Norse Code Paper
My job as Editor-in-Chief includes overseeing the monthly production of The Bigfork Norse Code paper. After I set deadlines and dates for the monthly process, a story meeting takes place along with rough draft and final draft deadlines, followed by setting week and the publication of the paper. Before setting week can begin, I personally overview the work submitted by BHS journalists while using the opinions of The Norse Code Design and Copy Editors to organize articles and infographics so that they are placed on certain pages. I also make the decision of what will go in the paper and what will not while creating the setting plan. Setting week can not be completed unless each page of the paper is set, edited, gurued (edited by an editor), Ahna'd (I edit and critique), and Appleby'd (journalism advisor, Charlie Appleby, looks over paper and sends it in to be printed). Sometimes I set and edit pages while having to Ahna and guru them because of the new additions to the journalism class who have little experience with Adobe Indesign. The Norse Code is constantly shaping bright new journalists, while only having a week to set the paper. Sometimes to do that successfully, editors have to stay for hours after school to make sure the paper is finished on time. The following Monday after setting week, the paper is delivered to Bigfork High School where The Norse Code staff members distribute it throughout Bigfork Schools and to our advertisers.
Norse Code Website
At the start of the 2017-2018 school year (my junior year), I began to reconstruct The Bigfork Norse Code website. In past years, our website was definitely the weakest link of our journalism class and because of my interest in design, I decided to strengthen the website as a source of information, knowledge, and distribution of news. I included new additions to the website such as a detailed staff page including individual and staff photos, along with labeled positions and biographies. The home page was also completely rebuilt by including featured articles, current editors, recent news casts, Bigfork School photos, and the description and logo of The Norse Code. Monthly, I update my personalized staff page with articles and infographics, and weekly, I upload the most recent Norse Code news cast. The Norse Code website is always a work in progress, constantly changing with the ideas of BHS journalists. An example of this is the recent change to add our monthly paper in PDF format to our website. I oversee all changes that are made to our website and enjoy the time I spend developing and improving The Norse Code website.
Norse Code Social Media
Design is a major part of the popularity of The Norse Code social media platforms. The BHS journalism class has the ability to spread sports updates, school news, event information, and so on through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The design of our Facebook and Instagram feed can often determine the amount of followers, comments, likes, and shares we receive. The professionalism of a social media account is often displayed through design so at The Norse Code, we choose to post high quality photos with professional captions. Beginning my junior year, I took over The Bigfork Norse Code social media and a reliable news source formed that many members of the community look to for information. When I first took over social media, The Bigfork Norse Code had around 50 followers on Instagram and that number has built up to the current 420. Also, posts receive around 130 likes. I developed a personalized hashtag for each BHS journalist to signify who posted, for example, mine is #afox19.
Norse Code News Cast
The creation of the weekly NC squared episode involves many journalists working to produce a news cast while editing segments, writing scripts, setting up, and so on. Sometimes I assist in editing NC squared by creating the basic outline of the news cast, but I often create sports or news segments for the news cast and use Adobe Premiere to edit and design my segments. Every week, The Norse Code either goes live or films the Friday announcements for Bigfork High School by creating a news cast. Segments are decided on and I type the script earlier on in the week, and then after filming and editing, The NC squared episode goes out to the students and community members of Bigfork. Parents, teachers, and students constantly compliment us on the laughter, happiness, and knowledge our news cast brings them, and that is the reason most journalists, including me, love being a part of The Bigfork Norse Code.
Hatch Literary Magazine
As a Design Editor of Hatch, I work to aid in the design and production of the magazine. This includes making publish worthy artwork, placing layouts, editing photographs, and creating designs. My main job is to set pictures, artwork, and writing in Adobe InDesign, while at the same time forming a professional magazine that is sold to the Bigfork community every spring.