The West Prairie Press

By Janell Heaton

If you have been following the blog, you may know that it is currently run by the high school journalism class. This year, the class made the switch from a newspaper format to a blog format because it was easier to manage and allowed posts to be published more frequently. However, due to low enrollment numbers, journalism will not be offered as a course next year.

Although the journalism class will not continue, the blog itself will still remain active. Sullivan will be teaching English 9 and 10 next year, and he hopes to keep the blog alive through his advanced English classes.

At the beginning of the year, our class had a goal of reaching 100 subscribers. When we reached 100 subscribers, we planned to have a breakfast bar. We met that goal in December and celebrated with our breakfast bar. Our current goal is 125 subscribers, and we are currently (as of May 11) at 103.

Junior Maddie Whitlock finds journalism to be a creative class where she can express herself.

“I find journalism to be challenging but also rewarding. Journalism is a mix of intense pressure, but it can also be a creative fulfillment. What I enjoy most about journalism is the class discussions, and I also really enjoyed the creative freedom that we had. My favorite blog post was probably when we had to write a biography about ourselves. For our first assignment, it was pretty challenging.”

Junior Madilynn Tones loves journalism and is sad that it is not being offered next year.

“I really enjoy journalism and the people I spent the year with, but most of all, I do it for the teacher. I’ve been in this class for two years now, and I really wish this class was offered next year as well. Journalism has taught me so much as an individual, stuff I thought I would have never done. Journalism teaches you to get outside your comfort zone and really speak your mind and opinion. I like writing about all the blog posts that have been assigned to me, but I do miss last year as a whole, especially when Madison Adams and I made a whole skit together and had to make a bunch of edits. We also had a lot more people last year, so we got double the posts out, and they were published a lot faster. I really enjoyed the broadcasting unit we had last year. It was fun, and everyone loved it. I don’t dislike anything about this class, but I wish we got to do more stuff like last year.”

Senior Brecken Smith finds journalism to be fun.

“I really enjoy the class. Getting to write about things happening in the school is so fun. I like having Mr. Sullivan as one of my teachers, and just being able to write about the school is something I really enjoy. My favorite blog post is the one I wrote about senior assassin.”

Senior Janell Heaton finds journalism to be fun and creative.

“At the beginning of the year, I thought I would hate this class, but it has turned out to be fun. I like getting to write about things that I care about. I don’t like when I have to write about certain things, but the good outweighs the bad. My favorite blog post was when I wrote about the new policy about phones.”

After teaching the class for two years, Sullivan said he has enjoyed the experience.

“I have really enjoyed teaching journalism the last two years. I came into it without a formal journalism background, so there have definitely been moments where I was learning right alongside the students. But honestly, I think that has been one of the strengths of the class. At its best, journalism should be about curiosity, community, and telling stories that matter, and I think we are doing that by having students write about student events, school issues and the WP community.”

Sullivan also said he likes that journalism gives students the chance to share what is happening at West Prairie.

“I like that journalism gives us a chance to shine a light on what is happening in the WP community. It makes writing feel real because students are not just writing for a grade; they are writing for an actual audience. I have also really liked the switch from the newspaper to the blog format. It has helped us publish stories more efficiently, and I no longer have to spend as much time fighting with column spacing, blank space and layout issues, which is a win for my sanity.”

The hardest part of journalism, Sullivan said, is that it never feels finished.

“There is always another event to cover, another quote to get, another post to edit or another idea we wish we had more time for. That can be a little chaotic, but it is also what makes the class feel authentic. Real journalism moves quickly, and we are learning how to keep up with it.”

Sullivan said his favorite blog posts are the ones that show multiple student perspectives.

“Rather than one specific post, I would say my favorite kind of blog post is the kind that captures several student perspectives and helps represent our school community in a positive way. I especially like posts that highlight upcoming events, celebrate student involvement or give people a reason to feel more connected to WP. Those are the posts that remind me why the blog matters.”