1st Place, Feature Writing – Organizations
2021-22, Division 2, Yearbook Verbal
By Sydney Shrewsbury
Ceniad
East Lansing HS
Being alone during the first lockdown of the pandemic was not an easy thing for Mori Rothhorn (11). Having her parents at the office nearly all day and staying in her house with what seemed nothing to do, Rothhorn felt as though her thoughts were consuming her. She often found her appetite was nonexistent and she felt good about not wanting to eat during her time in quarantine.
She soon realized old patterns of her disordered eating were coming back from her time in middle school. And Rothhorn knew she needed to make a change before those thoughts could progress into something more harmful.
In order to combat this new struggle in her life, Rothhorn decided it would be good to reach out to some of her close friends and start eating with each other over Zoom. Rothhorn thought that surrounding herself with her friends, even through a virtual lunch, would help repel her harmful eating habits and force her to take small steps in the right direction.
“It was a really good way to hold myself accountable,” Rothhorn said. “Even just being there for other people and trying to help them fix their habits too was good for everyone.”
These small meals together made Rothhorn see how big of an impact it was on her life. Eating with her friends allowed for her to have a healthier relationship with food, as well as the way she viewed herself.
When she saw how much good it was doing for her and everyone else in her friend group, Rothhorn wanted to make those small lunches into something more. That was when the idea to start Students for Body Image Support struck her.
“We started Students for Body Image Support because we wanted to offer a support system to people who are struggling with how they view themselves,” Rothhorn said. “Looking back on my personal struggle and how being with friends helped a lot with that, I wanted to offer a way for everyone to experience that. The other board members and I have talked a lot about the journey to loving yourself, and we thought creating a club that focused on that would be very beneficial for everyone.”
Although Rothhorn, the President of SBIS, came up with the idea to introduce this concept to ELHS, other students like Aurelia Blevins (11), Shiyuan Chen (11) and Bronwynn Kewin (11) all played their own parts in helping to set up the club.
“When [Rothhorn] said that she wanted to start a club where we discuss body image, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this project because I’ve struggled with body image and poor mental health my entire life and know that many other students have too,” Blevins said. “This club is so important for me and others to express ourselves and our struggles in a non-judgmental and healthy environment. And for those who don’t exactly want to share their struggles, they can still benefit from hearing others and know that they’re not alone.”
The other board members joined for similar reasons and felt that it was an important issue to spread awareness about. In particular, Chen believed that meeting with people who have gone through experiences like hers and Rothhorn’s brings everyone a sense of comfort and reassurance.
“Since so many people struggle with self-perception, we hope that everyone who comes to our meetings will one day feel confident in their own bodies,” Chen said.
Although SBIS has not yet been recognized as an official ELHS club, the board members planned to have everything finalized within the next few weeks. But it did not stopped them from already holding meetings and introducing the club to the student body.
“We have already had two meetings now and I would say my favorite part has been the discussions we have had because I think they are super important,” Kewin said. “Having an open, safe, accepting and non judgemental place for people to talk just makes me so happy.”
By holding weekly meetings where they eat together, share presentations and discuss important topics relating to body image, SBIS plans to make the school a safer and more supportive environment where everyone can feel confident in their own bodies.
“I know for me, the worst struggle with body image was my freshman year because there are so many new standards that have been there for a while, but get even more intense when you enter high school,” Rothhorn said. “Hopefully, [SBIS] can help other young girls, in specific, who are coming into high school to not get taken advantage of by the whole different environment that high school can be. Ideally, it would just be a way to try to buffer that and to support new students who are struggling like I did.”
Y-03. Feature Writing – Organizations
A single story that gives the reader a fresh view of the organization. This may include school clubs, performance-related school groups (band, drama and choir) and community, church and philanthropic groups relevant to students in the school. Feature coverage emphasizes human-interest angles (who, why and how) over traditional hard news elements (what, when).
Judging Criteria
- Clear, relevant, engaging human-interest angle
- Solid lead that draws reader into story
- The conclusion ties back to the central point of the story and leaves an impression on the reader by using a powerful quote, vivid anecdote or important point that acts as a “kicker.”
- Meaningful student quotes that enrich story and reflect effective interviewing
- Evidence of adequate research
- Story does not center on purpose of group or simply review their activities
- Adheres to rules of good journalism including: short paragraphs, effective transitions and use of active voice, freedom from editorial comment, careful editing and proofreading to eliminate mechanical errors, correct use of grammar