Keira Bixler- Clubs & Lifestyles Journalist
I am a clubs and lifestyle journalist for the Redwood Gigantea and am experiencing my first year of sharing the happenings of Redwood High School and its students. I primarily focus on Humans of Redwood deep-dives and the Runnin' Redwood Podcasts. I have also collaborated on some multimedia presentations. So far, I have learned the skills of conversations to get to peoples core values, ideals, and principals and translate them in the context of storytelling. I am proud of sharing overlooked stories of remarkable people. I most importantly love to see what makes people tick. The passion here at Redwood is unmatched and my goal is to shed light on this through my platform.
Semester 2 Stories
This is the 3rd edition of Ranger of the Week. I am very proud of this article because I was able to condense the writing, survive the block schedule, and it received a lot of traffic. The interview was hard to get but I knew it would be worth it
This was the second edition of Ranger of the Week. I loved interviewing Keira and learned a lot about formatting on the Gigantea website and how to best feature a person.
This was the first article in my Ranger of the Week series. I was excited to begin the marathon and thoroughly enjoyed the interview. It was a challenge to condese my writing as he spoke in paragraphs but I was very proud of my ability to get quality content from this interivew.
Alyssa Sozinho fulfills theatre ambitions as a lead in Redwood’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie”
This was my first article of the 2nd semester to make it online. I had previously written a feature for the Redwood Sports Magazine that died before going public. However, this story was difficult because there were lots of busy schedules to work around. Luckily, Alyssa is very adaptive and poised so that made my job considerably easier.
I learned the importance of flexibility and was proud of my work in covering a senior for her very last year in the Redwood Musical.
Runnin' Redwood Season 1 Episode 6
In this episode of the Runnin’ Redwood podcast, we talked with Antonella Cardenas about growing up in Venezuela and balancing her academic life with her athletics. This story was a challenge for me because I knew very little about her before the podcast.
I learned how to adapt to ask different questions as the interview continued and I learned more about her. I was very excited to share this story as it sheds light onto an entirely different perspective at Redwood.
Semester 1 Stories
Dedicated FBLA officer Adam Hacker appointed on the National President’s Executive Council
This was my first Humans of Redwood article.. I had the goal of highlighting a large success for a Redwood student. I was very proud of my work on this episode as I strove for depth. The interview with Adam Hacker lasted about an hour and my responses from Mr Avila and Adam's peers were thoughtful as well. It was a challenge to interview close friends without being biased, but I think I handled it well.
I was able to highlight a successful student at Redwood but was also able to educate an audience about the "why" and "how" behind an inspirational story. It was also retweeted by the Superintendent which was quite exciting
Freshman Cassidy Ashford is shooting her shot on Varsity Basketball
This was my first Humans of Redwood article in which I had no idea who the person was before the interview. I had the goal of highlighting a younger student at Redwood in a craft that she shines in. I was very proud of my work on this episode as I strove to represent Cassidy as best I could. The interview lasted only a few minutes because as with most younger students, her replies were on the shorter side. It was a challenge to interview a complete stranger about a sport I do not know well and I did my very best to rise to the occasion.
I was able to highlight a successful young student at Redwood but was also able to educate an audience about what makes her so special.
Exchange Students Exchange Perspectives with the Redwood Community
This was most definitely one of my favorite articles from the year. I set a goal for myself to learn about this exchange student in a complex way while also highlighting his home country. I was very pleased with the results as the interview was fun, entertaining and knowledgeable. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and we asked dozens of questions. It was a challenging interview due to very blunt answers that I had to soften in the article which I believe I executed well.
I was able to highlight a very unique individual at Redwood that I am grateful to now know more about. I hope that the audience of the story can feel the same way.
Runnin' Redwood Episode 1 Season 1
This was my first Redwood Gigantea podcast. We had the goal of educating the students of Redwood High School the habits, lifestyle, and mindsets of the leaders on campus along with how they can implement them. This episode showcases one of my favorite aspects of the Gigantea - podcasting. It shows my ability to ask thoughtful questions and guide an interview to receive the information necessary.
