Keeping Close
Keeping close with my staff is the foundation of my work. They are the reason I do what I do. As the first full year EIC for the Wahawk Insider, sometimes it can feel really heavy, but I have an amazing team of editors and reporters by my side.
 Me leading a Monday meeting.
Photo Credit: Nicole Goodman
Every Monday, all staffers meet in the front of the room for what we call "Monday Meetings."
In these meetings we review the articles that are waiting to be claimed, as well as articles staffers have added since the previous meeting. Each staffer is required to add at least one idea to the board a week, so that there is always something to write. As the EIC, I started taking responsibility of leading these weekly meetings, which has honestly taught me a lot about leading a group. It is so nice to know that my staffers truly love and care about what they are doing within this program |
As well as Monday meetings, the Wahawk Insider Editorial board meets at least once a month to discuss things that are doing well and things that could use some work. During these meetings, it is crucial we are able to debrief about the things that are bugging us, whether it is a practice we have implemented, or if it is a practice we need to use more. The one issue we have been having with editor meetings is the inconsistency. We had originally planned to have at least one meeting a month, but recently we have not been having them at all. This is something that can only be fixed with practice and repetition. |
Setting the Bar
Senior Knya Dellit experimenting with my camera after I taught her some of the basics at a basketball game.
PC: Kaylynn Crawford
The best way to lead is by doing. The best way to do is to teach.
Leading by example seems like a loaded statement, but that is what I aim to accomplish. I do this by stepping out of my comfort zone, in hopes that someone on my team will follow me.
There are people on my team that are so eager to learn. One of those people, Knya Dellit, is never afraid to ask me questions. This is the best way that my staffers can learn. Asking questions, I tell them this constantly. "It's okay to ask questions, that's exactly what I am here for."
Knya approached me, and said "Can you teach me how to take photos?"
This is what proved my leadership within the Wahawk Insider. This is what solidified my spot as the "Editor in Chief." Being able to see someones passion instantly spark when a camera touched their hands was beautiful to me. I know that I am making an impact to my staff, and I hope they know they will forever have an impact on me.
Leading by example seems like a loaded statement, but that is what I aim to accomplish. I do this by stepping out of my comfort zone, in hopes that someone on my team will follow me.
There are people on my team that are so eager to learn. One of those people, Knya Dellit, is never afraid to ask me questions. This is the best way that my staffers can learn. Asking questions, I tell them this constantly. "It's okay to ask questions, that's exactly what I am here for."
Knya approached me, and said "Can you teach me how to take photos?"
This is what proved my leadership within the Wahawk Insider. This is what solidified my spot as the "Editor in Chief." Being able to see someones passion instantly spark when a camera touched their hands was beautiful to me. I know that I am making an impact to my staff, and I hope they know they will forever have an impact on me.
Stepping in the Right Direction
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Trying to get attention and experience to our small program has not been easy. With that being said, my adviser and I wanted to plan something to bring other programs to us.
In order to do this, Goodman and I planned a workshop to increase equity and diversity not only in just our program, but for all student journalism teams. We tried to get this off the ground, we even got approval from our Administrator to continue on with our planning, but we could not get in contact with Nikole Hannah-Jones. Despite that, we completed the plan just in case we want to do something like this in the future. Goodman and I brainstormed for hours about what would be best for a hosted workshop. |
Patience is a Virtue
Wahawk Insider and Yearbook students smiling with Nikole Hannah-Jones after she speaks during our 8th period Online Publications class. Nikole shared her inspirations, the importance of enjoying the role of journalists process, and the role of journalism in activism. Nikole Hannah-Jones shared that if she could share a sentence with aspiring journalists, it would be "Just write and don't stop." Photo Credit - Ms. Kincaid
Friday, March 14, we had a very special guest join us for class. That guest was Nikole Hannah-Jones, the person we had previously tried to get in contact with.
Due to some unfortunate circumstances in our district and the cancelation of a Black History Month reading event, Nikole Hannah-Jones wanted to come and show Waterloo what journalism means to her. After the governor is Iowa tried to shut down the 1619 Project, the book and school Nikole put her heart and soul into.
The biggest thing I took away from this meeting was the fact that journalism is the only career protected by constitutional rights.
Due to some unfortunate circumstances in our district and the cancelation of a Black History Month reading event, Nikole Hannah-Jones wanted to come and show Waterloo what journalism means to her. After the governor is Iowa tried to shut down the 1619 Project, the book and school Nikole put her heart and soul into.
