School Spotlight: Cooper HS Newspaper Earns National Accolades
After a short newsroom meeting, Mariah Washington heads out the door with an assignment for The Quill, Cooper High School‘s newspaper.
“The average student doesn’t really get a voice, so I think The Quill kind of gives them that,” she said.
Today, she’s headed toward the school’s blood drive.
Using her phone as a camera, Washington got photos for the next issue of the paper.
But as she asked for photos of patients with needles in their arms, she was faced questions and objections from the blood drive staff — an example of difficulties that come with putting a camera in someone’s face.
“It can be a little uncomfortable, you know?” Washington said. “Before working on a newspaper staff, I was probably more timid than I am now.”
Eric Zuccola, the paper’s advisor and a teacher at Cooper, said Washington’s experience is common among these budding reporters.
“We have these, you know, 15, 16, 17-year-olds that are not afraid of going to adults and asking them questions, including adults they’ve never met before,” Zuccola said. “That’s very satisfying, those are definitely good life skills post high school.”
Finding Their Place
A former reporter, Zuccola has spent 26 years overseeing The Quill. He said there’s a place for any student to grow with the publication.
“No matter where a student reporter’s interest may rest, there’s an outlet for that on the paper,” he said. “And seeing them kind of find their voice as a writer and find their area of interest is always really rewarding each year.”
Cooper senior Robin Jarman is one of those writers finding her place, as well as her voice inside the paper’s variety section.
“This is a story that I wrote about the spoken word poetry club,” she said. “I do like sort of the feeling it gives me whenever I see something that I write kind of being put somewhere.”
Awards
As these reporters find new skills, they’re also finding acclaim.
Last year’s newspaper staff won two national awards.
The Quill and Scroll Society gave the publication an International First Place Award. The National Scholastic Press Association also awarded The Quill with a First Class Rating.
Washington said it’s inspiring to learn the ropes at a well-respected paper.
“It’s like, you’re part of something that so many people respect and have been a part of, and it’s just absolutely amazing to see the growth,” she said.
The latest version of The Quill is available here.
Cooper High School
