MAYA CLEMENT
As a writer and leader, I have struggled to find a balance between producing my own stories and my other responsibilities in the program. Because of this, I haven't published as many stories as I would like, but I am proud of the work I have created.
Larger than Life
Through this article, I was able to learn more about a local community member named Life the Griot. This was my first time attempting a profile, but it was a pretty good experience. It took me a long time to go through the writing process due to difficulties so it was very rewarding to have it published.
Competitive spirit
This was the first story that I wrote for the ODYSSEY newsmagazine. Being competitive is something that has strongly impacted my life. This story came really easily to me because I got to write about experiences that were relatable to readers. Additionally, this piece was a good reintroduction of journalism after summer break.
Chicken time
This article is about the FFA chapter getting chickens to house at the school. This article was one of my favorites to write because I wrote this towards the end of the 2021-22 school year and I was very confident in my journalistic skills. I had also built a good relationship with several of my sources, so it was fun to be able to interview them for the last time that year.
Apples to apples
I wrote this story about the Clarke Central High School JROTC program when they were selling apples as a fundraiser. This was one of the first stories I wrote for the program, so this piece especially encapsulates my journey in strengthening my skills in hard news journalism. This was the first story I wrote that did not go through many rounds of editing before it was published.
Off-campus speech is a student's own time
I originally wrote this story as an essay for an assignment in class. I decided to turn it into an editorial with the encouragement of the ODYSSEY Media Group adviser. It was difficult having to switch the writing styles, but it was a good challenge as it was the first editorial I wrote. To write the story, I had to do a lot of research on the topic of a school limiting student's speech when they are not on a school campus.
2021 Foundation for Excellence CCHS winners
This story was on the Clarke Central High School faculty who won the Foundation for Excellence award. This was the first story I did as a member of Production and it was the first story that did not turn out as well as it was supposed to be. I did not manage completing the story in a timely manner and didn't research all of the sources needed which prohibited it from getting posted. While this story was a failure, it was also a learning experience. I was really introduced into reporting quickly and fully in order to get the necessary story.
FFA plant sale
I wrote this story on the plant sale that my school's FFA chapter was holding. I wrote it towards the end of my first year in Production so I had more News writing experience. This allowed me to be able to write the story easily, but I was still proud of it because of all the elements I included in it. I thought that the story turned out well with multiple visuals and it had all of the information needed to inform my community.
Recording the numbers
This was the first story I completed with a group and the first story where I really had to do a lot of reporting. Since we were reporting on the COVID-19 data collection at Clarke Central High School, I had to do a lot of research on the number of COVID-19 cases and I had to interview multiple source to make sure that our reporting was accurate. While we didn't end up getting the story posted, going through the detailed reporting process was a good skill to learn.
Review: Pocket Build +
I wrote this story as a critical blurb review for the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine. I enjoyed getting to write a story that would be a part of the magazine and that was a different style than my typical News writing. This story also challenged me to have the correct word count as there is a set amount of space for each story compared to the website where the word count can be more lenient.
Fresh farming
At the 2022 Southern Interscholastic Press Association, I competed in a Team Onsite Production competition where we had to create a story in a few hours. It was challenging to do quality reporting in a short amount of time, but it was good to further my journalistic skills. I think that our story turned out well and we won an award for our writing and an award for overall story.
Our take
I wrote this story on the staff's opinion of family engagement at Clarke Central High School. This story was difficult for me to write because I found it difficult to stick to the word count and I focused too much on the problem and not enough on the solutions. I ended up writing four different versions of this story, but this showed me what I needed to work on as far as editorial writing.
Boiling point
As the Managing Editor, I have the responsibility of writing the Boiling Point column for the newsmagazine. In this series of editorials, I pick a topic with controversy and discuss my opinion on it. I enjoy having the platform to showcase different opinions on topics that I think our student audience should know about. I particularly valued my third column (far right) because it was focused on the culture and history of Athens, a city that is very meaningful for me. Writing these columns has helped me become more comfortable with editorial writing and speed up the process. I have worked to develop my voice through these stories, while making sure to include the perfect mix of fact and opinion.
An important aspect of reporting and writing is interviewing. Without good interviews, it is difficult to produce an accurate and interesting story.
Interview requests
These are examples of emails I sent to sources to ask them for an interview. I have found that most sources respond to email, but when they don't, I go to their office or classroom in-person.
Interview questions
Before most of my interviews, I create a list of questions or talking points that I want to ask my stakeholder. I will also add to this list throughout the interview if anything comes to mind that I want to make sure I don't forget to add. This list of questions is from an interview I had with Athens community member Life the Griot. I was doing a profile on him, so I wanted to include a variety of questions and make sure to get as much information about his life as possible.
Transcriptions
In order to make sure that I am portraying sources accurately, I like to transcribe with fidelity. I try to do my transcriptions within 48 hours of the interview so that they interview is still fresh in my mind.
Interviews throughout the cycle
What was your best interview of Cycle 2 and why?
What was your worst interview of Cycle 2 and why?
What did you differently in Cycle 2 from Cycle 1 in regards to interviewing? I would encourage you to look back over Cycle 1's reflection to see how you grew.
On a scale of 1-10 (10 = maestro status), how do you see yourself as an interviewer and why?
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The text on the left is my response to these questions. In order to ensure progression with interviews and that we are conducting the best ones possible, ODYSSEY staffers answer these questions at the end of each cycle.