Sarah Foster

Illinois Journalist of the Year Applicant

Action PhotosMy responsibilities as Managing Editor

I assist my Editor in Chief during story pitch; we are both leaders of the classroom. We are responsible for seven monthly issues, but with our team’s work ethic this year, we put out the Mirror’s first eighth edition. I also developed a story planning sheet, so I can conference with each reporter about his or her article before it is constructed to ensure quality reporting.

That’s me!1. Story Pitch and Planning

2. Team BuildingI have a very enthusiastic personality, and I am always concerned with the way we work as a team, so after every edition, I plan team-building activities. We play games related to journalism; sometimes we do self-esteem building activities. I also make an effort to host parties at my house for all of us staffers. I know that if we work better as a team, and if we have a little fun, we will be more inclined to put out an above-and-beyond version of our paper.

Action PhotosMy responsibilities as Managing Editor

4. EditingAs Managing Editor, I am also the copy chief; I check stories for content, grammar and AP Style errors. I love editing and giving advice to my staffers. Though I see around thirty stories a month, I make an effort to sit down with each reporter and conference my edits with them. When there are issues in reporting or organization, this quality instruction, which is my favorite part, is crucial.

As Managing Editor, my biggest responsibility is being design chief; every month, I sit down with staffers as they dummy their pages. I challenge my teammates to think outside the box with their design and be more creative than the average newspaper. Here, I am discussing a staffer’s page and advising him how to plan it better.

3. Design Chief

who wanted to quit. My ears rang as they always did when my nerves worsened. I liked it this time, though. They drowned the painful sentences that escaped the mouths of the 100 high school journalists who filled the auditorium. “I’m so excited; I’ve always wanted to participate in a press conference!” “I can’t believe we’re getting to talk to a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist! This is the best camp ever!” The amount of discouragement I felt turned into tears pounding to escape my eyes. I’m the only journalist who’s afraid, I thought. There’s something wrong with me. Everyone silenced as one of the camp’s teachers stood at the podium. “We are going to do this press-conference style,” she said. “I would like all of you to participate. Stand up, state your name and school and then ask your question.” My knees bounced uncontrollably. I felt my mouth get dryer. I knew immediately that it wasn’t proper for an aspiring journalist to feel this way. My journalism career flashed before my eyes. I saw my sophomore-year self

enter the journalism classroom with uncontrollable excitement to spend long hours doing what I loved to do—write. As a child, a pencil and pen were something I could never separate myself from. I always scribbled fictional stories on printer paper and delightedly handed them to my friends and relatives. I remembered my sophomore year discovering my preferred journalistic prose: feature writing. It presented so much creative freedom; it was storytelling loaded with description. I remembered the anger I felt designing my first page, but the love I felt for visual journalism after I worked hard to improve. I heard the echoes of my co-staff members’ laughter; we were a family. In that moment, with an overdose of anger and dissatisfaction, I threw my passion away. The camp’s teacher called me back to reality. “Here’s Tim Nickens, a Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial writer,” she said, initiating the press conference. Just like that, a million hands rose. It felt like a lifetime sitting there with apprehension. My ears rang so loud that I thought everyone else could hear them. But suddenly, silence. I didn’t

The power My quest to better my community, world,

It seemed I was the only one in the room

Self-analytical essay

hear it anymore. Only one hand was in the air now. Surprisingly, that hand was mine. Mr. Nickens’ eyes met mine then looked at the clock. “I’m sorry. I can’t have any more questions.” My hand fell. A surge of disparity seized my veins. But then my legs took over. Though my brain gave up, my body refused to. “Mr. Nickens!” I shouted after the

press conference. “Mr. Nickens, wait.” I took a deep breath. “How did you feel when you won the Pulitzer?” Tim Nickens then opened his mouth to say the wisest words I have ever heard. “It’s not about winning,” he said. “Doing quality journalism comes first. Then winning comes along with it.” At the time, those words hit me like a slap in the face, reinserting the sense right back into me. Those words reminded me of the other reason why I joined journalism: to use my passion of writing and storytelling to help others. In journalism, it’s not about being outspoken. It’s about being courageous

enough to do what’s right. The power behind a feature story or creative page design is limitless; stories can educate, inform and liberate. It’s up to journalists like me to tell them. As I resurrected my journalism passion, I imagined myself in my second home—the MHS Mirror journalism classroom—again. I pledged to continue doing what I loved and lead my staff members by teaching them the

power of journalism. Though my future endeavors are enough to make me shake in place, I have a flame that burns brighter than all doubt—the aspiration to use my abilities to help others. There’s nothing that has the greater potential to do this than journalism. Journalism isn’t only an educator and liberator to others. It’s taught me as well. It’s led me on a journey of maturity and self-confidence, so I can be empowered to serve others. It’s made me the person I’ve always wanted to be. Journalism will forever be a part of who I am.

of passionneighbors and self through journalism

“Journalism made me the person I’ve always wanted to be.”

