Let students lead.
Editors set priorities, assign stories, guide revision, and make editorial decisions. My responsibility is to support their thinking and independence as an adviser.
CURRENT COURSE · 2026–2027
Journalism.
A voice that matters.
Real stories. Real readers. A newsroom led by students.
I advise The Gator, Brimmer and May’s student news site, and Gator Nation News. Students decide what to cover, lead the editing, and build a publication that serves their community. I teach, ask questions, and help them develop the judgment to own that work.
PURPOSE & STUDENT GROWTH
My goals for this course
I want students to experience journalism as work that matters to other people. Reporting for a real community gives them a reason to ask better questions, verify what they learn, write with care, and make decisions they can explain. My goal is to help them become curious, ethical, confident journalists who can think and act independently.
What I hope students take away
The habits of a reporter
Find worthwhile stories, evaluate sources, prepare for interviews, ask follow-up questions, take reliable notes, and verify facts before publication.
An ethical, independent voice
Report accurately and fairly, credit sources, distinguish reporting from opinion, minimize harm, and take responsibility for the work.
Confidence and collaboration
Write and revise for real readers, tell stories through photography and multimedia, work with student editors, and use feedback to set the next goal.
MY GOALS FOR THE GATOR
Student ownership.
Community trust.
I want The Gator to be a place where students are trusted with meaningful responsibility and learn to earn their readers’ trust. Their reporting should inform the community, invite conversation, and make room for voices that deserve to be heard.
Explore the student publication ↗Make accuracy a habit.
Students check facts, seek context and different perspectives, and consider the consequences of publication. A compelling story must also be fair and trustworthy.
Serve the whole community.
News, features, opinion, arts, sports, photography, and broadcasting offer different ways to listen, ask worthwhile questions, and help readers understand one another.
Grow through the work.
A published story is one step in a continuing process. Students learn to give and receive feedback, reflect on their progress, and help the next group of journalists lead.
FROM THE JOURNALISM COURSE
How those goals become practice
The newsroom’s coverage changes with the stories students pursue. The course establishes shared reporting skills, ethical expectations, and a process for improving together.
Find and report the story
Students practice news judgment, research, pitching, interviewing, note-taking, and verification. They learn to prepare good questions and listen for the follow-up.
Write, edit, and revise
We work on leads, structure, active verbs, precise language, AP style, and attribution. Student editors offer feedback, and reporters remain responsible for the accuracy and originality of their work.
Tell stories in different forms
Photography lessons emphasize composition, the telling moment, portraits, and news and sports coverage. Broadcasting introduces story mapping, storyboarding, scripts, video, and audio.
Practice ethics and reflection
The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics informs our work on fairness, honesty, accountability, and minimizing harm. Regular self-evaluations help students identify progress and set actionable goals.
This overview draws on my Journalism I course materials. The student editors shape the day-to-day coverage; I remain responsible for teaching, support, and assessment.
BEYOND OUR NEWSROOM
Supporting the student press
My work with student journalists extends beyond Brimmer. I serve as a board member of the New England Scholastic Press Association and executive director of the Private School Journalism Association. These roles connect my classroom work with a broader commitment to student voice and support for fellow advisers.
CSPA honors · 2026
Gold Key Award
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association recognized my work in support of student journalism and the school press.
Read CSPA’s award citation ↗Special Recognition Adviser
CSPA also named me a Special Recognition Adviser in its 2026 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year program.
Read the official announcement ↗
THE STUDENTS’ WORK
A newsroom worth celebrating
These honors recognize the reporting, creativity, and sustained effort of The Gator’s student journalists.
Six consecutive Crowns
Including Gold Crowns in 2024 and 2025 and a Silver Crown in 2026.
Pacemaker winner
National recognition for the publication, alongside finalist honors in 2022 and 2024.
First Place, All-New England
First Place for News Site, Class III, in two consecutive years.
Distinguished Site
The newsroom earned this national recognition for the first time.
Recent individual recognition · 2026
Andrew Flint earned a CSPA Gold Circle first place for his first-person story. Rachael Rosenberg and Edward Flint earned first place for an editorial in NSPA’s Spring Clips & Clicks contest. Rohan Muni received two NSPA national finalist selections. Mary Wang and Tavio Mares-Van Praag joined NESPA’s All-New England Journalism Staff, with Tavio also recognized as a Rising Star.
Explore the winning work and full awards archive ↗NESPA · 2026 FREEDOM TO WRITE AWARD
Judy Guild’s support for student voice
Head of School Judith “Judy” Guild received NESPA’s 2026 Freedom to Write Award for her support of student press freedom. Her signing of the Private School Journalism Association’s Affirmation Statement made an explicit commitment to student editorial independence at Brimmer.
That trust matters to the work I do as an adviser and to the students who lead The Gator.
Read The Gator’s coverage of Guild’s award ↗FROM MY PUBLISHED WORK
Related writing
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