What is LINK 2.0?
All students at Animas High School complete three-week LINK internships in their junior year, in order to gain some work experience and hands-on learning in a field of their choice. (See the "LINK Internship" page under College and Career Prep to read about mine!) LINK 2.0 is offered as an option to seniors wishing to complete another internship, gaining more experience in their previously chosen field or an entirely new one. Since less class time can be devoted to this internship, students complete 60 hours spread out over the course of a semester.
I used my LINK 2.0 to focus on my role as editor-in-chief of our school's newspaper. Working with our journalism advisor, Jessica McCallum, I helped to oversee weekly student content published in our newsletters, as well as our seasonal print issues published in the Durango Telegraph.
I used my LINK 2.0 to focus on my role as editor-in-chief of our school's newspaper. Working with our journalism advisor, Jessica McCallum, I helped to oversee weekly student content published in our newsletters, as well as our seasonal print issues published in the Durango Telegraph.
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The OrganizationAnimas Quill Media has been our school's media source since the school began. For years, students have written and published original news articles to keep our community informed. The Quill has also expanded into the realm of social media and photojournalism, keeping online readers informed through the Instagram page.
This year, student journalists created a print issue in the Durango Telegraph , a local newspaper, and contributed to weekly newsletter News from the Nest. As editor-in-chief, I oversaw and edited almost all content written by students, including news briefs, features, and opinion articles. |
LINK Project: Winter Print Issue
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My big project during this time was the Quill's winter print issue. This issue centered around our school's move to the new building, with a spread of photos showcasing our new home. We also published stories about the FLC teaching program, new Head of School Rebecca Ruland, and more.
For this issue, I commissioned our horoscopes and oversaw the editing of all student stories and content that went into the issue. I helped students write, revise and expand their work. I also coauthored two stories and wrote the editorial. Read these stories and more at animasquill.org. |
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Reflection
This internship did not necessarily go the way that I expected. I had hoped to publish the issue a lot sooner, and perhaps even get another one out in the first semester. However, things took a little longer than I expected. Our deadline kept getting pushed back, until we had to publish in the first part of second semester.
This internship was a very different experience than my first one with the Telegraph. Instead of rushing to keep up with the fast pace of newspaper work, this internship taught me how to slow down and make sure everyone was on the same page. Making a publication like this takes more than one person, and my classmates didn't always seem to be on board. The first part of my internship was excruciating at times- several times, we relied on students to write things and they didn't come through. I had to develop a more direct approach when helping students out- instead of waiting for them to come to me, I would approach people and ask what help they needed. I tried to connect with everyone in order to keep us all moving forward.
More than anything, LINK 2.0 taught me just how important it is to be organized as a leader. The first part of this year was chaotic for the Quill because we didn't establish the systems of or that we needed to lead us to success. When we were more deliberate with scheduling, assigning, and editing stories, we were finally able to pull everything together. The Quill found ways to make the best of the situation- we ended up finding a much better story about the new building after we'd been in it for a while.
In the end, I was satisfied with the product that the Quill writers and staff ended up with, and I am very proud to show it off to the community. It was difficult to achieve, but we created and refined a newspaper which will be read and displayed at many exhibitions and ambassador events. It stands as a solid example of beautiful Osprey work, and that was a huge achievement for everyone involved. I also feel that I learned a lot about teaching and giving feedback in the process!
This internship was a very different experience than my first one with the Telegraph. Instead of rushing to keep up with the fast pace of newspaper work, this internship taught me how to slow down and make sure everyone was on the same page. Making a publication like this takes more than one person, and my classmates didn't always seem to be on board. The first part of my internship was excruciating at times- several times, we relied on students to write things and they didn't come through. I had to develop a more direct approach when helping students out- instead of waiting for them to come to me, I would approach people and ask what help they needed. I tried to connect with everyone in order to keep us all moving forward.
More than anything, LINK 2.0 taught me just how important it is to be organized as a leader. The first part of this year was chaotic for the Quill because we didn't establish the systems of or that we needed to lead us to success. When we were more deliberate with scheduling, assigning, and editing stories, we were finally able to pull everything together. The Quill found ways to make the best of the situation- we ended up finding a much better story about the new building after we'd been in it for a while.
In the end, I was satisfied with the product that the Quill writers and staff ended up with, and I am very proud to show it off to the community. It was difficult to achieve, but we created and refined a newspaper which will be read and displayed at many exhibitions and ambassador events. It stands as a solid example of beautiful Osprey work, and that was a huge achievement for everyone involved. I also feel that I learned a lot about teaching and giving feedback in the process!
