I wrote this article for the local paper, the Burke Connection, just after my high school placed first in the national competition at Bob Jones University. This was the first time my writing had ever been published outside of the school newspaper. The article was also posted on the Burke Connection website: Connection Newspapers. Advancing to the national stage Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy places in national competition By Jenneth Dyck, Sophomore at Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy The past couple months have been an eventful time for Virginia Christian schools as they worked hard to prepare for the regional and state Old Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) and the national American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) competitions of 2013. Twenty-eight students from Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy were able to participate in these competitions all the way to the national level.
Diary of a “Hall Pass”
I wrote this story for my school’s paper while I was on the journalism staff. Our science teacher had unique hall passes he let his students use when they needed to run to the bathroom or to their lockers — squeaky pet toys. Our teacher would make jokes about how they had personalities, and a feature story was born. As a high school student, this was one of my favorite articles published in the Press. Original article on page three: April 2012 Newspaper Diary of a “Hall Pass” Daily adventures with my friend Ralph dictated by Harry the Hall Pass, written by Jenneth Dyck, freshman Another day on my cozy desk, settled comfortably next to a wall of ungraded papers that smell of ink and sweaty, nervous hands, and beside me is my best friend, always looking at the crowd before him, slightly cross-eyed. Not to blame my friend Ralph, of course. I find myself doing it quite often. Looking at that huge crowd that always sits in the room can be quite intimidating. Mr. Niggl calls it “his class,” but I don’t see much class about it. It’s always very noisy, and some of the “students,” as they’re also called, … Read More
Deadlines force an unexpected meeting
Our school had a monthly newspaper the journalism class would produce as a promotion for the academy. Although to take the class you had to be at least a freshman, that didn’t stop me from writing articles for fun and practice. One of my earliest stories was a feature on a new focus of science fair: multiple students from the school accidentally met up at the local library on the weekend while doing their science research. The article was one that jumpstarted my love for journalism and investigating original sides of stories others might overlook. The story can be found on page six of the original web paper: October 2010 Newspaper (Note: last names were taken out in the web version). Deadlines force an unexpected meeting Students cross paths at Pohick Library by Jenneth Dyck, 8th grade Apparently the library is the place to be on a Saturday afternoon. On Oct. 16, at Pohick Library, students accidentally converged together at the exact same time, all with the same quest: to research books for the science fair bibliography page.