Semester Final Countdown

The last chick to be born in the classroom, Lucky was a favorite in Allyn Witt’s fourth grade classroom. The Callaway County class is one of many from around the state to participate in a 4-H sponsored program aimed to teach students about life and science, more specifically - about chickens.

IT IS THE END OF APRIL! This semester has flown by and no doubt been one of the fastest thus far. As the final few weeks are being counted down and the summer heat is quickly approaching, it is these final few pieces as a Missourian reporter that I feel most proud of. With two feature pieces in a week after a several cumulative months of work, I was both excited and relieved to have my story about a 4-H sponsored chick hatching program and my collaborative story with Laura Miserez on the 1918 Influenza Pandemic complete and published. 

The completion of these longer projects (the flu being a very research-heavy piece) was encouraging to me as a writer to feel more confident both in my ability to find and to pitch stories. Being able to see them through to the end pushed me in a way that I haven’t pushed myself before in the world of writing. While not that different in principle to finding, pitching and covering a story visually, completing this process with a focus on word count rather than frame count made for a beneficial, growth experience. 

As we move into the final week, I am looking forward to two more days on general assignment and the completion of another life story about a women I only wish I could have met in person. Here’s to a happy and not (too) stressful end of the semester!