Final Exam

13. What is the most important thing you have learned this semester being on newspaper staff?

This semester, I think that the most important thing I learned on staff was how to hold people accountable for getting things done. Last year I had a lot of problems with getting people to get their stories done on time so that I would have plenty of time to put them on the page. This past issue, the same problem came up because of issues I had with pictures, so next semester I'll be sure to hold photographers accountable to.
14. What can you do next semester to continue your scholastic journalism career in a fulfilling and positive way? For those of you leaving the program at the semester break, what specific problems did you have in being an active member of staff (please be specific, my sincere hope is that students don't drop this program and I want to come up with some solutions for why some people have decided to leave)?

Next semester, I'm going to be a lot more responsible with my duties for the paper. I'll be sure to get my stories and interviews done as early as possible and make sure people for my page are doing the same thing. I'll also try to take as much pictures for my page as I can, because then I'll know that I have the pictures taken and where they are.
15. What suggestions do you have to improve any part of this class? For example, you could address editor/staff relations, editor/editor relations, staff relations with the advisor, how we can better serve our community, direct suggestions on the newspaper itself, equipment or supplies we might need, computer program instructions you need, or even stories we should cover. I am open to anything. Part of my job is to make this a positive experience, yet it is also an educational opportunity for all of you and the other part of my job is to teach you new skills. Again, for those of you leaving the program, I am looking for realistic ideas on how to improve the experience so that we do not continue to lose people.

I don't really know if there's a lot we can do relations-wise, but I think that teaching people, especially staff writers, how important it is to get the paper out will help. The first issue we were able to have the deadline pushed back, and I think that that taught people that weren't on staff last year that it was okay to not finish their things in time. As a result of this, almost every issue has had stories that didn't get finished, and editors had to scramble to get the stories finished days before deadline or find a completely new story. This didn't happen nearly as much last year, and it might just be because there was less people, but I think that the way the newspaper runs this year is a lot sloppier and that holding people accountable for what they need to do will help that a lot.

Biography for Website

I'm Caitlin Devlin. I'm a junior and this is my second year on staff. My sophomore year I was an athletics editor and this year I am a student life editor. I'm on newspaper staff because not only do I love writing journalism stories, but I also love the process of creating and publishing the paper. Along with newspaper, I also play clarinet in the marching band and am in photojournalism and art. My plans after high school is to get a degree in either graphic design, film, or journalism.

Newspaper Scavenger Hunt

1. All of the columns were painted red and black over the summer, along with the columns in front of the library that were painted other colors and have strong and inspiring words such as "Integrity" painted on them. There was also a lot of constructions, such as the new deck outside the area between F hall and E hall. The cafeteria has also been renovated with new paintings and decorations on the wall.

2. "I go to sleep at like 1 o'clock in the morning doing homework all the time already, and school just started, so that kind of sucks," -Briana Rodriguez    "My first day of school was very stressful because my little sister is entering high school as a freshman and I had to make sure she didn't get laxative donuts," -Andrea Alcid

3. The biggest difference to Bowie procedure this school year is the change in bell schedule. The first bell used to ring at 8:40 a.m., but it now rings at 8:50 a.m., giving students an extra ten minutes to get to school in the morning. Classes officially start at 9 a.m. and end at 4:20 p.m. The class times and passing period times were all changed, leaving past students confused after living with the past bell schedule for years.
Another big difference at Bowie is the number of new teachers and teachers that left Bowie either to work at other schools or to pursue other careers. Some departments, such as the science department, is filled with new teachers that have to get used to Bowie protocol.

4. One sport that has already begun practice and training for their season is marching band. Marching band begun practice on August 1st, where winds, percussion, drumline, color guard, techs, and directors spent most of the day at Burger Stadium. Students were trained by their directors to learn their drill and choreography for this year's marching show, "Deep". Students officially start performing for the public at the first football game August 28th.

