The Pinion Staff as Dungeon and Dragons Classes
This year, I drew some of The Pinion staff as Dungeons and Dragon (DnD) classes. Besides loving to play DnD, I have always thought of my time in The Pinion as an adventure. An adventure that I have chosen to join along with others. Some join, some leave and some come back. Yet at some point, they all chose to join this adventure and stay.
The Pinion has never had a huge staff in recent years. Nor a staff that consistently returns for each year. It was because it never fit with a student’s schedule, not realizing how much work is put into the class, thinking the class is full which it never is. Back when it was The Daily Pinion, we would have a staff of 15 or more. But ever since the start of the 2000s, having a staff of less than ten was considered the norm for The Pinion. Through this school year of 2025-2026 The Pinion has a staff consisting of 12 students with five newswriting one students, threw newswriting two students, three newswriting three students and one newswriting four student.
Each student, one way or another, found themselves in newswriting. Let that be by accident, signing up when it was time to choose the next year classes or switching one of their classes to get in. Over the course of the year of working with the current staff, I have learned why they joined. Though, not why they stayed in The Pinion.
The following bellow are some Pinion reporters who have chosen to share their reasons for joining the adventure.
Laurie He (℅ 29), a reporter for The Pinion, got interested in journalism in fifth grade after reading a book called “The Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl” by Carolyn Meyer. The main character, Kitty Evans, works as a waitress while also writing about herself and the things around her. When He saw that McKinley offered a newswriting class, she thought it could be for her, as He pictured her as a journalist in the future.
He said despite it starting slow in the beginning of the year, she stayed because she found the stuff being taught to be interesting. From learning the law and ethics of journalism to learning how to write like a journalist.
“I got to read some of the old Pinions and [Cynthia Reves, our advisor] gave me some old literary magazines,” He said. “I thought, ‘yeah, I really wanted to do this,’ so I stayed.”
He said she struggled sometimes during her journey in The Pinion. From deadlines making her anxious to delays surrounding her work. Despite this, He said it is rewarding to see her article published in The Pinion, both online and in print. He said it is because she sees people reading her articles or people coming up to her and complimenting her articles.
“It makes all the hardships I went through and all the stressful feelings [I felt] pay off,” He said.
He said she is proud of her most recent article, “Commendation: The Dynamic Duo Wiring Robotics Success,” which got an award, The Best of SNO, which is the site that hosts The Pinion. He said she felt honored to write about the article, as she previously wrote about Milton Lau, who reached out to her and was wondering if she was interested in taking the story. He said she did not feel like her writing was up to the standards of journalistic writing, from the time she reads other reporters’ articles.
“I never imagined an article of mine would be featured [on best of SNO],” He said.
He said she is fond of the work parties. The Pinion has to have fun while also getting work done before a deadline. He said that through the work parties and spending time in the newswriting room, she has gotten to know everybody and made meaningful connections while having fun.
“It is fun to be able to joke around with all the staff, but also have them help me. I feel like they guided me a lot, and made the whole process of planning, interviewing, writing, and editing a lot easier,” He said.
He said she will not be joining The Pinion next year, and will not be taking a new newswriting class. He said that is because she realized journalism’s fast-paced environment was hard for her to keep up. Despite this, He found herself becoming more comfortable talking to people she did not know and being more responsible in her planning, finding that these skills were transferable outside of the class.
“There is no harm in trying [newswriting] because I don’t think I would have ever known what I feel about journalism if I hadn’t taken [newswriting],” He said. “It’s one of those things where you need to actually experience and do the work yourselves to know [if it is for you] because there’s definitely going to be people who’re gonna guide you.”
Poli’ Cootey-Garcia (℅’ 28), a reporter for The Pinion, joined The Pinion after transferring from another school where she also took a newswriting class. Garcia said that she was surprised by the support she got from the staff. She said that it was because in her old class, there were over 30 kids, and all the students stayed to themselves. Since The Pinion had a smaller class, it allowed students to be more closely connected and help out one another.
“The mentor-mentee [system] helped me a lot, and [our advisor] Reves always keeps me on track,” Garcia said.
Garcia said that she struggles to get her pitches done, but with help and reminders from Rose Ganotisi, her mentor, Garcia manages to get them done.
“When you know you have an assignment to do, but there’s something that keeps you from doing it; that’s something that really pushes me [to get my assignment turned in],” Garcia said.
Garcia said she is still debating whether or not she will be joining The Pinion next year due to the amount of responsibility. She said that a student has to be responsible, or they will not pass the class. The student has to hold themselves accountable for what they say. Garcia also said that joining The Pinion is a good way for students to get involved in something. She said how The Pinion gives students a head start with making friends, as they have to talk with a lot of people, while also working along with their peers.