Sarah Foster: writer, editor, designer and leader

Writing Entries

Features 15-22 News 23-25Sports 26Opinion 27Investigative 28-33Entertainment 34-36

Feature WritingAn event everyone knows, stories not often told

What this means to me . . . Relay for Life is an event that occurs often in my town; when my Editor in Chief was concerned with coverage, she pitched stories of events that were going to occur soon, so we could be a newspaper for the community. Coverage of this event was one of the stories on her list. I knew this was necessary to cover, but I didn’t want it to be another story that just elaborated on an event that ev-eryone knew about. I decided to talk to three very different people--a cancer survivor, a daughter of a cancer survivor and a daughter and sister of two cancer patients who lost their battle--to gain perspective on what this event means to the public. People told their stories in a way that defined the aspects Relay for Life was found-ed on. It was showing, not telling, which to me, is all the more powerful.

Feature WritingA Story of the MHS Cooks

What this means to me . . . My first story on the newspaper staff, I was beginning to understand my passion for feature writing, and most important, what it does: brings shadowed people into the light. I noticed that several students in my school were quick to complain about our cooks. I thought this story was necessary to inform my peers about the hard work that really goes into their job--that they’re not just in it to collect a paycheck. I found a group of women who enjoyed working with each other because they were like a family and had a passion for it as well. I feel it changed the way many of my peers thought.

Feature WritingA Story of the MHS Cooks

This article was . . . . Featured on High School Journalism’s

National Edition

Feature WritingA tale of bravery

When Veteran’s Day was approaching, I wanted to write a story about

veterans because they decided to serve willingly,

yet I felt students in my high school didn’t understand the extent of each sacrifice. My

second month on The Mirror, I was still afraid to talk to people I didn’t know. This story pushed me. I needed to interview soldiers and their families who were still haunted. It really tested my limits as an interviewer because I wanted to get as much

information as I could without pushing too far.

I discovered that it’s this timid personality

that makes people feel comfortable. What I

thought would ruin me as a journalist is actually why people talked to me. I wanted to use this gift wisely, so I could inform the public of how difficult it was for these men on and off the battle field.

What this means to me . . .

Feature Writing

This Article won . . . Illinois Journalism Education Association’s

1st Place State Contest

A tale of bravery

Feature WritingA story of generosity

What this means to me . . . While in an introductory to journalism class, this was the first feature story I ever wrote. I always admired my family friend, who traveled to Kenya to help these children, and while learning about the feature-writing prose, I couldn’t get her unique story out of my head. I feel that teenagers have the tendency to be very narcissistic and closed-minded; they don’t feel concerned for everyone in the world. I wanted to tell this story to inspire others to seek opportu-nities like my friend did, and it inspired many people to donate to her cause. It was the first moment I realized how powerful and influential journalism truly is.

Students at Mattoon High School distinguish life by several factors: jobs, cars, relationships, families. Teenagers have a way of living in the present; a way of living life to its fullest before the wrinkles and stress of growing up hit. However, the days of living in the present do come to a halt. Bigger problems than finding homecoming dates or paying off cellphone bills do exist. In Nairobi, Kenya, there lies By Grace Disabled and Orphans Centre – an orphanage situated in the center of the city’s slums, taking care of chil-dren who were orphaned or neglected due to the AIDS and HIV crisis. This orphanage, burdened by the lack of money, has barely enough food and water to feed the 300 children and counting who live there. The orphan-age has a total of 10 rooms — class-rooms by day, bedrooms by night. However, the residents stay strong in their optimism, keep to their faith and believe that a day will come when their lives will change. This day did come. Meet Stand Up For Grace – a non-profit organization that originated at Richland Community College in Decatur by three volunteers: Pixie Fennessey, Michael Huff and Tiffany Hall.

Deemed at making the lives of these residents healthier and happier, Stand Up For Grace provides food, water, clothing, medicine, education and love to all its children and resi-dents. “Mike was involved locally with HIV and AIDS awareness programs [at RCC] with some students as the

advisor. He decided to go to Africa and do volunteer work,” said Pixie Fennessey, former Mattoon resident, as well as president and co-founder of Stand Up For Grace. “He found By Grace through an internet site called Global Crossroads, a volunteer vaca-tion touring company.” “The students wanted to do more than just help the community and wanted to see where the impact of HIV and AIDS was mostly,” Mike Huff, treasurer and co-founder,

explained. Huff went to the admin-istration of the college, asking for permission to take a group of student ambassadors overseas. In order to do so, they needed to create the program as a class and ask a faculty member to join in on the project. “They asked me,” said Fennessey. Soon after, Fennessey and Huff left for Kenya along with three stu-dents and two community members in May of 2005. However, the switch from mid-dle-class to slum wasn’t easy. “Nairobi is different than Ameri-ca because there are so many slums. Sometimes there is no water or electricity. There is trash everywhere. Goats and pigs run in the street. The people live in one room, sharing squatty potties. “Everyone is walking, and ev-erything is crowded. There is high-crime,” said Fennessey, who recol-lects her first impression of the new world. “I thought I’d never go back,” Fennessey claims. But remembering this attribute, she laughs wryly. Since her first trip to Kenya, she has trav-eled back and forth a total of 12 times – staying for as long as three weeks to nine months. The reason for this? She feels as though she has found her purpose.

