When I decided to join news at the beginning of my senior year, I had no idea the impact it would have on my perspective here at ADM High School. I didn’t think I would learn more about my peers through one class than I had learned throughout my entire high school career. And boy am I so grateful.
Before news, I was trapped in my own little bubble. I had my friends, my peers within my classes, and the activities we were all involved in. I rarely stepped outside of the box I put myself in. Then senior year began. I was told that on the news team it was my job to branch out, learn more about people, and dive into the stories that haven’t been told before. I was more nervous than ever. I’m often scared to try new things or talk to new people. And while that is a pretty normal thing for most, here in News, you have to break that fear. And so I tried. And through all the interviews for People of the Month, for the Black and Red TV segments, and personal stories I was passionate about, I met so many incredible people with riveting stories.
For example, one of my favorite stories I was able to write this year was called, “160 Hours: Humanitarian Cord and Its Struggles”. During the interview process I was introduced to many underclassmen I had never met before. Being able to sit down and talk with them about the problems they were facing within the organization was truly eye opening. While I have been a part of Humanitarian Cord, I only ever knew the people around me to be a part of it. I really had to take a step back and be reminded that there are kids all throughout ADM that also feel the same way about the rules and regulations of the cord. I talked with a sophomore boy who expressed to me his stance on the rules, and I felt his pain. I knew exactly what he felt like and was excited to share that story with everyone. Not only was this story important to me, but also was important to all the underclassmen who will be effected by stories like this in the future. I wanted to share awareness and make it clear that the students are asking for change within the organization. Being able to publish that story, and talk to many new faces, gave me a glimpse at what it feels like to put yourself into someone’s shoes. And to be able to give a voice to those students is a privilege that I didn’t realize held so much weight.
Throughout this year, I have not only met many new students here at ADM, but I also became more aware of the activities and events happening right under my feet. Before news, I wasn’t familiar of the play productions we put on, bowling meets at Warrior Lanes, or the Raccoon River Valley Conference Art Show. News gave me that insight, and I can’t believe that I walked through the first three years of high school so blind to everything around me.
ADM is a diverse school with many activities, events, students, and teachers. And all of them have their own personal story. It’s up to us as a team to work together to showcase that diversity and uniqueness that makes ADM the school that it is. While we like to focus on the negative, we forgot all the positive surrounding us. Someone walking the halls just received a summer internship to pursue their passion. Someone in the parking lot just qualified for State wrestling as a freshman. Someone sitting at lunch is allergic to soy, and how do they even live with that? There are stories all around us, and even if you aren’t in News, I cannot express how important it is to go out and find them. Not only did I met new people, but I made stronger connections within the student body and school staff. I learned about a ton of new events, experienced so many new activities, and best of all, got to watch the news team work together to bring those stories to life.