“The first time I had my article printed in The Pinion was very rewarding. It made me happy,” Garcia said.
Alex Azhari (℅ ‘26), a reporter and copy editor for The Pinion, joined during her junior year. Azhari originally took a newswriting class in 8th grade, and her teacher suggested she try taking newswriting in high school. Azhari said she was not sure till registering for junior classes in her sophomore year.
“I learned you can join [newswriting] any year. I thought you had to join in your freshman year,” Azhari said.
Azhari said she likes the people in the class and writing, even though there is a lot that goes into it. She said that she has gotten to know the student body better, talking to more underclassmen and people who are not in her grade.
“I just like hanging out with people,” she said.
Azhari said she will miss The Pinion, the teacher, and the people in The Pinion when she graduates. In college, she said she will probably not join any newswriting or journalism organizations, but will be taking writing classes if there is room in her schedule.
“Just do it. It’s high school. It’s not the end of the world if you end up not liking it,” Azhari said to students who are interested or unsure about taking a newswriting class.“This is the time to explore any interests, even if they’re not super big ones.”
Rose Ganotisi (℅ 28), web editor, social media co-manger and mentor, had The Pinion as her last choice when choosing classes during her freshman year. Ganotisi said she was nervous and did not know how it was going to go on her first day, when only freshmen were allowed on campus. She said there were ten other students at the time, but a lot of them dropped the class.
Ganotisi said on the first day, Reves had the students write as much of their lives down on a piece of paper in a journalistic way. Something about the writing, how Reves explained it, and seeing past articles captivated her.
“I thought [Newswriting] seems a little intimidating, but it [also] seems interesting,” Ganotisi said.
During her freshman year, Ganotisi said she found it to be challenging for her to write stories and reach people outside of the class. She remembers that her first articles were focused on people inside the class, with her first article based on an interview with McKinley’s principal, Ron Okamura.
“I was shyer and didn’t really put myself out there to communicate with people outside of class. But towards the end of the year, I started realizing that it’s actually interesting and it’s better for you to connect with people outside of class, because you get so much more info and insight,” Ganotisi said.
Ganotisi said she is returning for a third year in The Pinion because of the people in the class and how Reves pushes students to do their best, while also supporting them, which Ganotisi appreciates. She finds the people in the class to be fun to talk with and communicate with, along with writing articles that go out to the entire school.
“I find [publishing articles] empowering for myself because you get to connect with the community and tell them about things that you find important,” Ganotisi said. “I found [it] very fun to connect with my community.”
Ganotisi said t the reporting and interviewing parts are easy to get down, as she finds it fun to talk to different people. But when it comes to writing, Ganotisi said she tends to procrastinate. But what motivates her to write is being able to do feedback chats (giving comments and suggestions on how to strengthen others’ articles) with other staffers in the class.
“Be open to connecting with your community and connecting with the people in your class,” Ganotisi said.
Ganotisi said that newswriting is one of the classes where the student needs to care about the others around them. Unlike English or math, where students are focused on their own work, Ganotisi said students have to help each other with their articles while also producing a print paper that goes out to the entire school.
“That should get to the whole school, being open to connect with your peers and all the other classes,” Ganotisi said. “In the end, we’re all in high school, and it’s good to know your classmates.”
Jacky Oasay (℅ ‘26), copy editor and manager of fun, in eighth grade, was obsessed with a show called “Gilmore Girls” and liked writing essays and poetry. So when Oasay heard that there was a newswriting class at McKinley, she signed up, but found it was really different from what she thought of writing.
“Journalism and just writing essays is so much different. Because in journalism you have to go out and talk to people, get information, write about what’s happening, rather than just research a bunch and have your opinions in the writing,” Oasay said.
Oasay stayed for her freshman year, but took a break in her sophomore year due to being busy with band and wanting to take other classes. But when our advisor, Cynthia Reves, asked if Oasay planned on coming back, she said yes.
“I didn’t really like writing that much compared to how I did before, so I didn’t really like it that much,” Oasay said. “[But] I stayed because I really liked the people in the class. I had a lot of fun my junior year, taking up leadership roles in the class. But the people made it really fun to be in class every day.”
Oasay said a significant memory was a work party she had during her junior year. During the work party, after finishing some tasks, the staff ate pizza together while playing a game of Pictionary. When our advisor went out to grab the pizza, some other staffers tried to scare them with a talking hot dog. Although it did not work, everyone was happy and had fun.
“I’m usually surrounded by band kids or other people throughout my day. I find it really refreshing to be surrounded by different people at least once a month or during class,” Oasay said.
