Michael Kaegi's Portfolio 2021

ME!

Spring PORTFOLIO 2021

#1 Reflection Essay O

ver the course of the semester, I have been able to learn a lot about editing/designing, time management, as well as contributing to the paper as a whole. I’ve been able to prove that I can get my work done on time in a timely and well-done manner. Some of the skills I’ve learned have helped to make me a better editor and contribute more to the paper. Things like time management, learning how to write journalistic style stories, and design my pages have been beneficial to the stories I have written and have helped make my writing skills better so I can contribute to the paper more. I’m glad we got the chance to design this semester, and I eleive that my skills have greatly approved as I did more issues.

The deadlines were a little more concrete than last semester, which I think motivated students more. Last semester, alot of articles didn’t get finished because there wasn’t anything to work for since not a lot of people know we even have an online paper. I feel like doing the print issue of the paper made me more excited to be in the class, and encouraged me to work harder. By having more concrete deadlines, it helped to get more articles done so we didn’t have to

finish on production day, since that happened a lot this past semester.

I feel like the editors work well together, since many of us have been in the class for 2 years or more. I think we have a solid team that works hard, that is able to come together to produce a newspaper that looks good and is well made. Having a teacher again has made things much easier, and I think the paper has turned out better as a result. It’s also easier to ask for advice and communicate about some of the issues we’re having.

Many of the things I have learned about journalism ethics came from when I took Digital Journalism a couple years back, but being in Newspaper has helped put some of those ideas I have to good use. Even though I didn’t get the chance to write much this semester, I feel like the front page article turned out to be my storngest work, and I definitely the most effort into it out of everything I have written. As long as we try to stay honest and truthful as a newspaper, we will be able to produce something that people will want to read and trust.

It’s tough to say if I was really

LEAVING A CITY NEAR YOU?

April 16, 2021 Volume 12, Number 4 Cactus Shadows High School, Scottsdale, Arizona

Michael Kaegi news editor

As COVID-19 cases begin to decrease across the country, many states are lifting restrictions in an effort to return to normalcy, but health experts suggest it may be too soon.

Following the December holiday surge, COVID-19 cases have been on a downward trend, declining in most states. In March, Mississippi and Texas were the first to lift their mask mandates and reopen restaurants to full capacity, with several other states, including Arkansas, Montanana, Iowa, Wyoming, and Arizona, following soon after.

“It is a good start to get things going back to normal, but I hope these lifted restrictions for masks and distancing do not come at the expense of safety. I wear masks whenever I go out in public and make sure I don’t surround myself with people who show symptoms,” said Andrew Book, a senior.

MASK MANDATES CONTINUE

Certain businesses and other establishments still require masks even after Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order on March 5, ending indoor capacity restrictions for public facilities. This has led parents and students to question whether or not schools would fall under this category, and if schools would have the right to mandate masks for all teachers and staff.

“Ours are not changing at this point. My anticipation is that we will have masks for the rest of the year,” said Tony Vining, principal.

The school has also decided to go ahead with prom and graduation, which naturally leads to the question of whether or not COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted by then or for the following school year. Vining said that venues have been reopened because of residents being vaccinated, COVID cases going down, and restrictions being lifted. They plan to keep COVID-19 protocols in place for both events.

“We’ve done enough, I believe, through our sporting events, to know and see what it looks like to have crowds in the stands,” said Vining. “I’ve been to other places, like state competitions where there are large groups, to see what those look like and how they ran them, and feel comfortable that we can be safe in that process.”

VACCINATIONS INCREASE

President Biden announced last month that all adults will be eligible to be vaccinated by May 1st. This month in Arizona, vaccination sites opened to all people 16 years and older, which has led to a surge in appointments to get vaccinated over the last few weeks. This combats with the new, however less intense, increase of COVID-19 cases over the past month due to increased travel from families going on spring break.

“I think the surge was to be expected, but since everyone is getting vaccinated it will hopefully be the last one that will happen,” said Sera Hanagan, a senior.

I

dedicated at the beginning of this year, since online felt like we were going through the motions. Doing the print issue of the paper again helped me to enjoy the class, and having the opportunity to design and learn about how to create great looking pages really captured my interest, and made me more passionate about this class then I have ever been.

