📚The Journalism Mentors' Tips and Advice📚

📚The Journalism Mentors' Tips and Advice📚 1/26/22 By: Kinley Butler and Kelly Donahue

When we first walked into Journalism, we were surprised to see multiple 7th and 8th graders in the room as well. They were our “mentors”, and they would help us with our articles if we had problems. We have 9 mentors who are all great in their own ways!

Avi Grile is a 7th grader who loves all things writing and reading. Avi has been in Journalism since 6th grade and hopes to continue it as she goes into 8th grade. Avi’s biggest challenge in Journalism is technical issues, as she says, “It’s more of trying to get a certain picture to work, or the website crashing as you’re trying to add your article.” If Avi had to give one piece of advice, it would be, “No idea is a bad idea, so at least try something.”

Maggie Mccormack is another one of our 7th-grade mentors, a cross-country runner, and a member of student council. She has also been in Journalism since 6th grade, and really enjoys being our mentor. Maggie’s favorite things about Journalism are how fun it is, and how she gets to hang out with her friends while doing something she loves at the same time. Maggie’s main challenge with journalism is coming up with an article idea. “Coming up with articles is really tough, but it's a lot easier with a partner,” Maggie said. Her one tip would be that “Always re-read your article before you publish it because you’ll always catch things that are messed up.”

Ella Johnson is a 7th grader who is another student council member, as she says, “My favorite thing about Student Council is that we get to have a voice for the school, and we get to help make our school better.” Ella’s been in Journalism since 6th grade and enjoys every moment of it. “I chose Journalism and stayed with it because I like to help people, and Journalism is different from other classes, and you get to write for the school, which is fun,” Ella says. Her biggest tip for 6th graders would be to, “Write what you want to write about, and be creative when you’re writing.”

Meg Wilson is another 7th grader who is part of Mini Warehouse. Meg’s favorite part about Journalism is teaching kids, as she says, “I love teaching kids about writing because I love writing myself.” Meg’s biggest struggle is thinking of topics, and one way she gets through it is by thinking of what the readers will want to read. Her one piece of advice would be, “Try and think of what the readers’ questions will be, and try to put that into your words.”

Greta Vagedes, a 7th grader, is in gymnastics, and was very proud to get her back walkover on the beam, and is a big fan of realistic fiction and fantasy. One of the reasons Greta stuck with Journalism was because, “I love writing, and Journalism is a very fun class.” Greta, as well as others, faces the challenge of picking topics, and she gets through it by researching what’s going on locally. “It’s sometimes hard to pick topics,” Greta said, “but if you slow down and think about it, it will help you figure it out.”

Ben Welch, one of our last 7th graders, is the only seventh-grade marcher and helped them make it to state. Ben also deals with writer’s block, and one way he gets through it is by researching big newspaper sites, and seeing what’s going on there. If Ben had to give one tip or piece of advice, it would be, “It’s gonna be hard at times, but once you’re done it’s good to look back on it.”

Our final 7th grader, Henry Norris, is part of the 7th-grade basketball team, although he also does baseball, swimming, and cross country. Henry likes being a mentor better than being in 6th grade, because, “You have more freedom, and you have better knowledge of writing and Journalism.” He, like most of our other 7th graders, experiences Writer's Block and gets through it the same way as the others. Henry’s piece of advice is, “Write whatever comes to mind, and do a lot of research before writing.”

And finally, our two 8th graders, Jenna Abrams, and Ella Laroche. They are our only two eighth graders at the moment, but hopefully, we’ll have more next year. They both play volleyball, and they both love writing. Ella’s favorite thing about Journalism is that “It’s fun to mentor the kids while also hanging out with them, and also having a lot of freedom.” Jenna agrees, but she also loves the writing part of Journalism, as she says, “You can write articles, and you also have the freedom of writing articles, but you also get to help the 6th graders' articles, and you get to see Journalism from a different point of view.” They both struggle with finding a topic, but they overcome those challenges by asking others for tips or suggestions. They both agreed on one piece of advice, and it is to, “Don’t be shy to ask for an interview.”

In conclusion, all of our mentors are great, and they’ve all helped out with our articles, layout, and everything else we could ever need. We love the support and kindness they bring to class every day. Thank you mentors, We love you!