Feature Writing

This article won . . . Illinois Journalism Education Association’s

1st Place State Contest

A story of generosityThese orphans have put Fennessey through a sheer metamorphosis and have changed the way she identifies life. “I fell in love with the children,” she said. “I became so compelled to make their life better. I feel very close to many people there. The children at the orphanage are very dear to me, especially the ones I have known since I started going to Kenya,” Fen-nessey noted. “Kayole, the slum I live in [while in Kenya], has become my second home since the orphanage and my friends are there.” “All of the children of By Grace have made an impact on my life, and I’m very attached to them,” said Huff, agreeing as well. “There isn’t anything better than seeing a child who has had such a hard life smile and knowing that you helped. I think it’s an experience ev-eryone should have,” he said. Thus, the creation of Stand Up For Grace. While residing at the orphanage, Fennessey teaches kindergarten through fifth grade creative arts, P.E. and life skills to the orphaned chil-dren. “The organization is not only an orphanage but a school, so the chil-dren of the organization can get an education to give them an opportunity

to have a better life,” Huff added. One might wonder how living in a completely different world could be possible without getting homesick. The simple thirst for fresh water, food, clothing and air conditioning – the common possessions that are often taken for granted today – are scarce. Traveling to this “other world” is not always simple. “I’m so busy there is no time for homesickness,” Fennessey claimed. “But when I’m sick of the slum, I can go into the town center in the Mabry Business District for modern com-modities. Also, we visit the National Park for Animals for safaris when we have students with us. We stay in tents and drive around in vans, taking pictures of the animals.” But, many activities and projects for the children at By Grace exist, they do not stop when the plane has left African soil. Money is raised; fund raising takes place, the purchasing of plane tick-ets, the recruiting of volunteers. It all happens behind the scenes. The vol-unteers have to come up with the rent, plane tickets and any other necessities they wish to give to the residents in Kenya, all by themselves. “Volunteer work never ends – plane tickets run around $1,500 to $2,100, and rent is $500 per month.

All of this money comes out of the pocket. The money we raise through fund raising goes straight to the or-phanage,” said Fennessey. The simple activities that distin-guish the American Culture – trips to the drive-thru window, shopping sprees, dinners and movies – do not exist. Traveling to Nairobi so fre-quently is a giant commitment – time and dollar wise. “[In order to help these children], I have given up many items, and I care less about myself and more about others,” said Fennessey. But in all seriousness, she agrees that is the best part. By Grace has found its peak, its light, and its salvation. The dedication and heart of Huff, Fennessey and Hall have made an immeasurably pro-found difference on the lives of the neglected, the broken hearted, yet the generous, kind and caring orphaned children. The reward for their sweat and effort is nothing a check for thou-sands of dollars could prescribe or a new sports car could provide, but the smile and light on a child’s face. That is what tells them that the work they are doing is worthwhile. Stand Up For Grace is transform-ing the lives of By Grace residents one child at a time.

Feature WritingA slice of life on an interesting teacher

What this means to me . . . I attended a journalism workshop at the University of Illinois in the fall. I heard an inspiring lesson by a former journalist from the Washington Post Magazine. His lesson described a more risky, creative form of feature writing--immersion journalism, or as he called it, “Slice of Life.” I decided to apply this influential lesson. There is a very unique Biology teacher in my school who is known for abruptly telling weird stories in the middle of class. I decided to document them. I simply held a conversation with her about her life and recorded it, then wrote it as she told me, so the story could be from her. This is a risky feature story; it breaks tradition, but I love the uniqueness and humor in it. That’s what feature writing is all about; those unique slices of life. This is an excerpt from my final product.

What this means to me . . . News writing has always been the weakest aspect of my writing because I long to be detailed; I tend to write too much. My adviser challenged me to tackle more news articles. She gave me a column-inch limit and proposed the idea of discussing social media sites with college admissions officers, employers and my principal to see if it does affect the opportunities students can have in the future. This represents my long battle with conciseness and news writing, and having this story printed meant I was one step closer to perfecting it.

News WritingSocial networking affects students

What this means to me . . . With my news-writing skills lacking, I decided to gain more experience in this genre by writing about our school district’s petitioning and campaigning to add a 1 percent sales tax to fund facility costs. This was one of the hardest articles I’ve ever written, not because its style didn’t come natural to me, but because I had trouble finding people, specifically businesses, who were willing to speak against the tax. After calling ten major business, each declin-

News WritingInforming students on the County School Facility Tax

A referendum for a 1 percent sales tax to fund facility costs for schools in Coles County will take place during the March 18 primary election. As states like Illinois continue to worsen in their economic state, many school districts have become apprehensive about the amount of money they will receive to fund educational expenses, according to Tom Sherman, business manager for the Mattoon School District. “Security needs, maintenance issues and renovations to all of the Mattoon schools are needed,” said Sherman. “But with the decrease of state funds, it has become much harder to meet those needs.” As a result, Mattoon and many other school districts have had to make major changes. “We’ve cut administrators, all kinds of teachers, custodians [and] paraprofessionals,” said Mattoon High School Principal Michele Sinclair. “Our school budget here has been cut by 15 percent.” To make up for this loss and prevent further changes, many neighboring counties, including Champaign and Macon, have established the County School

