design: Sophie Rogers
It’s 2008 and the first Courier has just been produced. The class is new here and there aren’t very many members. Fast forward 15 years, there are almost 100 Couriers produced, and a full staff of 25+ members.
As the school enters 2023, it also enters the 15th year of the Courier publications class. This course has changed so much throughout the years with new technological advances, new award-winning stories, and new staff.
From its early years, the Courier brought creative-minded people together to create a team. “I remember that it was always the best part of my day. It was very much like a family environment,” 2019 graduate and design editor-in-chief Brooke Little, who was in the class from 2017 to 2019 said.
The Advanced Journalism class, better known as The Courier, is split into many categories. Some of these include writers and designers, editors and staff, along with editors-in-chief and story editors.
“This was super fun, and the class was filled with very creative individuals who were fantastic at writing and designing. It was very organized and though I had no experience in a real news company, and I really felt like I was in one,” 2022 graduate and writing editor in chief Sorina Larsen, who was a part of the class for three years, said.
The Courier class is set up just like any modern news company would be. There are days devoted to brainstorming, and pitching ideas, work days, and some days set aside for trips and advertising.
“The writers since I was there have done a very good job coming up with innovative and different stories which were more interesting to read than when I was there,” Little said.
Some different story categories are feature, sports, opinion, and culture. Coming up with new and interesting ideas for designs and stories is always fun, and the staff is always open to suggestions.
“Courier taught me a lot about talking face to face with people; this was something I used to struggle with. But now, I have to interview people, get interviewed myself, and without Courier, I don’t think I would be able to do it as successfully as I do,” Larsen said.
The Courier class teaches both writing skills and many other life skills too. With this class comes interview skills, better teamwork, and kind ways to give criticism.
“The Courier taught me the value of teamwork and leadership. I also learned how to give constructive criticism and I still use all of those characteristics today,” Little said.
Something that very few people know is that everything in The Courier is student produced. There are designers who make the page images and infographics, writers who write all stories, and editors who edit for the whole class.
“Every writer or designer worked on the Macs that were in the classroom. Some people used their personal computers as well. Designers designed using Adobe software like Photoshop and InDesign.” Larsen said.
In the Introduction to Journalism class, students will learn how to design online and edit photos. They are also taught how to write in the correct journalism format and learn interview skills.
Once someone is a member of The Courier, it’s hard to leave. The class is amazing and the students in it are very accepting and open to new ideas and people.
“Since I graduated high school, I have kept tabs on it with people who are still in the class, and I checked out the website. I am very proud of the progress that everyone has made, especially since there are a lot of new people. It looks great!” Larsen said.
The Courier is a class full of joy and excitement, and it has brought stories upon stories to the school. The last 15 years have been great, but the next 15 are going to be even better.
