Carlmont's journalism program was the reason behind my move during the summer of freshman year. As I was heading into high school, I applied for a transfer to the school and was unfortunately denied, but my family moved in order to fulfill the focus on journalism. My first year writing for Scot Scoop was not a typical one, with the challenge of doing everything virtual, but nonetheless I learned how to search for stories and dig deeper.
With autumn around the corner, I wondered what was in store for the upcoming holidays. With Halloween especially, trick or treating and visiting pumpkin patches were longstanding traditions. My partner and I researched how these traditions would continue despite the challenges many businesses were facing, and decided to write about local pumpkin patches and their plan to keep the fall spirit alive.
I've always found cultural holidays interesting, especially Dia de Los Muertos because it honors those who have passed. The celebration itself intrigued me because it was so colorful and vibrant, however when it was forced to occur virtually I found the perfect opportunity to look into it further. With the help of my partner, I learned about the history of the holiday as well as how it was being celebrated in 2020.
As the year wrapped up, I was still looking into the shifted celebration of holidays. With the worry of staying safe looming over just about everything, I wanted to figure out how the tree lots would remain open. Local news and updates felt most important during the unique situation, as people find comfort in constants during a time of new experiences.
Living by the ocean most of my life, I've always taken an interest in the nature of the water and everything surrounding it. King Tides caught our attention due to the reason for the project, as it was connected to the threats of rising sea levels. As we researched, we found out more about the threat of high tides as well as the future of the coast.
The future of the planet has always been a heavily debated topic, and I wanted to do a little research of my own to figure out exactly what was going on. We interviewed a local organization about their efforts to improve the earth, which we found incredibly interesting. The volunteer we interviewed also discussed the threats facing our environment in honor of Earth Day, and allowed for some perspective on the topic.