As this is Oasay’s last year in The Pinion, she said she will miss everybody in The Pinion, even if they make her frustrated sometimes. Getting to know everyone was fun for Oasay. Along with many opportunities, Oasay was given, such as going to journalism boot camps and being able to witness a bill being passed.
“[The Pinion] has been a big gateway to possible career fields,” Oasay said.
Oasay said that returning staff members should take The Pinion a bit more seriously, as they will not have the advanced newswriting staffers spearheading everything. Oasay said the returning staff will realize this is a bit more serious.
“I know they have fun and stuff, but there are some moments where we need to be more serious about everything,” Oasay said.
Oasay said to students who are unsure or interested in joining The Pinion to just go for it. She said that The Pinion may seem like a lot, but the workload has helped Oasay get better at scheduling. She also said that it introduces students to a new way of viewing writing and journalism, because students are reporting things happening in school and people’s stories.
“We have such a big legacy stemming back from the 1920s and so many proud alumni that are interested, even if it seems like nobody is interested in the work we do, there are alumni that are there because they want to see how we’re doing,” Oasay said. “Just go for it. Reves understands if you aren’t interested in [The Pinion], but I think just give [The Pinion] a try.”
Nhi Nguyen (℅ ‘27), the Co Editor-in-Chief, print editor, and business manager, got a Pinion copy in eighth grade, which led her to check out The Pinion’s website. Nguyen said she became interested in newswriting and the newspaper at McKinley, so when registration time came around, she signed up.
“I got my first leadership role in freshman year. I was a copy editor, so after I got to do that, I found that I like being a part of The Pinion and getting to help lead other students,” Nguyen said. “I decided that I would like to help continue to lead the students here and learn about journalism myself.”
Nguyen said her journey at The Pinion has not always been smooth sailing, but she has found that she has made a lot of progress since joining The Pinion. One challenge Nguyen faces is finding the right people to interview for her articles. This sometimes leads to her not finishing her articles. Nguyen found that asking people before starting an interview helps her find the right people to interview. This is because while someone may know about a topic, that person may not have the right information about it.
“The story is where I’m really driven to write is things that I found and had a genuine interest in,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said she will be returning to The Pinion for her final year as a senior, becoming the new Editor-in-Chief. Because of all the experience she gained since freshman year and enjoying helping the staff with less experience than her, she wanted to continue this journey and continue building her own leadership skills.
“I’m a little nervous since I’m not a super sure person, but I’m also looking forward [to be the next Editor-in-Chief] because I know this will be really beneficial for my confidence and my leadership skills,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen hopes to improve her interview skills and write pieces that she has always wanted to write throughout the years. And being the new Editor-in-Chief next year, she hopes to help staffers get into more leadership roles that The Pinion has. Such as being the print, web, or social media editors or manager positions, we have the art and business manager.
“Next year I want to see if we can get more creative and do stuff that we haven’t done before because we weren’t able to,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said that newswriting is an underrated elective compared to other electives, such as yearbook. She said that both are similar in many ways, from taking pictures of events, interacting with the student body, and designing layouts for something that the student body will get. She said even if a student does not want to focus on newswriting, or has been in a yearbook for longer, the skills students get from newswriting can help build their skills in other areas. “If you are nervous to talk to someone, just make the first step,” Nguyen said. “Procrastination happens before you even get started. Once you get started, it gets a lot easier to keep moving forward.”
I joined The Pinion my freshman year and stayed ever since, going from being a reporter to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC). And if you told eighth-grade me I was going to be the EIC, I would have laughed in your face. Despite the struggle with my mental health and constant stress I have faced, I stayed in The Pinion because it became an outlet. An outlet for my feelings and creativity.
Being a reporter allowed me to write about topics that did not get talked about enough, or things I was passionate about. It also allowed me to explore talents I previously would not have found otherwise. If I had not joined The Pinion, I would have found out my love for photography, and I am forever grateful for that.
While I personally am not going to pursue journalism as a career, taking newswriting helped me improve on skills that other careers may have. Media literacy, talking to others, leadership, and so much more. Newswriting has not only helped me become more confident in myself, but has also helped push me out of my comfort zone by talking to people I have never met before.
The students I met in class have also made my time in The Pinion worth it. We talk to each other about things going on in school, stress out together during deadline weeks, and celebrate with one another when we accomplish something. I would have never met them if I had not taken newswriting.
This article has gone through the following process: pitch, interviews, drafting, peer feedback focused on content/structure, revision, peer feedback focused on language/conventions/style, self-checked for ethics and fact-checked by sources. Student editors approve the article for publication.
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