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Emily Evans

NEWSPAPER STAFF: The Scarlet Scroll team works together to produce every story, photo package, and newsmagazine that you can see. Through collaboration of both editors and staff reporters, these students put in the hard work to put out the most entertaining work for the audience. “I've definitely learned how to be a better writer,” junior and Staff Reporter Brigette Ramirez said. “My writing has definitely improved so much in my first year on staff.”

Behind every yearbook and newsmagazine, there is a team behind the pages collaborating to create the best product for the school community. As the current school year is coming near a close, the options for choosing an elective are being presented for the 2021-2022 school year. While being a part of the student publications staff at Mater Dei, students are learning more about journalism skills like using InDesign, but also learning the life skill of collaboration.

In Newspaper, student reporters use storytelling to share the stories of the students, events, opinions, and culture of the school. Junior and staff reporter Brigette Ramirez joined the staff at school after transferring from Orange Lutheran High School to gain more experience in journalism after deciding she wanted to go into sports journalism for college.

“I really enjoy writing, so it’s an opportunity to get to do a lot of writing, which is something I really enjoy,” Ramirez said. “I really like storytelling, and I think it’s a way to tell the unique stories of Mater Dei and share those with the Mater Dei community.”

To join the publication team, you don’t just have to like writing, you can also enjoy reading, collaborating with others, and working as a leader. Being part of a newspaper not only uses journalism, but employs collaboration as a team. Students can work with partners to go out to the school to interview people for their story. After gathering the information, they write and send it to editors to review and revise in order to create the best story for the Scarlet Scroll website. Many of these stories can also be seen in future newsmagazines and the yearbook.

“I think you should join the publication if you like writing, if you like reading, if you honestly just like working with other people and meeting new people because it’s a great way to do that,” Ramirez said. “I have become a lot more outgoing through being on the newspaper just because you talk to so many different people, or just taking photos of people.”

Senior and Newspaper Managing Editor Emma Califato explains that she joined the newspaper staff not only to gain knowledge about journalism, but to also use these experiences to learn more social skills for future jobs.

“It’s not just a class that you take and just get the A in, it’s a little job with all your little co-workers that you have…,” Califato said. “…you also just learn social skills, which I feel like a lot of people don’t learn until they have to interview for a job.”

As part of the newspaper staff, having open eyes and ears is necessary to cover the modern and diverse study body our school contains. In this modern age, students take up diverse activities or come from different backgrounds that help create the strong student body MD contains. Highlighting these diverse people or events showcases our school’s achievements through our students, but also the story behind it.

“You just don’t realize how unique and special and diverse Mater Dei students really are, and that’s something I realized through the newspaper,” Califato said. “It just changes your perspective and just makes you realize how much students, teachers, and staff, and just the whole Mater Dei community is unique.”

Similar to newspapers, being a part of the yearbook team allows you to capture all the memories of the school year that will forever be cataloged through your work. The yearbook is one of the most integral parts of the high school experience that allows students and alumni to look back on the memories that were made in a given school year. Using a combination of photos and stories, it highlights and captures the memories made on the campus.

Senior and Co-Editor-in-Chief Tiffany Le explains how being part of the yearbook allowed her to make an impression on the school. Joining the yearbook, also gives students the chance to expand their knowledge on skills like graphic design, journalism, and photography.

“Being part of the yearbook committee has helped me make a mark in the school,” Le said.

The publications staff is not just a class, but also a family that works together for the common goal. Room 204 has morphed from a regular classroom to a home for many student journalists. From writing stories, newsmagazine, and yearbook, the use of collaboration, leadership, and hard work is done to work together to highlight the school’s diverse culture through storytelling and pictures.

“I feel like room 204 is just my safe place on campus forever,” Califato said. “I feel like you get so much from joining the publication team, not just through writing and photography skills, but just real life skills that you’ll learn and you will use for the rest of your life.”