The biggest thing I took away from this meeting was the fact that journalism is the only career protected by constitutional rights.
Journalism is a form of activism. It's not the activism that's out in the street protesting, it's the activism that says we believe that we should protect the vulnerable. |
Getting to meet Nikole, someone who is a legacy in the Waterloo West journalism history, someone who is passionate about what I am passionate about, was amazing.
Hearing her story, how she became what she is today, was truly inspiring for someone like me, stuck in the greatest writing out of my life. |
JEA Partner Project
Since we were unable to make the previous workshop happen, we applied for the JEA partner project. My adviser and I filled out the application together being very clear our need for help.
As I have surely said a thousand times by now, our program is struggling. Funding is not something that comes as easily to us as others. On top of that, this is only our third year of having a team to begin with. We are small, but we are mighty.
Applying for this project really boosted the hope I have for our program. Since we are hosting, we get the chance to show everyone, to show other programs, that we are here, and we are not planning on leaving any time soon.
Now that the JEA Partner Project has happened, we have learned countless new skills like videography, photography and effective story telling.
My staff members were ecstatic and very receptive during this event. They made it clear that this was something we needed. Obviously, we wanted this, but it was also something that was immensely beneficial to our Yearbook and Insider team.
Throughout the three-day event, we split up into three teams; Reporting, videography, and photography. I spent my time in the photography group with Kyle Carter. We broke down the key components you should know when taking pictures, like "Photograph life.'
Kyle shared a lot of stories from times when he was shooting the good, but also times he was shooting the bad. This opened my eyes to the fact that not all pictures have to have a perfectly happy backstory, they just need to have one.
My staffers took away a lot of good skills from this experience, one being quick reporting. Small stories on Instagram, being led by two of my first-year staff members Layla and Mackenzie, are starting a Feature Friday series. In doing this, they are using the skills taught to them by Michelle Balmeo in the reporting breakout sessions.
I can not even begin to explain the amount of help the JEA Partner Project was to our news team.
As I have surely said a thousand times by now, our program is struggling. Funding is not something that comes as easily to us as others. On top of that, this is only our third year of having a team to begin with. We are small, but we are mighty.
Applying for this project really boosted the hope I have for our program. Since we are hosting, we get the chance to show everyone, to show other programs, that we are here, and we are not planning on leaving any time soon.
Now that the JEA Partner Project has happened, we have learned countless new skills like videography, photography and effective story telling.
My staff members were ecstatic and very receptive during this event. They made it clear that this was something we needed. Obviously, we wanted this, but it was also something that was immensely beneficial to our Yearbook and Insider team.
Throughout the three-day event, we split up into three teams; Reporting, videography, and photography. I spent my time in the photography group with Kyle Carter. We broke down the key components you should know when taking pictures, like "Photograph life.'
Kyle shared a lot of stories from times when he was shooting the good, but also times he was shooting the bad. This opened my eyes to the fact that not all pictures have to have a perfectly happy backstory, they just need to have one.
My staffers took away a lot of good skills from this experience, one being quick reporting. Small stories on Instagram, being led by two of my first-year staff members Layla and Mackenzie, are starting a Feature Friday series. In doing this, they are using the skills taught to them by Michelle Balmeo in the reporting breakout sessions.
I can not even begin to explain the amount of help the JEA Partner Project was to our news team.
Celebrating the Big Things
Celebrating achievements is very important to my program. Every little accomplishment we make is something we celebrate together. Insider is not just a group of high school journalists; we are a family. Regardless of how cheesy it may sound, it's the truth.
One of the best ways we celebrate each other is our bell-ringing ceremony. Every time a staffer publishes an article, it is tradition for them to ring our bell. This is something that I look forward to every single time one of my reporters shares their work with the world. It may seem small to most people, but to us, this is huge. Sadly, however, our ceremony has fallen a bit behind this year. I am fighting tooth and nail to be able to bring back the tradition of the bell ringing, to keep it alive, and I won't stop until all my staff members are able to ring the bell for everyone to see. The bell ringing ceremony is so back. From going to conferences together all the way to blindfolded puzzles, we are more than just a team. We always have been and we always will be. |
Our celebration cake for 2024 News Team of the Year
Photo Credit: Nicole Goodman
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We are Wahawk Insider
Knya Dellit, myself, and Karma Goodson at IHSPA Fall conference in our Wahawk Insider shirts.