Facility Tax—or to increase sales tax by 1 percent to give back to the school district. “This sales tax would be collected as current sales taxes are collected by the state,” said Sherman. “The sales tax would be one penny for each dollar spent only on certain items.” If passed through a county-wide majority vote, “cars, boats, mobile homes, most groceries, medicines [and] farm equipment,” will not be taxed, according to Sherman. MHS economics teacher Vinnie Walk said the items that will see the increase are mainly “the wants,” like clothing and food purchased in restaurants. If the sales tax passes, an estimated $2.6 million each year would be collected. The state regulates the way this money could be used—a portion is required to pay off the annual bond payments of the Riddle and Williams Elementary School buildings, which are currently being funded through property tax. “$1.5 million [of the sales tax] would be used for this bond payment,” said Sherman. “The Mattoon School District property taxpayer will see their school

district portion of their property taxes reduced in 2015. The district has pledged to reduce $1.5 million annually in property taxes. This reduction would save a person that owns a $100,000 home an estimated $172 annually in property taxes.” According to an informational brochure by the Mattoon School District, the money collected could not be used for “salaries, operating costs, furniture, computers or buses.” The areas in which the rest of the $1.1 million would fund are facility costs or building enhancements. “[The rest would be used for] security needs, as well as repairs and upgrades to the school buildings,” said Sherman. “Such repairs at MHS could include roof repairs, parking lot enhancements, as well as heating, air and ventilation issues.” More than 10 area businesses were contacted but declined comment on this issue. However, opposing this idea is MHS senior Kaleb Pollum. On top of his belief that people are already taxed enough in Illinois, Pollum believes the problems occurring in schools isn’t from a lack of funding but mismanagement with the amount

ing to respond, I ended up interviewing a politically informed student because he was the only person willing to talk about the opposition. This issue was serious and needed to be covered with balance, yet no one was willing to speak on the other side. However difficult it was in composing this article, it helped me as a reporter because I’d never covered a topic that was so serious before. This prepared me for future situations I may encounter with reporting difficulties.

of money the state is providing. “I think there’s a lot of nonessential spending going on,” said Pollum. “I think mismanagement of current funds needs to be addressed before we even consider spending more on education.” Pollum said major cuts to extracurricular activities and staff sizing need to be made to the educational environment because the facility costs that the sales tax would be funding should’ve been the first priority. “There is a case to be made for the benefits of nonessential spending like those extra-curricular programs, but it’s financially irresponsible to levy more weight to them than, quite literally, the foundation of the building,” said Pollum. With a differing opinion, Walk believes these problems in planning and budgeting are because the state doesn’t specify how much money they will contribute to schools, leaving districts to estimate. He believes the sales tax could fix this problem. “It definitely would allow the school district to know how much money they’re going to have,” said Walk. “[This] allows them to build a

better budget.” As a business owner himself, Walk also explained that this increase in sales tax could make the economy more prosperous. The money collected through sales tax and distributed back to schools could enhance the buildings more, which could make Mattoon schools hosts of athletic tournaments and bring in more visitors to use city restaurants. “If that tax enables more events to happen in town and more people eat there, I’ll probably come out ahead,” said Walk. “If more people are going to eat at my facilities, I’m going to make more money than lose to that 1 percent.” On the other hand, Pollum believes the CSFT could not benefit the current economic conditions of the communities in Coles County. “A tax increase of any kind is not going to help Mattoon and Charleston, whose local economies are stagnant at best,” said Pollum. “As a general economic principle, you can’t yield dramatic improvement without dramatic changes.” Pollum believes that the sales tax’s aspect of lowering property taxes isn’t

definite. “It’s a theoretical adjustment,” said Pollum. “Lowering the property tax is a suggestion of what can possibly be done and not a guaranteed course of action.” According to Sinclair, the school district has pledged to decrease the amount collected through property taxes; however, the state is under the PTELL law, or Property Tax Extension Limit Law, which provides an exact definition to how much property taxes can be raised. “[It says] we can’t raise property taxes more than CPI, the consumer price index, or 5 percent whichever is less,” said Sinclair. “The CPI is 1.5 percent so the most that property taxes could be raised are 1.5 percent.” Regardless, Sherman said the majority of the taxed items are purchased by visitors, and it’s the same concept of visiting Champaign to make purchases. “47 percent of all sales tax collected in Coles County comes from visitors,” said Sherman. “Currently, when someone travels to Champaign, Urbana, Tuscola or Decatur to eat or shop, they are helping to pay for those towns’ schools.”

News WritingInforming students on the County School Facility Tax

Sports WritingCovering my beat

What this means to me . . . I typically do not know much about sports; I was never very athletic. Given this, I decided to cover the cross country team for my beat, and what I found was a whole new world--not just the physical part. I saw a team that was a true family, that helped each other and cared for each other. This team was so inspirational, and they worked so hard to achieve their record-breaking num-bers. I wanted to show this to my school. Typically, our athletics center around football and basketball. The cross country team was so grateful to have a school newspaper reporter writing about them. They expressed to me that they didn’t get recognized much, and this made me realize the importance of my job as a student journalist.

Opinion Writing Writing for equality

What this means to me . . . One of my friends graduated as a Magna Cum Laude recipient. I noticed the happiness she had in her eyes upon being recognized. I asked myself why my school didn’t have this. I decided to write this opinion article, not only because it would make the cum laude system parallel to all students, but because of the competitiveness that was exerted by the seniors who were trying to be recognized. As a senior myself, I noticed my classmates trying to take the easy capstone classes, so they were more likely to stay in the running instead of challenging themselves like the system implies. This isn’t fair to the kids who are challenging themselves with the harder courses. Opinion writing is powerful, so I decided to make a story out of this to hopefully make a difference among those kids who were in that situation.