Overall, I feel like I contributed a lot to the paper this year by managing my time, getting my stories done, and being able to edit and design my pages on my own. Being able to edit and design my own pages this semester piqued my interest more than the previous semester, and I learned alot about designing and usng Photoshop, which was my primarily goal for this semester.

Essay

think my most significant piece of writing this year would be the COVID restrictions relaxed front page article article because I had to make sure what I was researching was accurate and relevant to the everchanging news about the virus and the vaccine distribution. I would say this was the most passionate I was about an article, and also one of the most difficult, because of the elaboration needed for the topic, in order to make sure what I was saying was accurate, since the information is so critical in the crazy time that we are living in. I thought it was important to do a more hard hitting piece this semester since a lot of the things I wrote didn’t end up being big stories, so it was a nice change.

Since COVID-19 has been in the US for one year at that point, and vaccine distribution was at an all time high, I thought it would be good to include a lot about it in the story, and also bring up the controversy surrounding the vaccine

Best work

as well. I gathered a lot of information from sources online, mainly about how we have been able to slow the spread of the virus over the past year, as well as how vaccine distribution has impacted the political divide that is going on in our country. I also brought up how mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions were beginning to be lifted, and how people were reacting to possibly lifting the mask mandate too early. It turned out to be a well constructed article about what we are doing as a country now that COVID-19 is beginning to fade away, and how the vaccine is playing a part in flattening the curve.

I learned a few things I didn’t know when I was writing the article, mainly about the side effects of the vaccine and what the overall public opinion was. In the article, I talked about how COVID-19 has had an effect on people in the United States, and if the restrictions in place will continue to stay well into the future. I explained how some people have reacted to that, and how the clashing opinions of lifting COVID restrictions is currently dividing us as a country.

Talking about the issues persisting

#2

in our country helped to provide basic information about what the virus is doing to us negatively and how it will have an effect on us in the future. Overall, I felt like I was able to convey what has currently been going on with COVID-19, by including factual evidence as well as explaining in detail about how that has an affect on the country.

I believe that I provided a strong argument by having evidence to the facts I stated in the article, so the readers would better understand the impact of what has been happening. It added a lot more to the article and I feel like it provided much more information about the current state of the pandemic.

The thing I liked most about the final product of the article was the amount of research and time I put in to make sure that everything I reported was accurate. I think I included everything that needed to be said about the mandates, lifting restrictions, and vaccine distribution. Even though I only wrote a few articles this semester since I was mainly editing and designing my pages, I feel like this was my strongest piece of writing, and the one I am most proud of.

#3

One of the articles that I ended up liking a lot was the MOD Pizza Review, since it was something I had never tried yet.

I thought the review turned out well since I tried a few different things off the menu to make sure that I was making a fair judgement. I enjoyed doing an article for the food page since I hadn’t done one before, and I might do more food reviews in the future, since this one turned out better than I thought it would have.

I also like the blue wash trailhead article, since I enjoy hiking and I’ve always wanted to do a story on it. I think I described the hike accurately, and I feel like I went into detail about how to get to the waterfall and the wildlife that is on the trail. I was glad I was able to do a story on a hiking trail because we have always talked about doing a story about the many hikes in Cave Creek, and I feel like doing this one was the best because I tend to hike there a lot, plus it’s close by and not too difficult, so it would appeal to people who enjoy hiking locally.

Lastly, I feel the article I am most proud of this semester is the front page story about COVID restrictions being lifted. I’m glad I finally got the opportunity to write the front page story, and I was passionate about doing it right and reporting it accurately. I think I wrote the article well, and accomplished what I wanted to say. I was proud that I took on the challenge, and I wish I would be able to write for the front page again, since I really enjoyed putting a lot of effort into a story.

Tear Sheets

February

Essay

Work I’m Proud of

Tear Sheets

April

March

Tear Sheets

May

Tear Sheets

Articles

February, 2021, Food

March, 2021, Creeker

May, 2021, Spotlight

Articles/Photos

March 2021, Creeker

April, 2021, Front Page

April, 2021, Front Page