Excellent student quotes highlighted October work of the month. First of all, journalists must always look for a way to incorporate student viewpoint. Yes, other sources (adult) are needed, but find students, and let them talk (easier for some topics than others).

Mya Sanchez of the Mason City Riverhawk Press covered a protest on a Saturday and found four first-time student protesters. She sprinkled in quotes from speakers and adults. You can read Mya’s story here and her other work here. Mya joined the Riverhawk Press as a writer this year.

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Another Riverhawk Press reporter, Kate Laura, covered a cultural event at school, publishing both an English and Spanish version translated by her. The infographic showing how students presented their countries adds a personal touch that works with the quotes in the story. Kate is a senior and this is her first year as a writer on the Riverhawk Press. You can read Kate’s story in Spanish here and in English here. You can also find more of Kate’s work here.

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Student quotes shine in Anna Greenlee’s story and accompanying video of the Iowa City Farmers’ Market. Greenlee of Iowa City West also attended an event on Saturday. An event is a great place to shoot video of student reaction. Viewers can see what it looked like and hear the voice inflection, which makes for good storytelling. Anna is a senior on the West Side Story where she is in her second year as the Design, Entertainment, and Opinion Editor. You can read Anna’s story here and more of her work here.

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Good quotes show the story in Shanza Sami and Colin Wehrle’s story about a sports manager. The pair from Iowa City West helps the reader visualize the manager and a player celebrating after every win. “Every game, when the clock is winding down and we are about to win, it has become a habit to immediately think about (our) victory celebration. Neither of us have to communicate it because we both know that we will see each other at the 50-yard line.” (one example). You can read Shanza and Colin’s story here. Shanza is a senior and currently the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the West Side Story Print. Colin is a junior and serves as the Prinot Photo and Sports Editor for the West Side Story. You can also read more of Shanza’s work here and Colin’s work here.

Human connection. It’s awesome.

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