Cait Bunkers Fall Portfolio 2021

portfolio (cait’s version)

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY CAIT BUNKERS DECEMBER 2021

essay one This year, I learned again about the importance of deadlines and the problems that occur if they are not met. After having multiple stories be cut for being turned in late, I learned that even the most well-written stories won’t matter if they aren’t in on time. The impact of this was a tough lesson in time management, one that will stick with me. I’ve always had difficulty with perception of how much time a specific task will take me and how much time I have to do it, so I will focus on improving this skill specifically. While I won’t be using this skill in newspaper next semester, it is one that I will carry with me for the rest of my academic and professional careers.

One of the challenges, and a time-consuming one at that, of editing stories, is making formatting corrections. While little things such as adding names and positions, checking font size, and fixing spacing is not a big deal for one story, when it’s everything in the Drive that needs to be changed, I sometimes spend an entire class period fixing format, not even doing any actual editing.

A way to prevent the staff from making these repeated errors is to make an example Google Doc that shows where their name, position, and word count need to be, with gibberish paragraphs that demonstrate proper indentation, line spacing, and typical paragraph length. This could either be demonstrated in a presentation, left in the Drive as a reference for people, or both. This could help minimize the repeated errors being made by the staff in order for editors to be able to waste less time.

essay two This year, I learned again about the importance of deadlines and the problems that occur if they are not met. After having multiple stories be cut for being turned in late, I learned that even the most well-written stories won’t matter if they aren’t in on time. The impact of this was a tough lesson in time management, one that will stick with me. I’ve always had difficulty with perception of how much time a specific task will take me and how much time I have to do it, so I will focus on improving this skill specifically. While I won’t be using this skill in newspaper next semester, it is one that I will carry with me for the rest of my academic and professional careers.

One of the challenges, and a time-consuming one at that, of editing stories, is making formatting corrections. While little things such as adding names and positions, checking font size, and fixing spacing is not a big deal for one story, when it’s everything in the Drive that needs to be changed, I sometimes spend an entire class period fixing format, not even doing any actual editing.

A way to prevent the staff from making these repeated errors is to make an example Google Doc that shows where their name, position, and word count need to be, with gibberish paragraphs that demonstrate proper indentation, line spacing, and typical paragraph length. This could either be demonstrated in a presentation, left in the Drive as a reference for people, or both. This could help minimize the repeated errors being made by the staff in order for editors to be able to waste less time.

essay three My most significant piece of written work is “Battle for the Bond.” The story was somewhat difficult to complete due to the complexity of the issue.

I started by planning a structure for the story and doing research on the history of bonds in Arizona, and specifically the District. Then, I scheduled interviews - I interviewed multiple teachers, administrators, and students, and while I didn’t use all of them, they were good for collecting background information. After that, I just sat down and wrote - it took forever because of some fairly intense writer’s block, but I managed to get through it. During the writing process, I learned that sometimes, no matter how poorly it turns out, you just need to sit down and write - you can’t edit invisible words. I am proud of myself for pushing to get it done.

essay four To make staff members feel as through they are part of the team, I like to sit down and talk with them about newspaper, without it seeming like I’m only the boss. Also, I find that it just helps to talk to them about their day, or what they want to talk about. People work more productively when they have an opportunity to get things off their chest. It also helps them feel like they are part of a family.

It can be challenging to work if the boundary between editor and writer becomes too blurred, so I mak sure people know that at the end of the day, we are here to work and get a nespaper out. I think it is more important to be respected by my peers, because when I was in elementary school I ran for the Honor Society presidency and lost because it became a popularity contest.

It takes time, energy, effort, and streamlined processes to get an award-winning newspaper out each month. I believe that the staff will have no trouble dong this for the rest of the paper’s lifetime so long as they follow those pillars.

When a pack of wolves travel, the leader travels in the back because they are responsible for the success of the team. In the end, the leader is responsible for the team’s successes and failures.

tear sheets - september/october

tear sheets - november