As a lifestyle podcaster, I was able to educate students on a topic that is essential for all high school students. The ability to organize their life. We looked through the perspective of a successful senior at Redwood. She explains how she juggles extracurriculars, maintains effort, and organizes her time. This can especially be useful for underclassmen as they map out their high school career.
Runnin' Redwood Episode 2 Season 1
This was my second Gigantea Podcast. On this episode, we looked into the life of a junior here at Redwood who is a leader both on and off campus. We hoped to show his ability to find opportunites to further his passions and future career. This was my first time interviewing a good friend on a podcast and I was successful in asking questions that would help others who had never met him, understand him.
I hope that this episode was able to show students here at Redwood that there are always opportunity available if you look for them. Also, I found that this episode also demonstrates grit; which is an extremely quality for students.
Runnin' Redwood Episode 3 Season 1
This is the most recent episode of the Runnin' Redwood Podcast. We interviewed Sadie Hempfill, a Sophomore who is very involved with FFA and the arts both on and off campus. I had the challenge in this interview of receiving deep content from an underclassman that can be shy at times. With the help of my editors, we were able to help Sadie come out of her shell and it turned into a very entertaining episode.
With this episode, we were able to provide our audience with a sense of relatability that cannot be found in the first two episodes. We were able to humanize Sadie, despite her achievements which I think will encourage readers to come back to future episodes.
Runnin' Redwood Episode 4 Season 1
This episode of the Runnin' Redwood Podcast was a special edition episode focused on Winter Formal fashion trends . We interviewed Aliza Madonaldo, the president of the Fashion Club. I had the challenge in this interview of making both my co-host and our guest comfortable as it was both of their first times. After a few growing pains, they adjusted well and it became an entertaining episode.
With this episode, we were able to provide our audience with useful knowledge on a very generalized topic. A struggle that many high schooler's face . We were able to get valuable information in an entertaining format.
Exchange Student Podcast
This podcast was a special edition episode focused on the exchange students currently at Redwood. This was the first podcast that I was not shown on screen and enjoyed helping from behind the scenes. I had the challenge of communicating spontaneous questions to my co-hosts while live. We had a lot of success with this podcast and I hope we can do more like this in the future.
With this episode, we were able to provide our audience with useful knowledge on a very new topic. Schools in the United States usually do not focus on geography and other cultures. So, I hope we were able to educate and enlighten the audience on those topics.
Redwood ASB Hosts Annual Club Day to Connect Students
This was my first Redwood Gigantea story that had the goal of educating Freshmen on the purpose of Club Day and why they should attend. I had a fast-approaching deadline for this story and was able to complete it quickly with accurate work. I also was able to get some very difficult interviews and work through the nerves of those I was interviewing.
As a clubs and lifestyles journalist, I was able to educate students on a topic that is the basis for my section. Their attendance to such an event would affect my journalistic career for this school year. It helps freshmen and new students get involved here at Redwood high School and understand a long standing Redwood tradition.
The timeline behind each Rival Cowhide Game
This timeline was my first multi-media assignment that was unrelated to a podcast. We had a goal of creating the first complete timeline of Cowhide results with a featured article from one of the first Redwood quarterbacks. This work was a challenge as we needed to discover each score and do deep research into the beginning of not only Cowhide, but Redwood High School. It required deep research and complicated interviews.
This story matters because the timeline can be updated each year with new scores and historical moments of future Cowhides. I hope that it shows Redwood students of past, present, and future one of the most prevalent Redwood traditions.
Reflection
Where have I been?
I expected more direct instruction from the teacher. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much of the paper is reliant on the students. I also did not expect for the paper to be divided into sections in the way that it was. I appreciate this aspect because it helps organize everything.
Where am I now?
Due to my experience in Journalism this semester, I can now conduct a deep dive interview. I can record an entertaining and informative podcast. I can self regulate my time, and I can further appreciate the depth and culture of Redwood High School
Where am I going?
Over the next semester, I am going to work towards publishing roughly one article each week. I also am going to work towards writing articles that are important to the students here at Redwood. I want my section to work to push each other. I believe that leaders bring out the best in others so I hope we can all encourage one another to become better journalists every day.