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Jane Ripps
Managing Editor, ODYSSEY Media Group
leadership
Stepping into a leadership role has been the most challenging yet rewarding part of being an editor. Although I wasn't formally an editor until my sophomore year, from the moment I stepped into the newsroom, I knew I wanted to collaborate. Now, as the Managing Editor, I have had the opportunity to work with every single staffer and editor within our staff.
Whether through peer evaluations, conferencing, or handling obstacles, my time has a leader has allowed me to grow alongside my staffers and find areas I can improve upon. Because being a leader is being a learner, too.
leading peer evaluations
After each magazine cycle, I conduct peer evaluations among our staff. Staffers and editors alike fill out evaluations for the people they work with. Once they are submitted in a Google Form, I go through and organize them into glows and grows. After this, I conduct conferences to reflect and see where each member of our production staff can grow. We then outline steps to accomplish this. Above, I have included the Peer Evaluations presentation I presented to the class at the beginning of the year outlining how to do a peer evaluation. On the right, I have included my organization system and how I keep track of which ones have been submitted.
coordinating magazine production
As the Managing Editor, I enforce deadlines and check up on the status of story production. Keeping this information and updates organized includes creating a ladder each cycle to monitor pages and progress, and creating a production calendar to keep dates in order. These are heavily used by the EIC and me as we lead the classroom through magazine production.
communication and accountability
I believe that a good leader, at the root of it all, is understanding and communicative. When I communicate with my staffers, both in class and over text, I try to show them that I am here for them and a resource they can use. Through sending reminders of assignments and updates, I am also holding them to a standard to show recognition of deadlines and begin preparing for submission. These reminders are the first step in growing future leaders and will later prepare them for future endeavors following high school and college.
handling obstacles
I act as the human resources department for our staff, which includes being the first responder when issues arise. This text chain is an example of how I've dealt with struggles over text. Following this information, I worked with my adviser to address the next steps and eventually conferenced with the section editor who texted me. We worked out a plan for easing her stress and I assured her she wasn't in this all alone. *Names have been omitted for privacy
to-do lists
When I was Variety Editor, I would hold my staffers accountable through to-do lists. I am a big fan of daily calendars, and writing down exactly what I need to accomplish forces me to do it all. The same applies for my staffers. If I am ever sick or have to miss a day, I always text individualized to-do lists for each of my staffers so they know exactly what to work on. This list is personalized and is a small way for me to enforce personal accountability on their everyday lives. This accountability will turn into responsibility, and all of these are leadership skills that can carry on.
assisting with brainstorming
When I was Viewpoints Editor, we were producing five stories a cycle, and so I needed to help my staffers come up with ideas for stories each week. I created a brainstorming document and put every single idea for a potential story in it. I shared it with my three staffers so we could all add, and this gave them a space to work together and share ideas with one another, even if we weren't in class. Not only did this boost motivation but it also inspired stories and forced us to collaborate.
editor's syntheses
At the end of my time as Viewpoints and Variety Editor, I created this instruction manual for my successor. I wrote down my tips and tricks for the position, from editing to staff bonding. Not only did these resources guide my successor through their first few weeks on the job, but it also gave me an opportunity to reflect as a leader and figure out what I needed to do as I moved forward.
leadership seminars
About once a month, our Editorial Board will gather for Leadership Seminars where we learn about being leaders and how we can continue to grow. These sessions are extremely collaborative, and as we learn tips about editing and leading by example, we can talk through how this applies to our own staffs and leadership styles.
minutes at editorial board meetings
On Friday mornings, our Editorial Board and Cabinet will meet to discuss our progress on magazine and website stories. I take notes during these meetings, and it has become a safe space for editors to be transparent with Cabinet and me on their struggles and ask for advice on leading. To the left I have included notes from one of our sessions in September to show what our conversations look like.
reflection
There is truly no growth if one doesn't take the time to reflect on their actions and progress. Taking the time to reevaluate and assess a situation is the most important thing a leader can do, because then they can focus on what they need to improve on. In the ODYSSEY, reflection is a vital step woven into our cycles.
editor's journals
As an Editor, I am responsible for writing a monthly journal reflecting on the work I did in a specific time period. I reflect on everything, from personal accomplishments to progress on the goals and values my staffers and I created in August. I put extra care into my journals because reflection is a priority for me. If I'm not taking the time to examine where I struggled and where I flourished, then I'm not growing -- For myself or my staffers.
conference reflections
Following our trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the National Scholastic Press Association Journalism convention, our editorial board waas tasked with reflective on the experience. This included a comprehensive essay addressing areas we focused on, what we learned, team-building, and more. These conference reflections ensure I don't just forget about my experience and fully articluate the ways I can implement the new information I learned into my everyday work in the ODYSSEY.
growing as a presenter
GSPA Fall, 2021
GSPA Fall, 2023
SIPA 2023, GSPA Spring 2023
NSPA, Nov. 2024
In the fall of my freshman year (2022-2023), I attended my first journalism conference (the Georgia Scholastic Press Association Fall Convention). But this wasn't just my first time attending. It was also my first time presenting. Growing as a leader has allowed me to become confident in myself and more of a presence as a presenter. When I presented for the first time, I had to hold a microphone because I was so quiet. Now, over three years later, I presented at the National Scholastic Press Association Convention in Nov. 2024 -- something my freshman self never would have been able to do. The growth has been palpable, and has been one way I can measure my growth as a public speaker and leader.
Presenting has also given me experience in dealing with conflict and adapting to the crowd. During the 2023 GSPA Fall Convention, I was presenting with the OMG EIC on design. We ended up having a fairly disrespectful crowd, and we had to adapt and keep our composure. I have yet to deal with a rude crowd following this experience, but now on the other side of the experience, I can confidently say I have grown for the better.
recognition
At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, I was selected by Molly Harwell, the Editor-in-Chief of the ODYSSEY Media Group, to receive the "Editor's Choice Award." Before she was EIC, Molly Viewpoints Editor just as I was my sophomore year. I often went to her for advice and mentorship, and through our time together as well as observing in the classroom, she recognized the leadership and devotion I brought to my staff throughout the school year.
presenting
When school returned back in session for the 2024 Spring semester, Viewpoints Editor Peter Atchley and I created a presentation for our classmates about improving leadership skills. We adapted a presentation we saw at NSPA for staffers and editors alike to learn from back home. Working with Peter on this taught me a lot about taking information I learned and putting my own on spin on the contents to benefit fellow editors and staffers.
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