King’s Auction & Gala – Be the Light is May 10, doors open at 5:30 PM!
There are several ways you can get involved and make a difference – attend, volunteer, and donate!
RSVP by April 26th!
The Quill is King’s High School’s newspaper, written for the students, by the students.
The voice of King’s High School is the Quill. Members of The Quill have the desire to draw people together by the stories they tell. Articles vary in subject, some being about what’s happening at King’s, others discussing what is going on in the world and culture.
Stephanie Platter, our High School English, Film, and Journalism teacher leads the student team of writers and editors, shares, “The Quill begins each term afresh from the newsroom of the novice offering students opportunities for apprenticeship and initiative in leadership roles.” These already motivated learners take on the tasks of discovering and documenting the pulse of King’s High School as well as the events of the world and popular culture using effective mediums, both in print and online.
The Quill’s mission statement is, “The Quill exists to inform the students and King’s community about what they should know using remarkable journalism tactics and ethics.”
Stephanie Platter teaches her students the ins and outs of journalism while giving them real-world experience of producing a newspaper once a month. Stephanie Platter shares, “I hope students gain the confidence in their own writing and the career skills to be successful in teams in their future workplaces.” Students on The Quill learn what it is like to work with a deadline under pressure and produce an amazing product.
The Quill has always been a document by and for the students since 1953. Students train in AP Style writing and editing techniques, reporting and interviewing methods, and layout and design skills using InDesign and other Adobe programs. The Quill follows great journalists in the honorable tradition of bringing information to a specific people group through thoughtful, well-written, short, topical, applicable prose. The Quill teaches students how to gather information for their news articles while organizing and conducting interviews on their own. Students work together to pitch ideas and make edits on their pieces. The editor and chief, the student leader of the class, then makes sure the paper is ready for print.
Students can start writing for The Quill as early as their freshman year. If you are interested in being a part of The Quill’s legacy, speak to one of our counselors to add it to your schedule. As students gain experience, more leadership opportunities become available, such as the Editor and Chief or Section Lead.
Ella Hamilton worked on The Quill for three years while attending King’s High School. Ella credits the confident person she is today to the work she did on The Quill. Ella’s experience was not only crucial in her professional development but her personal development as well. “The Quill is a fantastic atmosphere for personal growth because it’s not competitive, however the intentional workplace environment that we created allows students to challenge themselves at their own pace,” Ella says.
The staff works hard every year to create fresh themes and content that they believe the student body needs to hear. Ella shares her favorite part of working on the newspaper was discovering what it meant to be the voice of KHS.
Working on The Quill led Ella to discover her creative passions and gave her a safe environment to pursue them. She explains, “It was extremely fun to create the newspaper for three years with the incredible staff and Splatter, who supported me through everything.”