What this means to me . . . While on the lookout for more news story ideas, I asked my mom what her faculty meeting’s discussion was about after she came home from work. She told me that a researcher from a nearby University came to speak to them about the county’s grow-ing poverty rates. I knew this was something that needed to be covered, so the public could ad-dress the issue and help those who were struggling. But what I found was a new passion I wanted

Investigative ReportingUncovering my home county’s poverty levels

An invisible menace lurks in Coles County. Students unknowingly encounter it through the contents of a lunch tray. It burdens those who inhabit the desks and walk the halls of Mattoon High School. More and more are affected by this perpetrator, and it will only get worse. That is, if it isn’t caught and stopped. When Eastern Illinois University assistant sociology professor Michael Gillespie transitioned to his new home in Coles County, he continued his previous interest of studying the

frameworks of poverty through data from the U.S. Census Bureau. What he found was a rapidly increasing rate, and neighboring counties didn’t see as high of numbers. “Coles County is experiencing elevated levels of poverty and food insecurity compared to other counties in east central Illinois, including Champaign County,” said Gillespie. “Moreover, while the poverty rate in the country and the state has leveled off the past three years, in Coles County, the percent of people who are poor is increasing.” According to Gillespie’s research, 24 peers who have been in the same classroom throughout high school may not know the situation occurring—approximately

six of them, or one of four—are experiencing poverty. Hand-in-hand issues, like food insecurity, are affecting approximately three out of 10 families. Though the issue didn’t seem apparent, Arland D. Williams Elementary School Principal Kris Maleske has seen a change in his student body. “For the past nine years, I have seen our free and reduced lunch and the socioeconomic of the lunch climb,” said Maleske.

When Maleske arrived as principal in 2005, approximately 360, or 52 percent, kids used the program; today, the total is around 565, or 72 percent. On average, the student body sits at 750. Maleske found another indicator—a change in mobility, or the flow of children in-and-out of a school district—has risen compared to recent years in his experience. “There’s a direct connection there,” said Maleske. “When your mobility rates climb [and] people are on the move, [it may indicate] they’re constantly trying to find shelter.” When Maleske saw these two poverty indicators, he knew he needed to get involved. If he didn’t, it would affect the student’s ability to

comprehend and expand what they learn during class. “It doesn’t mean these kids aren’t bright or intelligent; it just means it’s hard for them to focus when they don’t know when their next meal is going to be or if they have a place to stay tonight,” said Maleske. “Basic needs are up at the top, and [they] need to be met [in order] to start sticking in on critical thinking skills.” Gillespie said the increase of students, families and individuals in poverty as identified at Arland

D. Williams Elementary is partly responsible for the median income of the county. “There are still people who are unemployed, and if they have jobs, [make] low wages,” said Gillespie. “The median income in our county is substantially lower than the state and country, so people who are working are getting much less.” Gillespie advises that there is an important concept in understanding poverty—that it doesn’t only exist with an empty wallet and stomach. There can be malnutrition in relationships and ways of thinking—an important type of poverty is that of emotion, or an inability to respond positively to the situations and poor inside Coles County.

“We often blame poor people for not working Yet, based on my work and the work of

Investigative ReportingUncovering my home county’s poverty levels

“One unfortunate outcome of poverty and the way society thinks is that we often blame poor people for not working hard enough, being lazy, wasting time and money [and] doing things that may not be helping them succeed. Yet, based on my work and the work of many other researchers, this is not true. Most poor people want to work and want to provide for their families but may not have the same opportunity to succeed as you and I,” said Gillespie. “The best thing we can do is give empathy and

understanding. Do not judge, but serve gladly. It is vital to alleviate poverty and food insecurity.” One program among many, which is geared to help both the impoverished with assistance and the enriched with information, is the Coles County Time Out. Though it was created before Gillespie released his research, the present data fuels the program. “The purpose was simple,” said Brain Reid, professor of Early Childhood Education at Eastern Illinois University and the groups’ facilitator. “[To] bring together as many people who are interested [in developing] a coordinated, networked approach to [the] problems in the county. We discuss big issues, ideas

and possibilities, and then try to identify people who volunteer to dive into the topic, generate ideas and solutions and get the hard work done.” According to Maleske, an involved member of the group and representative of the school district, the group is meant to make everyone “take a ‘time out’” and focus on the issue at hand. “It takes the village to raise the child, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Maleske.

This group, which Maleske refers to as a “the big think tank,” has several subcommittees. One of these is the Coles County Coalition on Hunger and Poverty. “The coalition is purposely trying to offer resources, education and collaboration,” said Maleske. “[It’s] more of the action behind the issue.” Soon to come out of the program and distributed throughout the community is a needs assessment survey, which will ask residents to identify specific aspects of Mattoon that need to be improved and helped. “It’s more of a systematic, organized approach, versus, ‘well, let’s just do some of this and that,’” said Maleske. These issues occurring throughout

Coles County are not expected to alleviate or improve, according to Gillespie, due to the median income and wage. “I see the trend of poverty and food insecurity increasing in the near future,” said Gillespie. However, it can be diverted; according to Maleske, this will happen as more people feel called to help the situation. “Ideas are great, but if you put action behind those ideas, some great things could happen,” said Maleske.

