Ms. Kern-Ekins, Newspaper Advisor
1 year at Sachse, 6 years at a previous district, Professional Journalist for 5 years
It has been a wonderful year of learning and writing for a group of students this year who took Journalism with me. As I close the first year as the Stampede Advisor, I wanted to let the students who worked on the Stampede for the Spring Practicum portion of the class, be able to give their own reflections of their time on staff – they worked hard and should be proud of what they accomplished as writers and personally.
For me, this is not the first paper I have worked on, or guided, having a print journalism background myself. There were a lot of ups and downs this year as the Journalism department was split between myself and Ms. Hobbs who was the Yearbook Advisor, and this semester alone I had to learn a new online program when I am used to having a physical paper to hold and show off. I am proud of each of my staff members for really finding their own voices and writing or editing stories, and even coming up with very clever ways to promote the Stampede. Any new task we get comes with a little background knowledge, and a whole lot of “let me see if this works” – and each of these students were down for the ride as we learned together.
Even though there has been an online paper for Sachse in the past, I really wanted to use this dedicated Journalism team to bring weekly, or monthly updates on topics the students found interesting, and they felt would impact their peers and community. Our Twitter and Instagram has even gotten new followers, and we have high hopes for next year to continue that growth.
I have three wonderful seniors who are graduating this year: Ian Conde, Kaitlin Alexandre, and Makeda Ephraim – all who balanced advanced classes and even outside responsibilities and gave this class and their respected assignments their heart and soul.
I am so excited to continue next year with some of our current staff, as they will grow as writers and help the incoming journalists and staff writers!
Aiden Saldivar, Writer & Editor, Junior, 1 year
My name is Aiden Saldivar and I have been here at Sachse High School for almost 4 years and as I struggle to make it to the end of my junior year I have taken journalism since my junior year and I was super unsure about it.. .almost left the class but I didn’t. But to my surprise this class has actually been kind of helpful and I’m going to write about my general reflection for this class.
When I first started this class I had no idea what I was getting into because I’ve never taken or had a friend in a journalism class and it was kind of scary, But that’s how every new first class is.
Once we started to ease into things about the basics of journalism it seemed like things were going smooth. One of my favorite memories of this class was being able to go from not knowing anyone at all to having 2 good classmates Blake and Hunter, and I always enjoy playing 8 ball pool and talking about video games. They made the class more social for me. Personally I suffer from social anxiety and all that good stuff but once I came out of my comfort zone and just started with small talk it was nice and easy, and they were nice and welcoming and hopefully that will continue into the future.
When it comes to classwork it was surprisingly easy. All we had to do was read the prompt which gave us the story or background of what we knew. Then choose a writing style Editorial, News and Feature each one had their own individual styles when it comes to writing. Then we started doing our own articles and that was A LOT of work for me. It was never really writing, it was more of starting but once I figured out a starting point it was easier from there. I had one REALLY good article I was super proud of which was a movie review for Godzilla Minus One and it was a relatively short article BUT, I believe it was probably one of the best things I’ve done when it comes to writing. My dad told me when it comes to writing about something that I should write about something I liked because that would make it easier for me, and he was right.
We as a class covered a decent amount of different topics but if I had to pick a topic I wish I could have covered more would be something more around the Controversial topics at the moment. I don’t have any specific topics, but there were a lot of things going on at the moment I could have found and written about that were considered controversial but I guess I was too focused on my own topics because they were more interesting to me other than the REAL things I could have written about instead of a giant monster…
Out of all the things I’ve learned about journalism, understanding when it comes to school work especially in this class, a lot of the responsibility when it comes to figuring out what to write about and how to write about it. In the real world no one is going to baby you to make sure you have your work turned in on time or making sure you’re working on what you’re supposed to, because it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that you’re doing what you need to be doing.
Overall the journalism class has been kind of a responsibility upgrade for me. I’ve learned new things, understanding the importance of being a journalist and how to properly write an article or paper like this one.
Kori Johnson, Writer, Sophomore, 1 year
My favorite memory from my first year in journalism was the first semester when I was learning the different writing styles.
This year I learned a lot, and have gained a lot of experience in what journalism actually is. There are many different writing styles, and I have learned the ones that I prefer versus the ones I don’t really like.
This year, the article I was the most proud of writing was the article I wrote on Mr. Creel and the tardy policy. I actually got to interview him and ask him my own questions. I also learned a lot about what to and what not to do when interviewing people.
I wish I could’ve covered an article on anything specifically about students. I feel like interviewing multiple students on a topic that specifically impacts them, without having to hear an adult or administrators’ reasoning, would be a great experience for me. Just opinions from the people my age without any adults giving their input.
