EDITING
EDITING
Natalie Ripps
Champion Journalist Portfolio
WEB
Coding for the OMG Website
To the left, I included a screenshot of my code to publish one of my blogs on the website. I don't have much experience with coding but have always been interested in learning it. With the OMG, I am able to learn and test these skills with the help of my peers who have expertise in this area. Below, I attached a picture of my code on the website for viewers.
Making a move
This 300-word story was one of my firsts. I sat down with one of my teachers with a rough list of questions, but the interview uncovered a story that I knew most of the school community was not aware of. The creation of this story proved to be a knowledgeable experience, as I learned how to handle sensitive information and how to portray this teacher's life after she was forced to leave her home due to Hurricane Irma.
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A final move
“A final move” was a story I wrote on a CCHS senior who had just moved to Athens for his final year of high school. I met him one day during lunch when looking for an interview, and we got to talking. He was surprised by the kindness of the Southern people that surrounded him, and immediately I knew that could be my angle. This story came somewhat easy to me because I was able to empathize with Andrew’s story. In addition, we became friends. Online, I included a map of Andrew’s moves from a young age, as well as multiple photos of him with captions.
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The caffeine craze infographics
For my first column, “The caffeine craze”, I was motivated to make it an interactive package online. I already had a solid vision of how I wanted the statistics to be displayed, so I talked to some of my peers who were comfortable with illustrator and they taught me the basics. I then spent over an hour making myself comfortable with the software, learning tools such as the drawing and tracing tool. I was so pleased to see my final product displayed on the website with the rest of my story.
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Boys basketball season preview
When the softball season ended, I began covering the boys’ Varsity basketball team at CCHS. In this piece, I was able to interview and form a bond with the coach, Andre McIntyre, as well as one of the star players, Jaiquez Smith. I only had experience with a few sports previews before, but almost immediately, a strong angle stood out to me. The boys basketball team has been very successful in the past, but it was not until this year that a primary goal of theirs was to become more unified. As I wrote to accurately portray these hopes by including longer and heart-felt quotes, allowing the sources to tell their own story through those quotes. I included various multimedia elements on the website, such as a photo and the boys’ schedule.
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Breaking boundaries
"Breaking Boundaries" was the first Q+A I ever conducted. While I have had some experience with on-the-spot interviewing, for this interview, I was required to get at least 10 questions with a specific angle, meaning I had to listen carefully and think on-the-spot. This experience definitely improved my interviewing skills, bringing me to a new level of comfort in this area. In addition, I was able to learn more about Ms. Brownlee, who has never taught me, but I was eager to learn more about it.
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Starting on the right track
I wrote this track preview my first year being on ODYSSEY. This was the first sports piece I had published on the website. I was able to reach out to various athletes and coaches and bring the story together under one angle: the influx of new runners on the track team. With this story, I developed a further understanding of the importance of maintaining a purpose or message through previews.
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Bye, soul sister
This piece was both challenging and simple to write. I initially found it hard to articulate my feelings after my older sister left for college, but after I began writing, it came naturally. This piece was definitely a positive way for me to cope with my emotions and reflect on our relationship living together. I went beneath the surface of journalistic writing and was able to write about my feelings and my relationships.
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Two religions, one family
“Two religions, one family” was my first piece ever published. I was able to channel my experiences in writing and discover the concept of blog writing. After many days of brainstorming blog ideas, I decided to write about something unique to me: living with a Christian mom and a Jewish dad. When I turned it in, the piece was not perfect at all. It was missing the emotion and a proper anecdote that made blogs stylized. After filling in those missing gaps, I developed a much stronger understanding of the style in blogs. To this day, it is one of my favorite pieces.
