Behind the Scenes: The Pixel Journal 2022-2023
Behind the Scenes: The Pixel Journal
The Pixel Journal delves into the intricate details of all things OHS, clubs, events, instructors, students, and anything and everything else. And yet, the Pixel Journal has to share its own complex process. How are there so many, enthralling and relatable yet polished articles published every month?!
So let’s dive into the people behind the Pixel Journal, and the steps taken to create, edit, and publish the elaborate articles we all love to read.
It all starts with the meetings…They are long, tense, and so very solemn. They last for hours at a time. Everyone is jumping on mic fighting over topics and features, a ruthless scene…
Just kidding! It is actually a very civil organized discussion between the club’s editors, contributors/members, and representative Mr. Bennett! The meetings occur once a month for approximately 30 minutes. They start with Eryn, the lovely Editor-in-Chief (more on her later), and Mr. Bennett giving a debrief on the last issue and the potential article topics and student events to cover.
This is great and all, but I’m sure you came here for the more elusive and nitty-gritty details of WHO is behind all the cogently articulated articles that we see published every month on the spectacular website.
Well, the best place to start would chiefly be, Eryn, the Editor-in-Chief. Eryn started her sophomore year as a contributor, then Culture Editor as a junior, and now Editor-in-Chief in her last year at OHS. In this position, Eryn oversees everything that goes on at the Pixel Journal: leading meetings, organizing production timelines, coordinating with editors and contributors, and managing the beautifully functioning website. Eryn is the Editor-in-Chief for a reason, she is a spectacular leader. She is reliable, collaborative, and empathetic. Through all these responsibilities, Eryn ensures that the Journal lives up to its mission of shaping our unique school culture.
Eryn shares that her favorite part is “collaborating with our team and seeing all of our work come together when I hit "publish" for each issue. Bringing the Pixel Journal to life is truly a collaborative effort, and it's always so satisfying to see our finished work posted on our website!” She loves being on the team and all the opportunities to connect with the OHS community. Eryn describes the Pixel Journal as “a window into the community for me.” when she first joined the OHS. Through the Pixel Journal, she is always reminded of the power it has to bring our global student body closer together.
Now that we have talked about the rewarding elements of being part of the Pixel Journal after the work is all said and done, let’s focus on the during. Eryn expresses that “just about everything you can do at the Pixel Journal is a learning opportunity!” The results are rewarding but so is the progress made in writing, collaborative skills, and deepening connection to our beloved school’s clubs, students, instructors, and events. As a part of the editorial board, she has been able to hone her writing skills from an editor's perspective and further her leadership skills as she manages the publication. Eryn shares that “overall, I'm very thankful for my time at the Journal and it really has been an important part of my OHS experience!”
Alongside Eryn is April, another dedicated and cherished editor in the Pixel Journal. April joined the program during her freshman year as a contributor. Sophomore year she became the Community Engagement Editor and now she is the Assistant Editor of the Journal. It is no surprise this upcoming school year that our new Editor-in-Chief for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. It is well-earned; she is a hard worker and will follow through every time. April works closely with Eryn, the editor-in-chief to ensure that each issue published reflects the mission of the Pixel Journal. Our editors are so dedicated to this program and they contribute not just articles and organization but unity amongst the members, connecting students with a common interest.
One of April's favorite parts of her role is having the grand privilege of reading about all that going on in the OHS community from a student perspective. With great power comes great responsibility and April always steps up to the plate. I also love being able to work with our club sponsor, Mr. Bennette, and make sure that the Pixel Journal is accessible and interesting for all OHS students.
This is a perfect time to appreciate Mr. Bennette, the club sponsor! But wait…who is he? For those of you unfamiliar, he is a fantastic writer and works closely with OHS’ wonderful Writing and Tutoring Center. Thus, he is a great resource and help when it comes to formulating ideas, writing, and then revising articles and goes beyond the typical role of making sure the club operates consistently. He helps maintain the organization and integrity of the club: making sure the paper gets published on time, holds meetings, providing editorial feedback, and giving every article a read-through to make sure he doesn’t have to censor anything, which has never happened within the past 5 years of this club's existence.
Mr. Bennette is present at every Pixel Journal meeting. However he does not lead, the Editors do and this is what fosters and helps the editorial board further develop their leadership skills. Every so often, Mr. Bennette will chime in and provide wise insight and feedback throughout the meeting.
Mr. Bennette has been a great supporter of the Pixel Journal since its humble beginnings. He helped gather funding to host a website domain. Mr. Bennette enjoys being part of the Journal because he gets to see students progress and develop as writers throughout their time in the club. He is always looking forward to being surprised by a topic or question in an article. When interviewed, Mr. Bennette emphasized the nature of writing and how “writing is a personal matter, an extension of yourself in many ways. It isn’t the same as ‘I didn't do well on a math test’. It is about making arguments and having a personal connection.” This touches on the community element of this club and how despite being thousands of miles/kilometers apart, we can connect and piece together the stories of OHS as the articles are reflective of the character and identity of the writer.
Next up we have the Stories Editor, Rasa! Rasa has been a member of the Pixel Journal since freshman year. She greatly enjoyed this role because she gets to read and edit all the articles that fall under her column (stories: writing that features students, alumni, or instructors at OHS) Rasa chose to contribute and now leads the Journal because she has an interest in writing and thought it would be fun. (She’s stayed for 3 years which means that the Pixel Journal is most definitely fun) A practical skill she has gained from her time with the journal is learning how to conduct interviews and make meaningful edits.
