News and information spread like wildfire in today’s age; thus, the ability to craft a well-written article with factual information and credible sources is rare. In the newswriting elective at Kalani High School, these skills are taught to the class and more.
Azriel Togle-Wilson (11) is a student in newswriting and is in his 3rd year. He explains that his journey through his newswriting pathway is that of a staunch passion for writing.
“It was the only writing elective,” Togle-Wilson says. “Even though I prefer fictional writing, it was the only semi-related one, so I was like ‘why not?’”
Olivia Kulaga (12) is the only newswriting 4 student, meaning that she’s been in the class longer than anyone else. Having been in the same elective for 4 years, Kulaga shares her origins in Kalani’s newswriting elective.
“I liked English,” Kulaga says. “I just wanted to try something new in freshman year, and I just stuck with that.”
Togel-Wilson’s passion for writing has in fact been further fueled by newswriting. He explains his challenges, which then would turn into something enjoyable.
“To be honest, at first, I didn’t know how to feel about it,” Togle-Wilson (11) says. “The first assignment was a hard news article, to which I was like, ‘I have no idea what to do’, but after a while, it became something I enjoyed.”
Kulaga shares her introduction to newswriting, and how you can have fun writing an article while keeping it “newsworthy”.
“I think it’s pretty fun getting to explore topics that you like,” Kulaga says. “After I started to cater to [topics] I enjoy learning about more, it became fun.”
Despite years of experience, Kulaga shares that she still has some challenges with choosing topics.
“I would say every time we have to write an article, that’s a challenge because you have to come up with a new topic and it always has to be a little bit better than your last one,” Kulaga says. “You’re [also] constantly learning new things and trying new skills.”
In the face of challenges and writer’s block, Togle-Wilson explains that Ms. Nasser is the best resource to the disposal of the newswriting students.
“Asking Ms. Nasser is helpful,” Togle-Wilson says. “Sometimes I’ll start overthinking myself like ‘that’s not a good enough idea,’ or ‘that won’t become a great article,’ but I’ll ask Ms. Nasser, and she’ll be like ‘That IS a great article! That IS a good idea!’. That helps a lot.”
Along with general skills for how to write a good article, newswriting teaches students far more than what’s required for the class. Kulaga shares the experiences she’s gained over her 4 years in newswriting that have helped her open her mind to a plethora of new opportunities and ideas.
“I think you’re definitely looking more at what’s happening in your community and in the school,” Kulaga says. “You’re kind of seeing how people are reacting to news and different events. I think you’re more aware of what’s happening all around the world; media literacy is a big thing that you learn.”