The thing I found most interesting and useful this year was the beginning of the year, when we were just practicing writing articles and not actually uploading them. It made me feel more prepared when we actually started writing and uploading articles to The Stampede.
I am very grateful to have a journalism program at my school since that is the career I want to pursue in the future. Getting this experience in high school will help me out a lot in the future when I’m applying for colleges and/or internships.
Makeda, Senior Editor, Senior, 3 years
I am in my third year of newspaper and have seen the Stampede change and into what it is today. Two years ago, Mrs. McClendon, the newspaper and journalism teacher who had been in charge of Stampede and newspapers since our schools opened, retired. It was rough finding a teacher to take on all the responsibilities she juggled so effortlessly. The first year without her I was nervous about the direction the Stampede would be taking, but our teacher was understanding and allowed us freedom. This year with Ms. Kern I can see the newspaper will be able to flourish.
Her drive and passion for newspapers has made this year feel different. This year the structure was restored. I am honored to be the 2023-2024 senior editor. Writing has always been a recreational passion of mine, and through the newspaper I am allowed a productive outlet. I have also noticed growth and an increased versatility in my writing.
My favorite memories are editing the writers articles and learning new and intriguing information, while building relationships with the fellow staff.
All in all I am grateful to be a part of a team I know will grow into something great.
Ian Conde, Writer, Senior, 1 year
I had a blast in this class. I wanted to learn something new and I did. In doing so, I found out how much fun journalism is and how many different styles there are. I truly loved being in journalism and I might continue it during college. That is if they even have such a course or club at the college I’m going to, but I think they will. Writing is fun, it’s my passion. No matter what it is I’m writing about.
My favorite memory of the class is when we got to do our final exam over three fairytale stories. We got to pick which ones would be an editorial, feature, and news article for the exam. It was a lot of fun and allowed me to use my more creative side with these articles. They really got you to think of what would go well with the specific type of article you chose for it. I loved this assignment and I hope that Ms. Kern does this again next school year for her journalism kids. I’m sure that they would have a lot of fun with this.
For the second semester, the spring semester, we got to finally go off and write our own articles. No more notes, just writing, editing, and publishing. I loved the writing and editing part of it. I write frequently, going from essays to short stories. An article is no problem at all and is a lot of fun to do. I love getting to find new things to write about and learn along the way. It’s fascinating what I have learned while researching and interviewing for my articles.
I would say that out of all my articles that I have made in the past few months, the first one that I made would have to be my favorite. I remember that that was my first ever time interviewing someone. I was doing an article over the Sachse Animal Shelter and how we can get more strays off the streets. The animals there were super cute and didn’t seem to mind me being in the same space as them. One dog in particular seemed to want to tell me all about his day. It was very cute.
Journalism has been so much fun and I hope that the others have thought so too. We had a great teacher to show us what we needed to know. Ms. Kern is certainly one of the best teachers at our school. I hope that the next group of kids in her journalism class think so too. I’m really going to miss the class and Ms. Kern.
Kaitlin Alexandre, Writer, Senior, 1 year
My name is Kaitlin Alexandre. This past year marked my first experience working in journalism. At first I thought this was a research class with some writing. However, I quickly discovered that journalism is so much more than that.
One of my favorite memories from this class was our first project, where I had the opportunity to present the album “Igor” by Tyler, The Creator. This project was incredibly fun and sparked my interest in exploring new topics of the media. Throughout the year, I’ve written numerous articles, but my personal favorites are “The Cursed Miami Girls Trip” and “My Mid-90s Review.”
Reflecting on my time in this class, one thing I wish I had done more of is reviewing music genres and albums. This experience has taught me the importance of looking deeper into subjects and truly appreciating their value. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Kern for her patience and for being an all around great teacher.
As I look ahead, I am excited to share that I will be attending Sam Houston State University, where I will be majoring in Studio Arts. This journalism class has not only been incredibly fun but has also inspired me to continue exploring new areas of interest in the media.
Brynley Thrash, Writer & Editor, Freshman, 1 year
This year has been a super fun year in journalism. I have really enjoyed being in this class this year. When I first began this class, I didn’t think that I would like it because I’m not a big fan of writing. I started to think that I would end up regretting the decision to pick it, but that wasn’t the case.
In this class, I have learned so much and made new memories. Out of all of them, I would say that my favorite memory was when my first article was written and published on the Stampede. I chose that memory in particular because, when it was published, I felt super proud of myself for writing something that was uploaded where a bunch of people could read it. I also genuinely enjoyed writing that article and ended up liking it when it was completed.
We have all done a lot in this class this year and put a lot of effort into writing and editing articles, but if I could choose a topic that I wish I could have written about, I’d say that I wish I picked some controversial topics. I think it would have been fun to give my opinions on debatable topics and see what others think.