PC: IHSPA
Being a part of this team of something that I would not trade for the world, and I know that some of my staffers share the same passion.
One of the most sure ways I know these staffers care is by repping our program.
This year, we decided we wanted to have Insider T-shirts. Wearing these was saying, loud and proud, "I am a part of this family." We have been wanting to use T-shirts as a way to show who we are for a while now, but we were finally able to do it!
Whenever I go to events to speak about the Wahawk Insider team or even just to take pictures, the first thing I grab is my Wahawk Insider T-Shirt.
A key part of the t-shirts to note is the fact that our entire staff has their name on the back of the shirt. They are a part of this family; they deserve to have their names plastered on every billboard in the world.
One of the most sure ways I know these staffers care is by repping our program.
This year, we decided we wanted to have Insider T-shirts. Wearing these was saying, loud and proud, "I am a part of this family." We have been wanting to use T-shirts as a way to show who we are for a while now, but we were finally able to do it!
Whenever I go to events to speak about the Wahawk Insider team or even just to take pictures, the first thing I grab is my Wahawk Insider T-Shirt.
A key part of the t-shirts to note is the fact that our entire staff has their name on the back of the shirt. They are a part of this family; they deserve to have their names plastered on every billboard in the world.
Building a Family
All second-semester Wahawk Insider staff created magnets this year. As we did this, we started out with simple questions like "favorite color" or "spirit animal" but as we continued making magnets, we learned more about each other. The last question we asked was "what is your favorite song and why?"
Photo Credit - Nicole Goodman
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Team building is crucial in any newsroom, but I feel that it is more needed than ever in ours.
With the reteaching every semester due to schedules changing and more people wanting to get involved, we sometimes find ourselves too wrapped up in the art of journalism. While not always a bad thing, I never want my reporters to feel burnt out or like they are stuck in a rut.
To make sure my staff members don't feel overwhelmed, we break up our boot camp week with days of mixed-in fun. This is something that not only boosts morale but pulls my staff closer together.
With the reteaching every semester due to schedules changing and more people wanting to get involved, we sometimes find ourselves too wrapped up in the art of journalism. While not always a bad thing, I never want my reporters to feel burnt out or like they are stuck in a rut.
To make sure my staff members don't feel overwhelmed, we break up our boot camp week with days of mixed-in fun. This is something that not only boosts morale but pulls my staff closer together.
Communicating
Band App
The Band app is something new that our district asked us to implement for student-teacher communication. While the implementation of this was quite easy, the app itself is very beneficial, especially for a news team like ours.
Using this app in tandem with the Wahawk Yearbook team reminds me every day that we aren't two separate teams working for two separate cases; we are one group working together to share news and bring light to the things happening within our school.
The Band app is something new that our district asked us to implement for student-teacher communication. While the implementation of this was quite easy, the app itself is very beneficial, especially for a news team like ours.
Using this app in tandem with the Wahawk Yearbook team reminds me every day that we aren't two separate teams working for two separate cases; we are one group working together to share news and bring light to the things happening within our school.
My Staffers - What They Have to Say
The staff that work along side me are one of the biggest reasons I am applying for JOY this year. Since they are such a crucial part of my journey, I feel it is necessary their voices are heard, not only by myself, but by everyone looking through the articles we publish. Their work and dedication does not go unnoticed.
I reached out to a few of my staff members to ask them what they thought of my leadership. Here are a few of their responses.
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Your leadership has definitely helped me out during my 1st year on Insider, your feedback is always super helpful and constructive! 
Kaylynn brings a centralized direction to the insider team. She is confident that the school newspaper should be an asset to the student body but at the same time, she is not afraid to write about what she believes in. She gives us the strength to write to our full potential |
Kaylynn's leadership has changed the Wahawk Insider team, to say the least, she is the jack of all trades. I have had the pleasure of working with Kaylynn as an EIC and as a peer. I think that she is an amazing writer whom we all can learn from here at Wahawk Insider but most of all she's a great teacher. To be a great leader you need to have teaching qualities as well. Whether it is teaching me how to use new computer systems, helping me edit something or just teaching me how to be a better person each day. Kaylynn leads the Wahawk Insider with love and care, she creates an atmosphere that is a safe space to share new ideas and a healthy space to critique things. 
You really push people to keep going and you set out reminders and it really shows integrity. dignity, and great work ethic. |
