The Westfield Lantern’s purpose is to provide a frequent and accurate portrayal of student life through student voices. We founded it on the premise of going beyond just reporting; the underlying student opinions, trends and diversity are what we seek to accent.
Our idea started in early 2018. My friend Leah Pham (who no longer attends WHS) and I thought that our school could expand its coverage to our rapidly-growing school and community. Our first step was to meet with our sophomore English teacher and biggest cheerleader, Mrs. Holly Wheeler. She helped us connect with the administration and condense our plans for this magazine, all while providing the support we needed to carry it out. After discussing what our vision was, Vice Principal Alicia Denniston made the necessary connections to jumpstart our plans. She provided resources and support we needed, and she recruited other teachers interested in helping out: Mrs. Elizabeth Ellis, Mr. Victor McCarty, Mrs. Katy Harbison, Mrs. Angela Torvik and of course, Mrs. Holly Wheeler. We would like to thank our sponsors for their hard work and dedication.
Our publication is really two: The WHS Lantern and the WHS Verbatim. The Lantern is the whole collection of news, opinions and media. The WHS Verbatim is the literary subsection of that communications hub. While our Lantern provides news articles, videos, photo galleries and community events, our Verbatim is more focused on creative writing.
Because we are just getting started, we have limited content and limited resources. However, that does not mean we won’t strive to cover as much as we can to best represent life at WHS. We will also not shy away from discussing controversial topics if they affect students and are in the national spotlight.
We believe that in our school’s diverse students, talents and opinions, we have strength. For that reason, we strive to eventually cover events and happenings from perspectives not seen before. Our school’s climate--clubs, sports, academics and social life--all constitute who we are, and it is our job to represent that.
Of course, we uphold ourselves to high expectations for quality. Quotes are accurate and stories stay true to the author’s perspective. Our journalistic writing style follows the Associated Press manual and journalistic ethics. Our Verbatim pieces are both written by our staff and by students who submitted them--all selected for quality. We are open to students for submissions ranging from heartfelt poems to strong opinions. To do so, contact your English teacher or contact us below.
We hope that our publication both informs and entertains you. Journalism is very much alive and real, and by supporting your classmates and endeavors to provide student news, you can change our culture to better appreciate an honest press and diverse opinions.
Sincerely,
BRG, Editor-in-Chief and Your Lantern Staff
Anja Kranich - Design Czar
Sydney Clifford - Social Media Manager
Cooper Tinsley
Clare Flanagan
Samantha England
Ben Richardson
Natalie Penry
Reagan Motsinger
Samantha Lewis
Spencer Howe
Elizabeth Enderle
Erin Clark
Cecilia Weinkauf
Tommy Pugh