This class also helped me learn a lot about different writing styles and helped me fix a lot of my grammar. The skills I learned in this class will definitely help me out in future classes and activities.
Victoria, Writer, Sophomore, 1 year
Hi, my name is Victoria Gonzalez Marquez, yes I do go by both which is considered silly. I’ve been in Journalism for a year now and plan to be in it until I can no longer do so!
My favorite memory of this year is when I was able to interview one of our school counselors as it had been one of my first times interviewing on such an influential topic within the youth. My general reflection of this year would be how chill of a class we are and how each of us in the class is creative and has different ideas for writing.
One of my favorite articles that I’ve written with Ms. Kern for the stampede is “SB-17”. I’d consider myself proud of one of the longest articles I’ve let the public see after I have been an enjoyer of writing especially when it came to English classes. I loved this article because it covered such a step backward for many people. A topic I wish I had covered more is the stability of our earth, whether it was the extinction of animals, people who need help, important history we fail to recognize, and lastly more on the stability of our government.
I think the most useful thing I’ve learned this year would be that the more creative you get for each story, the more motivation you have to tell others about it as well.
Guy Blake Benningfield, Editor, Sophomore, 1 year
Hello, my name is Guy Blake Benningfield and I am a sophomore at Sachse High School. I have been in this journalism class for a year now, and I have to say that I really enjoy being a part of it. At first I found it difficult to write articles and follow different styles of writing, but over time I have tried to adapt and thankfully I am now more confident in writing and editing ability.
I have never taken any sort of writing class before so it was my first time learning about all of the different writing types and styles. My favorite article that I have written was about Manchester United vs Manchester City, football is a sport that I am really passionate about and I love watching it. I have been a Manchester United fan all my life and I always loved supporting them.
I wish I covered more things about United, like about their history, famous players, and all of the trophies they have won over the years. One thing I learned was that there is a Sachse Stampede page. I think it’s really cool to have websites like these because it promotes sports and other events happening in our school, it gives students a chance to stand out or give opinions. There are articles in the stampede about multiple different topics, from movie reviews to what’s happening around the world.
To the students in the future I definitely recommend taking this class because it gives you an opportunity to learn new things about writing but also to socialize with other people. The class requires you to talk to people, so if you have trouble making friends or socializing and you love writing, this is a perfect class for you. The students are respectful and the teacher is super nice and explains everything super well. This class helped me and gave me more confidence in my writing ability.
Guy Hunter Benningfield, Editor, Sophomore, 1 year
My favorite memory of this year is meeting new people and having the opportunity to learn about journalism. I’ve always enjoyed writing and this class was perfect for me to really improve in that aspect. I feel like a more confident writer and editor.
This year was great for me because I know that I have improved my writing, editing, and social media skills. I am more experienced now when it comes to writing, editing, or uploading different articles from different topics. I have learned what type of writing styles I like and don’t like, and which ones I am good with and bad with.
The one article that I worked on and loved was my movie review of “Step Brothers.” I put a lot of time in that review and gave all my honest opinions about the movie. It is one of my favorite movies of all time and I really enjoyed working on that piece.
The topic I wish I could’ve covered would’ve been about Sachse High School and doing interviews. I think when it came to that topic I was shy and nervous about doing interviews. I have never done any interviews and I am not experienced when it comes to that topic.
This class really opened my eyes and showed me what writing really is about. The thing that I found most interesting was learning about how detailed articles really are. You need to take your time, find resources, and know what type of writing style you’re going to do. It is hard but this class takes you through those challenges step by step.
Kirubel Fetere, Writer, Sophomore, 1 year
My favorite moment this year was writing articles. It was such a fulfilling experience to dive into the research, and articulate my thoughts and findings into a comprehensive piece. My general reflection for this year is the process of creating detailed and informative articles.
My favorite article I worked on was the Lebron article and how he is questioning whether he should retire or not.
One topic I wished I had covered is the 2024 summer Olympics. Something I have learned or found useful is different type of articles and writings.
Je’Anne Cook, Writer & Edior, Junior, 1 year
My name is Je’Anne and I’ve been at Sachse for 3 years going on 4. For the past year I’ve been in journalism, and I think the best part about this year is the creative freedom I’ve had and it’s brought back my love for writing and helps with my writing ability.
My favorite memory was when a friend in the class helped Ms. Kern with an assignment she had planned for her next class while we listened to 2010s music and talked all class period, it was nice to decompress and listen to music.
My favorite article I’ve written this year would probably be the one I did over the Appalachian Mountains. I love creepy and historic things and the mountains were that and more.
I think the topic I wish I could have written about was mentally health because that was always something that I feel needs to be talked about.
Something I found interesting is the formats of writing. It’s been a great year and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.