Emma Ramirez, All-A fifth grade student at Zavala Elementary keeps kids up-to-date on the latest campus news as part of the newspaper crew in the Zavala Owls Media organization.
She and her 12-member team have had to learn a few tricks of the trade, as they must be able to meet tight deadlines in order to produce the Zavala Owls Monthly Newspaper.
“Learning new skills in newspaper has made my creative process quicker,” said Emma. “We really have to organize our thoughts in our brains to come up with great ideas. We can’t take too long since we have two weeks to do the newspaper and then another two weeks to do next month’s paper.”
Looking back on her experience as part of the Owls media newspaper and newscast team in fourth grade, Emma recognizes that doing the news is no easy task.
“A lot of students do think it’s really easy to do these stories and last year I thought the newscast was going to be easy,” said Emma. “My first time on camera I was nervous, and I had to take deep breaths. As an anchor, the most challenging part was memorizing the stories for the camera because you can’t look down the whole time. With practice, we were able to record like pros.”
Being part of the news organization at her campus has not only allowed Emma to learn about a whole new career but it has also helped her become better at spelling.
With her involvement in UIL Dictionary Skills and with newfound skills in tow, she will be preparing for an upcoming spelling bee in which she will face fifth, sixth, and seventh grade opponents.
Along with striving to be an excellent student, Emma also likes to motivate others to be good citizens of the school through her involvement in the Character Club, Jump Rope for Heart, Pasta for Pennies, and sharing her love of reading with the pre-kinder class.
“It’s important for me to be involved in these organizations because I like to help and encourage others,” said Emma. “Also, being a well-rounded student will one day help get me into a good college.”