“I want Mattoon to flourish again, and there are opportunities for all of us to make that happen, but we have to become united. Good can still come out of [what’s happening in the community] if we could work on solutions to help assist and provide education and resources to people who feel that state of hopelessness.” Maleske said the realization of his duty came when he realized that it’s everybody’s responsibility to make the community a better place, and anybody can get involved. “We can’t wait for it to change itself, by waiting for somebody, [everybody], and anybody,” said Maleske. “Stop looking for somebody to do the change. Be the change.”

hard, being lazy, and wasting time and money.many other researchers, this is not true.”

to tackle--I found out my the county’s problems would be too difficult to cover in one news story, so I decided to make a series of investigative articles about it. This is part one of the series, and this is one of the articles I feel most passionate about because it allows me to use my journalistic skills for the sake of bettering the community.

Investigative Reporting Talking to a family To others, it would be considered far from perfect. But for them, it couldn’t have been better. The Gentry family, circled in a cluster of chairs, looks back on those days. It’s felt as if a century has passed since they ate dinner in a restaurant. They used to go bowling whenever they wanted to, and they could see many movies before they were released to DVD. These are the things senior Kadie Gentry, sophomore Stephany Gentry and 12-year-old twins Melaney and Mykal want to remember. Because it isn’t like that anymore. One in four families in Coles County is experiencing what the Gentry family is, which started when their mother left two-and-a-half years ago, these activities disappeared along with her. Occasionally, she reappears through a quick phone call, but this is hard to capture when the loss of her income made it difficult to afford a phone bill. “We don’t really get to talk to her anymore,” said Melaney. A memory such as this is what people long to forget. It seems impossible to Kadie that every previous strike bowled and hamburger ate could replace the pain that came afterward. She can never get it out of her head. “It was 2011,” she said.

“After my freshman year.” But sometimes, it’s hard to forget memories like this, especially when they follow you. Mykal is reminded of it through the books he reads at school. “[They] kind of mess me up,” he said. “Sometimes [I feel] sad; other times, I get mad.” Melaney remembers it through the lessons taught. “When somebody talks about divorce, I always think of mom and dad.” Losing half of their income left the Gentry’s in a difficult situation; especially when their father’s factory salary was left to sustain their family-of-five. Finding the time to finish homework or find plans for the weekend like most teenagers are the least of their worries—they don’t even know if they’ll have heat or running water when they return from school. “In the winter time, being in the trailer with a few cracks where the wind blows in and makes it cold, we have to run our [space] heater a lot, [because] we don’t know if we will be able to refill [our] propane when it runs out,” said Kadie. “Or, we just layer up.” The subzero temperatures have been especially difficult; not only is running out of propane an issue, but their pipes freeze frequently. Once, the family went an entire week without running water.

“[We didn’t have] the money to get it to [work] efficiently and get things at the bottom of the trailer to help the pipes not to freeze,” said Kadie. If the family were to work on these issues around the home, it would remove money from their grocery budget, which is only a total of $300-$400 a month for their entire family. Food is only able to be purchased in small amounts, in days at a time. “I have a deep freezer that used to be filled with food,” said Charlie. “Now, it doesn’t have anything in it,” added Kadie. Most of the money from the budget is used for dinner items, as that is the most prominent meal that isn’t provided at school. If the children are hungry for a snack, they have to split up their meals—part of it now, the other half later. “We just don’t have the money [for snacks].” Even the dinner items that the Gentry family can afford are limited. “We don’t get as many meat products as we should,” said Charlie. “A lot of our meals consist of Ramen noodle soup, chicken noodle soup, macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and lunch meat sandwiches.” “College-lifestyle foods,” said Kadie jokingly. “But I love the Goldfish Macaroni!” said Melaney.

This food doesn’t only prevent them from going hungry—it saves Mykal and Kadie’s life. Mykal was diagnosed with a severe type of diabetes when he was 6, while Kadie is a sufferer of several food allergies, including nuts and eggs; these conditions provide more restrictions to their grocery list and challenge their ability to purchase them. To secure his children’s health, Charlie willingly skips meals. “A lot of times, I don’t take food to work because we don’t have enough,” said Charlie. “I work between 8 and 12 hours.” According to the American Diabetes Association, a child with diabetes costs $8,000 more than a child without the disease. Affording the family’s wants is difficult when this disease makes it difficult for them to purchase basic necessities. “A lot of times, we’ve had family members help us get toilet paper because basic necessities are hard to get when you don’t have cash,” said Charlie. Having to deal with these extra expenses has caused the family to make heavy sacrifices—some that many people can’t go a day without. “We had to give up quite a few things,” he said. “Mainly our wants,” added Kadie. “No eating out.”

What this means to me . . . I knew a primary source would be the most touching way I could communicate about poverty for part two in my series. That night, I conducted one of the hardest interviews I’ve ever done. However, the family touched my heart when they said they hoped their story could help someone else. Their generosity despite their conditions was what I wanted to convey; I wrote this in a literary format in hopes to touch the reader intimately.

