Making Sonder

By Jadzia Engle

The warm aroma of coffee and antique scent of newspapers encompassed me as I walked through the door of a homely office building with photographer Melina Villegas in tow. I met the gaze of Eugene Weekly editor and teacher Camilla Mortensen and a familiar, toothy smile spread across her face. My profile subject for the previous two months welcomed us in and continued on with her tasks as we commenced our morning goal: to conduct a fourth interview and capture a third round of photos of a community member doing extraordinary things.

The seemingly excessive follow-ups with the seasoned journalist were well received by her as being “thorough,” as she too knows the responsibility that comes with representing others on paper. Structuring a high school curriculum around professional-quality journalism brings an elevated level of education to the table for all students in the Miller Integrated Nature Experience (MINE). When tasked with interviewing and capturing tWhe life of a peer or community member, a dynamic challenge is presented to students that no prompted, in-class essay could ever properly prepare them for. Consequently, the first round of drafts is far from perfect.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, beginning with failure is the key to success. In our education system, students are punished when mistakes are made. Although encouraged to reflect and improve after each of these “learning opportunities,” it becomes impossible for them to deviate from what the set curriculum expects without it negatively affecting their transcript. As a result, students become afraid to take risks.

The MINE program has different expectations. Each year the class is full of journalism rookies, and venturing into the unknown is our first step. We must learn to persevere despite any fears. We make mistakes often, especially in the beginning, but the scope of the class allows us to break free from the negative connotation. Failures are iterations, and stories that don’t get published are building blocks for the skills needed to take on the next one.

Those interested in visual arts have the opportunity to get behind a camera or sit down with design programs that they must learn as they go. The improvement that occurs comes from the motivation of working towards a final product that we want to proudly distribute to our community.

MINE takes on real issues that pique our interests, and we select profile subjects we believe should be recognized. This freedom breeds creativity, and it results in policecar ride alongs, access to Oregon women’s basketball practices, and immense personal growth fostered from leaping out of a confining comfort zone. In each issue, Sonder stories reflect the passions of the current class and create an authentic representation of our community.

Whether a spark of inspiration results in a headline for a story, a profile is perfected through countless drafts, or a creative design for a spread is seen to fruition, when the ink hits paper and the magazine is published, pride lights up the faces of the students who took the leap to broaden their educational experience.

I took my own unique opportunity to expand my schooling by delving into the world of the Eugene Weekly to capture the essence of Camilla Mortensen. My eyes opened to the parallels that can be drawn between a wellestablished community newspaper and the Springfield High School journalism program. From brainstorming stories and cycling through rounds of edits, to connecting with the art world, journalistic success seems to boil down to the ability to support other team members, highlight individual skill sets, and be unafraid to fail. Each and every contribution makes it possible for us to come together and create something we can each call “MINE.”