Reporting and Writing
The purpose of reporting and writing in journalism is to inform the public about current events and issues that impact lives. As a news editor, I focus my reporting and writing on providing accurate and timely information to promote transparency in society.
District News
Many of my stories focus events happening in my district. Keeping the school and larger community informed of local events is a primary driver of my interest in journalism.
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Connie Erdozain
"APS raises teacher salary for 2024-2025 school year"
The start of the 2024-25 school year marked a historic change in my school district with the largest teacher pay increase ever. There was hardly any reporting on it from local news organizations, and it was a change that had substantial impacts on every teacher at my school and in my community. I was able to interview two APS board members and three Midtown High School teachers about the implications of the change and their opinions on it. This story contributed to my ability to collect and accurately report on data. It also allowed me to converse with leaders in my district.
"Georgia school districts deal with spiking chronic absenteeism"
COVID-19 impacted many aspects of education - attendance is one area that was completely changed. Fulton County's Title I schools partnered with Everyday Labs to install a plan to cut down their schools' chronic absenteeism which proved effective. My school district, APS planned to start using this solution across every school in the district. This change would affect every student across the district, so I decided to cover it. I had the pleasure of interviewing the APS Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Fulton County Schools’ Director of Attendance and the Midtown Student Support Attendance Specialist. This story also helped my research and data collection skills, as well as my ability to interview important district leaders.
"District sets record graduation rate, surpasses state average"
Connie Erdozain
The Atlanta Public School class of 2023 had the highest graduation rate of all time in the district. This sparked my interest. However, when I began writing it and looking into the data, I saw noticeable disparities between racial demographics. In this story, I focused on comparing graduation rates across the past, future, and racial demographics. I was able to interview Midtown's student support officer, two college and career counselors, and a Midtown class of 2023 graduate. This story contributed to my data collection and my ability to consider race-based inequities.
School News
I also write stories focused on news specific to my school. These stories are important to report. They are extremely relevant to my peers, as they explain new policies and changes around our school.
"District increases 2024-25 lunch budget $15 million, prioritizes food quality, variety"
My school's lunch had never been noticeable until this year when I realized the quality had skyrocketed. I was curious as to why it was noticeably better, so I decided to look into it. I uncovered the reason why- a district-wide budget change and a new in-house model. I interviewed a district leader, Midtown's lunch manager, two Midtown students and a Midtown parent. This story allowed me to gather information and opinions on a change in my school. I also really enjoyed reporting and writing it because I eat school lunch everyday along with hundreds of my peers.
Carys Brightwell
State News
I also write stories focused on large-scale changes that impact the entire state. These stories require in-depth reporting, but they are important to write. Large-scale changes result in large-scale impacts
"Controversial private school vouchers expected to return"
The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act or State Bill 233 is an act that allocates $6,500 a year to families with students in underperforming public schools to move to private schools. While my school does not qualify for this act, it impacts many schools across Georgia. As a student, I was very interested in this act and thought my peers would be too. I interviewed a state senator, a Midtown parent who runs a school and a Midtown student. This story allowed me to interview a leader in my state and look into how bills pass through state legislature.
Carys Brightwell
"Promise Scholarship program approved for inaugural 2025-26 school year"
This was an update story for the previous story I had written on the Promise Scholarship. It was officially approved and finalized for the 2025-26 school year. When I was reporting on this story, I had to read the quality based education formula which funds the Georgia public schools. I found out that 1% of this fund can go towards the scholarship. I interviewed a different parent who runs a school, a teacher, and two students who had unique perspectives on the vouchers. This story taught me how to research a complex policy and break it down in a way that is accessible for my peers.
Feature Stories
While I serve as a news editor and writer, occasionally I explore writing for different sections of the newspaper. I have written feature stories to highlight interesting people and places around my community. These stories help create personal connections my peers and our community.
"New AP Capstone teacher facilitates warm environment for students"
This was the first story I ever wrote on staff. While there are a few things I would change about it, it was a jumping-off point for my student journalism career. The 2023-24 school year saw many new teachers at Midtown; Ms. Boyd was one of them. Interviewing her and reporting this story showed me the interesting approach she took to teaching. She focuses on the environment in her classroom. While I know news is important to educate my peers, the real reason people read the school newspaper is to read about people they know. This story taught me how to write a feature and how to focus questions to find an angle.
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Courtesy of Dominic Reilly
"Spring earns first Michelin star outside perimeter"
This year, the first Georgia restaurant outside the perimeter was awarded a Michelin star. I co-wrote the feature story about this milestone with sophomore Dabney Bond, but as the higher editor, I took on most of the workload. I was interested in writing this story because I wanted to know the perspective of a Michelin-awarded restaurant. I was able to have an in-depth interview with Spring's sommelier. This illuminating interview not only was the main voice throughout the story, but also showed me the true passion it takes to achieve such an award. This was my first feature story in over a year, and it was refreshing to shift from news writing to a more narrative approach.