Investigative Reporting Talking to a family

“No shopping.” “No gas to go places. We don’t always have internet.” “No more.” These lifestyle cuts have made sentimental activities of growing up difficult to fund. “You want to go to a dance with your friends, but you can’t,” said Melaney. “You don’t have the money.” Mykal explained that sometimes he is bullied about his family’s conditions. “When other kids talk about stuff you don’t know about, like new video games or something, and you tell them you haven’t played them, they’ll make fun of you,” he said. At the high school, Kadie feels students base their perceptions of their classmates on the clothes they wear. “I was talking to someone, and he didn’t realize how poor we actually were because we had fairly decent clothes, but that’s because we get them from other people,” said Kadie. “We get clothes from charities. People grow out of their clothes and give them to us.” The children can’t remember the last time they went shopping to purchase clothes on their own.

“It’s been two-and-a-half years,” said Kadie. “But that’s not bad!” said Melaney. Last Christmas, the Salvation Army delivered the Gentry children gift cards, so they could purchase their own clothing. However, despite how long it had been since they shopped, the children decided to spend that money in a different way. “We went out and got Christmas for other people,” said Gentry. But Charlie can’t seem to forget that his children don’t have what others do; he feels it every day through the empty wallet, lack of movie tickets and the wanted items he can’t provide for his family. “Parents should be able to provide their children stuff they want,” he said. “Not everything they want, but some things their parents should be able to provide without having help.” Charlie explained that asking for help is one of the hardest parts about their situation, but it’s something he knows he can’t be afraid to do for the sake of his children. “I struggle every time. But some things are more

important than one’s pride,” said Charlie. “My kids are more important than how I feel about myself. They are the four most important things in my life.” Along with receiving various services from churches in the community, Charlie also expressed how much help his family members and friends have been. The willingness of others to help is one of these memories that can work to replace the ones that sting. “[Our grandma] did a food drive for us,” said Kadie. “We got three bags from Aldi’s!” shouted Mykal. The Gentry children feel that their peers do not see them correctly. “Some don’t know what’s behind everything,” said Stephaney. “They’re really bad about looking at somebody and automatically thinking they know everything about them.” “Judging a book by its cover,” said Kadie. It’s these misconceptions that get underneath their skin, that bother them the most. “I know there are many people who think that those who are below the poverty line are being lazy and not trying to help their families,”

said Kadie. “But they need to know that most families are trying to help. They’re busy all the time, trying to do what they need and stay happy.” “I know there are some who don’t try to get a better job, but there are many like us who try every day to do better,” added Charlie. “If they had to be in our shoes, what would they do?” asked Melaney. “If you’re not in it or haven’t been in it, you have no idea what it’s like,” said Charlie. The Gentry children have come to accept that sometimes it’s the painful memories that are the hardest to forget. But sometimes, they’re the ones you don’t want to forget. They’re the closest things to determination; they are the ones that inspire you to provide for yourself. However painful, sometimes this hurt is what it takes to find true happiness. “Keep pushing through,” said Kadie. “Don’t give up just because it’s hard.” “We try to be content with what we have,” said Charlie. “We’re all right. We have everything we need.” “Someday,” began Kadie. “It will be better.”

Investigative Reporting Finding poverty in the school district

A bell signals that it’s the fourth period of the day. Kids know it, are accustomed to it. Perhaps their stomachs know it even better. A mass of students anxiously open their metal lockers. They remove a pile of books and head on to the period they are most familiar with—lunch. Mattoon High School supervisor Pam Heaton has made a routine of this time of day as well—it’s only habit after working at MHS for several years. However, the size of the group, all with empty hands, isn’t something she’s seen despite her experience. “I’ve never seen more sack lunches,” said Heaton. “There are [some] kids who don’t eat.” However, these kids aren’t just bringing a sack lunch or skipping a meal because they don’t like what’s on the menu—it’s a regular occurrence. Heaton believes its cause is the difficulties affecting many families in Coles County. “Instead of going out to eat, it’s cheaper [to] either eat here or bring lunch,” said Heaton. “Who can buy a lunch out there? Families in general are struggling. Everybody is.” Sitting among her friends at this time is senior Harlie Bunyard. As a student, Bunyard has closely encountered a change in the socioeconomics of her peers. “I know many students that are fighting with poverty,” said Bunyard. “Since my freshman year, I have seen more hit the poverty line.” According to MHS Principal Michele Sinclair, this change Heaton and Bunyard think they are noticing

is correct—a record number of students are below the poverty line at MHS, which is reflected through the free and reduced lunch program. “Over the last five to ten years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of students qualifying,” said Sinclair. “It costs so much to live anymore. Everything is so expensive.” According to Sinclair, the amount of kids on free and reduced lunch has increased by 20 percent since 2009; approximately 50 percent of MHS’s student body qualifies; an average family of four has to have a combined annual income of $30,000 to be considered eligible. For every 20 students, 11 students at Mattoon Middle School, 13 students at Riddle Elementary School and 14 students at Williams are utilizing this program. That means approximately 6 of every 10 students in the district are impoverished. Many educators believe these numbers are a reflection of Mattoon’s stagnantly poor economy, which stemmed from the economy’s downturn in 2008. “The overall socioeconomic trend in Mattoon is currently on the down swing and has been for some time,” said Mattoon Middle School counselor Jay Hopper. “Of course, as the community becomes more impoverished, so do our students. In general, students are always changing based on current cultural trends.” The struggles that approximately 60% of Mattoon’s students are feeling don’t leave after when their