6. -JBHSOPE plunges into the ocean for their show, "Deep"
-Bell schedule changed for new school year, extra ten minutes left over for students
-(However many) new teachers join teaching team for the 2015-2016 school year

7. Bulldogs and Hotdogs or other fundraisers that electives are doing by themselves?

Welcome to my Blog

Indoor Festival Interviews

Jessica:
Did you think the indoor festival was a success?
"I do believe it was a success. It was one of our best shows yet and we can only improve from here,"
How is this year's show different from last year's show?
"This year's show did not require as much skill, it wasn't as physically exhausting. This year's show is a lot more intensive, it has a lot more skills. The skills are so much harder this year than they were last year,"
There is a wide variety of emotions in your show; how do you get 'in character' for these emotions?
"My grandfather passed away a while back, and I always think of him in the 'Adagio for Strings',"
JV-Varstiy:
"I practiced really hard and I worked my hardest to get to where I am right now, outside of rehearsal and inside of rehearsal,"
How does it feel to be one of the best guards in the nation?
"It's bomb. That's all I have to say,"

Amy:
Did you think that the Indoor Festival was a success?
"We got first place, but overall I don't think we deserved it."
Difficil:
"We do this one toss where we touch the ground. I think that part is the most difficult and
Best color guards:
"We have to live up to it. You can't suck, it's hard to live up to that standard."

Lillie:
Success:
"Our show was not the best, but it was fun to perform in front of friends and family,"
Emotions:
"I just like being happy, and our show is happy and quirky,"
Guards:
"Feels pretty good! I try hard and practicing a lot makes it worth it to be this good,"

Mereth:
Success:
"I think it was. Even though we had less amount of guards.
Difficult:
"I don't know if I can pinpoint a certain part of the show, but in general the show is much more difficult than our show last year because it requires you to be focused for a full five minutes. You can't scatter yourself, you have to focus on the thing happening now. You can't be in the middle of the 'Gloria' section and start thinking about your 'turn-around' toss at the end. You have to think about what's happening now, so it requires a lot more mental focus and mental stamina, and more physical stamina,"
Emotions:
"I think about sorrow. I can't really explain how I do it,"
JV-Varstiy:
"It was a mixture of being on the elite flag line on the marching show and being on gun, just so I had experience of what it was like being on the advanced level. Being on flag line wasn't difficult but it was definitely harder than being on the back flag line. It gave me an idea of what I had to do for varsity. I practice all the time, I practice my tosses at home and with my friends after school.
Best:
"It requires a lot of work obviously, but it's something that no one else in this school gets to do. I couldn't go up to a foot ball player and ask if they've been on a national stage, have they been recognized internationally. It's a once in a lifetime thing. No one else in the Austin area went to London to march in a New Year's Parade, no one in the Austin Area has been ranked third in the nation,"

Indoor Festival Story Ideas

Who: Color Guard, band volunteers, other school guards

What: Indoor Festival, competition

When: March 7th, 2015

Where: Bowie

Why: why not

Who to interview: Lynnmarie Weaver, Carolina Reis, Jessica Stachew, Tori Lewis, Jojo Wei, Shannon Ross, Kenna Ashen, Lillie Carter, Amy Gross, Nate Hull, Kylie Dugan, Val Springli, other band volunteers, Powell

Guard Questions:

        Varsity: Scholastic Open

1. Did you think that the Indoor Festival was a success?
2. (Besides the theme) How does this year's show differ from last year's show?
3. In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of your show?
4. If you were on JV last year, how did you improve your skills to be in Varsity, and how are JV practices different from varsity practices?
5. There is a wide variety of emotions in your show; how do you get 'in character' or find inspiration for these emotions?
6. How does it feel to be the top two guards in the nation?

        JV: Scholastic JV

1.  How was your first indoor festival?
2. Did you think the Indoor Festival was a success?
3. When watching guard teams from other schools, did you learn anything that could help you in your own show?
4. (Upperclassmen) How does this year's show differ from last year's show?
5. In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of your show?
6. How does it feel to be the number one color guard in your class in the nation?

      Powell:

1. How does it feel to have some of the best color guard teams in the nation?
2. Can you tell me about the work that goes into guard and their competitions?
3. What is it like to host your own competition?
4. How is it different hosting a competition that attending it?

Wrestling Interviews

Who to interview:

• Grace Lemm, Audrey Chiman, Bradford More, Christine Gautier, Evan Burt, Jeremiah Garcia, Nadya B(?), Riley G(?), Savannah Razor
• Coach Lewis

Questions to ask:

• (Coach Lewis) Did you teach at any other schools before teaching here? If so, did you teach wrestling and history there as well?
• (Coach Lewis) What inspired you to start coaching wrestling?
• (^) Do you enjoy coaching and teaching at Bowie? Why?
• (^) What and when are the wrestling team's upcoming tournaments? 
• (Wrestling members) What inspired you to join wrestling?
• (^) What awards have you won so far in wrestling competitions?
• (^) What happens during a wrestling tournament/competition? How are the matches organized?
• (^) What do you think of Coach Lewis?
• What does Coach Lewis do differently from the last coach?