?
A: I took Journalism for two reasons. I thought about going into it for college, so I thought this would be a good experience for me. The other is that I needed a filler class. What excites me is the aspect of Broadcast Journalism.
Q: What is the most exciting thing for you in Journalism?
A: I want to do more of it, and I wish we had a specific outlet for Broadcast Journalism here.