front doors close behind them—it follows them when they come to school and affects their educational environment. “Meeting basic needs such as food, water [and] sleep is essential for students to learn,” said Condron. For some students, school is the only place basic necessities are received. “When I first started working in Mattoon in 1989, we did not offer breakfast for our students. Now, on any given day, we serve over 200 students breakfast,” said Riddle Elementary School Assistant Principal Chris Bough. “Eating a healthy breakfast provides our students with a better start to their day.” Sometimes a helping hand is what’s most useful in difficult situations, but Bunyard feels many are struggling to ask for this because there are common misconceptions about those below the poverty line. “[Asking for help] is embarrassing to some. People have abused the system, so then the majority assumes that everyone does,” said Bunyard. “In some of the people I know personally, they put up defense because a lot of kids don’t want others to know.” Bunyard feels one of the common misconceptions occur when those struggling purchase expensive material goods. However, Pat Eastin, social worker at Williams Elementary School, explains that most of the time, this doesn’t occur due to a mismanagement of funds—it’s commonly used as a way to forget.

Investigative Reporting

What this means to me . . . I wanted to focus on poverty in the school district for my next part in the series; as revealed in part one, Mr. Maleske expressed that the free and reduced lunch enrollment rate increased dramatically within the year. I wanted to uncover what it was like at the other schools. I discovered that six in 10 kids are enrolled, which is directly correlated with how many kids are below the poverty line. Though it was a news angle, I reported differently. I interviewed seven different people to truly investigate--a school board member, a student, a lunch supervisor, a counselor, a principal and a social worker. I chose different titles to get different perspectives. It took a lot of time, but I found very informing information, and I wanted to convey this to the audience.

Finding poverty in the school district

“If you’re impoverished and get $500, you might want something that gives you immediate gratification, so you get an Xbox or a flat screen,” said Eastin. Bunyard feels these misconceptions aren’t just mental poverties for the financially stable but those in it as well—if people are afraid to ask for help, there may not be any other way they can get it. “The first step in fighting it is for people in poverty to actually admit they are in poverty,” said Bunyard. Eastin said some common complaints that are appearing are

about student odors; however, she explains that many of these students aren’t willingly choosing to go without cleansing. “In any given a day, you might have a student who doesn’t have running water, and [then there are] complaints about an odor,” said Eastin. Sometimes these misconceptions are a result of trying to understand something that’s difficult to fathom, and sometimes the extent of someone’s struggle cannot be understood. “You just don’t have any idea what

it’s like for some kids,” said Sinclair. “It’s really difficult when you’re trying to make ends meet and trying to make sure [your kids] are getting everything they need when you’re just struggling to get by.” Though there is difficulty in accepting help, Sinclair expresses that there should not be in providing. Lending a helping hand is one of the only things people can do to relieve these conditions. “If you see a need and are able to help, treat others the way you want to be treated,” said Sinclair. “Pay it forward.”

Entertainment WritingA battle between wits

A battle between wits

What this means to me . . . I am a huge comic book fan, and so were my co-staff mem-bers. The summer superheroes were huge; there were more comic books to movies than ever before. We decided to make it a “battle,” or a point-counterpoint as we call it. The student body enjoyed this section, especially the humor in it. To top it off, one of my staff members and I posed a photo illustration. This was a great story for us to write; it was the first month of the paper my junior year, so it started us all off as team-mates, even though we were writing against each other. Entertainment writing is out of my comfort zone because it involves the expression of opinions, but with the help of my teammates, who are expert review writers, and my need to diversify myself, we produced a review that won a state award.

Entertainment Writing

This article won . . . Illinois Journalism Education Association’s

2nd Place State Contest

Entertainment WritingA battle versus myself

What this means to me . . . This was one of my favorite reviews to write because it was about a band I have loved my entire life. This band’s recent works were disappointing to me. When their new-est album was released, I was prepared to write a negative review, but after listening to the album multiple times, I was happy to say I could give my favorite band something positive. Review writing doesn’t typically come natural to me; I am afraid that my opinions will be argued, so I don’t feel comfortable sharing them. However, I knew that I needed to better myself in all aspects of journalism that I didn’t feel comfortable in. When I finished this article, I was proud that I overcame my fears.

Beyond Entries

Beyond the articles, photography and design, these are tips and planning sheets I have created for my staffers.

Behind each column inch

What this means to me . . . The beginning of my first semester as Managing Editor was rough; we struggled with some journalistic techniques as a staff. Mainly, our problem was re-porting and organization. I developed a story planning sheet to help fix this problem. Staffers have to fill this out and then conference with me before they are allowed to write their story. This allows me to keep track of them while they’re in the writing process, and it allows them to collect their thoughts and write an all-around good story.

Fixing a problem with optimism

Behind each column inch

What this means to me . . . This year, I made it my goal to make sure we are thinking creatively and uniquely in design; I remind staffers I don’t want cake-layer pages or art-less articles. I know all of my staffers can do this, but sometimes, the hardest part is thinking of ideas. After each reporter fills out their story planning sheet, they receive a photo planning sheet. We can’t have a story if it isn’t visually compelling; that’s just the way our audience is heading. Staffers sit down with me and discuss photo ideas for their stories. This really helps, and our art has improved dramatically within the last year.

Fixing a problem with optimism

Digital Entries

To view my photography, design and multimedia work samples, please view my online portfolio:

sarahfosterjournalist.tumblr.com

In case viewing this portfolio is hard to read, please see my online version:

issuu.com/sarahfosterjournalist