newspaper. “We start with the front page- we find a theme,” Kortan explains.
“We like to introduce them to things that they maybe don’t know are around,” says
Mikkelsen. “Then the back page is all editorials and reviews, and the second page is… we try to
hit the current topics that are important to the students. [As for photography] we tend to share
things back and forth with the Yearbook.”
As I ask them about how hours and weekly meetings work for the Woksape, both women
chuckle and look at each other knowingly. “Well the class for one, ...but I don’t think anyone in
Woksape has this as the only thing they’re in. We have students in sports, students in debate, …
so you have to work around that.” Kortan replies.
“And then we had kids in track, so we had to switch to mornings, so it was like 7:30 in the
mornings!” Mikkelsen adds. “We just kind of make it work… our last issue we had it done two
days early!”
I remark that it’s nice that they are able to work around things, especially since they
themselves have other commitments as well, with Kortan being involved in Cellar Door and
tech for the high school theater productions, as well as Mikkelsen being busy with Yearbook.
Mikkelsen states proudly that they had someone from the community, “not a parent or
anything”, tell the Press and Dakotan what a nice job that the Woksape does, which leads me to
ask them about awards. They explain to me that they’ve submitted the paper twice to the High
School Press Association in the two years since taking over, and they’ve won Excellent both
times. Mikkelsen remarks that while “we still have a way to go to get to that Superior, the second
time we entered our score was considerably higher. So as long as we keep advancing… that’s just
an added bonus.”
They go on to explain that each of them has separate duties when it comes to putting the
newspaper together. Mikkelsen explains that her “main job is the front page, just because I like
to play with graphics a lot and I could spend an hour switching a font or a headline, and Mrs.
Kortan does the second and third page.”
“I like a little more of the tech part of it,” Kortan explains.
It seems as though they work perfectly as a team.
“This experience has brought us so close… …It’s been wonderful for our friendship,”
remarks Mikkelsen.
They announce that they’ll begin working on the first edition of the school year as soon as
the first Wednesday of the year begins. “We’ll talk about what we want for our banner, what are
some ideas for stories… and then, you know, they’re off and running. They’re good! They’re
dependable; they’re just really, really nice people to work with,” Mikkelsen says, and you can see
the pride in her smile as she talks about her students.
I then ask them a final question, almost sad to wrap up the interview. Being back in the high
school and getting to speak with my former teachers outside of a teaching setting is intriguing.
To see the passion they have for the school paper and the aspirations they have for the future is
very inspirational- a passion like theirs is one that is raw and comes from the heart.
Kortan goes on to explain that she hopes to get the paper online eventually. “Through the
school website is what we’re thinking. That way we could broaden it out. The kids are excited for
that too because then they can write more stories because sometimes we have to cut some.”
“I think that we try really hard to make our paper professional,” Mikkelsen explains, saying
that when people of the community flip through the P&D, she wants them to hardly notice
a difference when they come across the pages of the Woksape. “We try to have really high
standards, and I think our kids appreciate that.
You’re reporting the news, and you have to do it in a fair way… …And you have to do it
with credibility. I think for a high school newspaper we really stress that a lot. We give a lot of
thought to what goes on the final pages.”
As I wrap up the interview with them, a thought comes to my mind: these are the teachers
that help young people find their passion. They mentor them, and they spend hours on end
sharing their knowledge. They take time out of their hectic schedules to meet with the kids who
want to come in early or stay late and show their teacher the latest poem they’ve been working
on, or an essay that they spent hours on about a topic that they are furiously passionate about.
They are the kind of teachers that kept me motivated and determined to succeed.
As I leave the high school, I have no doubt that the Woksape has years of success in its future.
After all, it’s in good hands. n
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