We are halfway through our editorial board! A major component of OHS's social life is its marvelous clubs. OHS has almost a hundred clubs; therefore, it is no surprise that there needs to be an entire column dedicated to covering and giving updates as to what each club is and what they are up to. Introducing…Fevroniya! She helps edit and review club article submissions as the Club's Editor. She has written six exceptional articles (which is more than the minimum amount to have this position) and has been mastering her interviewing and collaboration skills. What she loves about this role is that she gets to interview people and create her own articles but also gets to read and edit articles written by fellow contributors.
Fev has been part of the Journal since her freshman year but says she only really got into it her sophomore year. She is currently a rising senior and is going to keep her position as Club Editor for the upcoming school year! Fev is passionate about the mission of the PJ and loves journalism, writing, and working with others to help the Pixel Journal grow. What she has learned through her experiences with the Journal is “time management, teamwork, editing, and so much more!”. There are no limits to learning when it comes to the Journal.
OHS culture is so rich and diverse, that it makes sense that there would need to be an entire column dedicated to it! Jules is the editor of the culture column. She has been with the Journal since her sophomore year and became a culture editor as a senior. She edits pieces that cover a range of topics from holiday-themed OHS events to spotlights of various cultures. Jules is sent drafts of articles from contributors and she makes suggestions while trying to preserve the style and personal voice throughout the article. It is a beautiful irony of how Jules is even maintaining the culture and identity of the author who is writing about culture through her role as a culture column editor.
Her favorite part of her role is spotlighting all the different cultures of students at OHS. More specifically, Jules shares how “the culture column takes complex topics about race, religion, and cultures and makes them relevant by using these topics as context to better understand OHS students. I understand the importance of feeling represented within your school and your school's media and of being well-informed on history and culture, so I am happy to contribute in any way I can to this initiative.” Jules's passion and commitment are evident as this column alone has published 20 culture articles within 7 issues. With Jules, you don’t have to worry about giving up quality for quantity, Jules is dedicated and has a strong work ethic. When it comes to writing her own articles, it takes her anywhere from 2 hours to 2 weeks, and conducting interviews lasting for about 30 minutes. In addition to this responsibility, Jules spends time editing other contributors’ articles; she spends approximately 1-2 hours on each article.
Why does Jules commit herself to these hours and articles? OHS students already have a jam-packed schedule whether it is with homework, classwork, or extracurriculars…Jules knew how OHSers greatly value community, herself included. This culture, especially within an online school that lacks consistent physical presence and connection is much more difficult to create and maintain than a typical brick-and-mortar school. However, the magnitude to which OHSers uphold their culture and sense of community is an inspiration and Jules appreciates “student-led work like the Pixel Journal and helps foster a sense of community and connect the student body”. Jules herself shares that since the Pixel Journal is constantly telling people's stories and providing information on society that was previously unknown to me. So I have learned more about OHS student's interests, my instructors, and historical figures and events!”
Much like the rest of the editors, Jules has learned great lessons about being a writer and leader. The exchange of feedback from her peers about articles she wrote for other columns and countless interviews was a key part of her growing journalism journey. In addition to her inward growth, Jules has gained perspective and learned about important traits of a leader. She shares “There are many [traits], but one specific to the Pixel Journal is understanding that I don't have to be in control all the time. Instead of editing everything so it sounds how I want it to sound or includes sentence structure that fits my preference, I respect and trust my peers. I want them to continue to explore their voice and style through the Pixel Journal, so knowing when to surrender control is very significant. This understanding goes beyond the bounds and lines of a Google doc, this is a major life lesson about leadership and relationships. Being part of the Pixel Journal is about learning about culture, journalism, community, being a leader, and overall being a person who connects and can tell/share/write a story.
Our last editor to cover is Tala, our community engagement editor! She is in charge of creating Instagram posts and digital graphics for articles. In addition to these responsibilities, she curates Spotify Playlists monthly! This is an important job to have because it helps establish an audience and surprisingly engages the readers.
Last but not least we have the contributors! Their job is to brainstorm, draft, and revise articles which are submitted to the according column editor and later published at the end of the month! Unlike the editorial board positions, there is not a required amount of articles to produce. However, as all the previous editors have mentioned, just by being part of the team environment and process of writing articles, one can learn so much and improve their skills as a writer and collaborator. I myself am a contributor, and just this past year I have learned so much about journalism and the stylistic techniques it pertains to. I am allowed to have a colloquial tone and inform my readers of a topic but it can’t sacrifice cohesion and comprehendibility. Writing to share and connect more personally requires different skills than your typical MWA or JE001 expository essays (trust me I would know). In simple terms, you learn how to connect with people and their stories so deeply enough that you can accurately represent them. And because all these topics are intertwined within the OHS, the writing is more personal, and then on top of that is the collaboration with the editors and their perspectives which are a great insight into how to improve as a writer.
The Pixel Journal shares so many great stories. Hopefully, this article gave you a little look into the stories of the people behind creating and managing them. The successful publishing of multiple articles every month that range from student features to holidays and clubs is only because of the responsible and passionate staff that devote great time, energy, and attention to producing these quality articles that bring our widespread OHS community closer together and more connected.