Freelance Work:
I have had the opportunity to work and shadow at a couple different newspapers over the years. These are some of the works I have written for those newspapers:
ABOUT: This was the first article I wrote for a local newspaper and I became a consultant for the paper for events that were happening within the high school. It shows how far I have come in my writing.
BHS seniors raise funds at Pride Days Printed by the Blackfoot Morning News
For almost a decade, Shirley Robinson has been organizing the vendors for the Pride Days celebration each year. The time she spends organizing businesses and groups into booths and events is just part of the Blackfoot Pride she holds so highly for her family, including her graduating son Stephen Robinson who was a big part of her decision to help the class of 2014 as much as possible this year.
Pride Days, which are currently taking place through Saturday, was started as a large party after clean up days each year. For Robinson, the event symbolizes a community coming together whether young or old.
Young people like Halle Phillips, Senior Class President for the coming school year who has worked closely with both Robinson and her Student Council adviser, Jason Lish.
“This is my first year helping out and it’s really exciting,” says Phillips. “It’s also a lot of work and this year we added a carnival which includes face painting and games, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for the kids!”
Phillips, who has been selling t-shirts with her peers to raise money, hasn’t done it alone. Her and 15 other students including class officers, Emily park, Megan Collard, Justina Campbell, and Aaron Vail have been working for weeks to make sure that all of their events are planned accordingly.
From selling glow sticks on the 4th of July to a Volleyball tournament and a slip and slide, everyone is doing their part.
“I’ve helped Halle plan a lot of this stuff,” said Senior Taylor Thomas. “I want a really fun senior year so I’m helping in the Carnival for kids and at the coke booth during the kickball game. We will have a bunch of activities and I’ll be helping with those too,” said Thomas.
In addition, this year there will be a Bungi Run and the ever-popular 3-on-3 basketball game, both taking place on Saturday.
“I have spent some time with the president of the class helping plan out all the stuff we are in charge of this year. We have put a lot of time into this and just hope that we will get the outcome we expect,” says class officer Meaghan Collard. “I think senior year is all about having fun and making memories with the classmates before you reach another chapter in your life and through the fundraising for all the activities for this upcoming year, I hope to make it possible.”
Collard will be helping with the Volleyball tournament this year while Aaron Vail, another class officer, is set to take charge of the basketball game.
Since the schools can’t fund class trips or the senior breakfast due to budget cuts, everyone is doing their part.
“I love all types of art, from music to drawing,” says Mashaal Hijazi who is excited to do the face painting. “There is nothing I love more than my senior class. This is our last official school year as young adults,” she added.
Both the kid’s carnival and the 3-on-3 basketball tournament start at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday with the kickball game starting at 3:00. There is lots of fun to be had at Pride Days and the senior class hopes for a lot of support.
Pride Days, which are currently taking place through Saturday, was started as a large party after clean up days each year. For Robinson, the event symbolizes a community coming together whether young or old.
Young people like Halle Phillips, Senior Class President for the coming school year who has worked closely with both Robinson and her Student Council adviser, Jason Lish.
“This is my first year helping out and it’s really exciting,” says Phillips. “It’s also a lot of work and this year we added a carnival which includes face painting and games, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for the kids!”
Phillips, who has been selling t-shirts with her peers to raise money, hasn’t done it alone. Her and 15 other students including class officers, Emily park, Megan Collard, Justina Campbell, and Aaron Vail have been working for weeks to make sure that all of their events are planned accordingly.
From selling glow sticks on the 4th of July to a Volleyball tournament and a slip and slide, everyone is doing their part.
“I’ve helped Halle plan a lot of this stuff,” said Senior Taylor Thomas. “I want a really fun senior year so I’m helping in the Carnival for kids and at the coke booth during the kickball game. We will have a bunch of activities and I’ll be helping with those too,” said Thomas.
In addition, this year there will be a Bungi Run and the ever-popular 3-on-3 basketball game, both taking place on Saturday.
“I have spent some time with the president of the class helping plan out all the stuff we are in charge of this year. We have put a lot of time into this and just hope that we will get the outcome we expect,” says class officer Meaghan Collard. “I think senior year is all about having fun and making memories with the classmates before you reach another chapter in your life and through the fundraising for all the activities for this upcoming year, I hope to make it possible.”
Collard will be helping with the Volleyball tournament this year while Aaron Vail, another class officer, is set to take charge of the basketball game.
Since the schools can’t fund class trips or the senior breakfast due to budget cuts, everyone is doing their part.
“I love all types of art, from music to drawing,” says Mashaal Hijazi who is excited to do the face painting. “There is nothing I love more than my senior class. This is our last official school year as young adults,” she added.
Both the kid’s carnival and the 3-on-3 basketball tournament start at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday with the kickball game starting at 3:00. There is lots of fun to be had at Pride Days and the senior class hopes for a lot of support.
ABOUT: I did a week-long feature on Blackfoot Pride Days including a photo story that used these six pictures and were printed by the Blackfoot Morning News.
ABOUT: This is another article written for the Morning News. It was a few months later and the amount of research that went into this article was exciting.
BCP unable to perform 'Grease' Printed by the Blackfoot Morning News
Hannah Elkins has acted in many productions over the years. Since the age of 11 she has acted in musicals, which include The Sound of Music and Aladdin, and she had a part in the Nuart Theatre’s Brigadoon last year. This summer Elkins was set to play the role of Marty from the highly successful Broadway classic Grease, but now it seems that the production is all but expected to happen and has been called off from expected August opening.
Although auditions had already taken place and the cast had been assembled none of the actors had a chance to rehearse before the announcement was made that the play would be postponed due to licensing problems and expenses beyond the Blackfoot Community Player’s funds.
“When a group chooses to do a production of a popular show, they must first get licensing to do it from New York. Every agent I have worked with I’ve never had any problems until this one,” said here’ Director, Sharon Hoge. “There are two musicals that are hard to license, Grease and Chicago, and Grease is one of the hardest,” she explained.
The matter of licensing ultimately came down to Pre-advertising by Blackfoot community calendars. Because the company was able to find mention of the show coming to town without it first being licensed, the agents had to send the case to their attorneys pushing the show back another two weeks.
“We need eight weeks to do a show right and with the 4th of July we were looking at about 5 weeks or less,” Hoge said adding that production on November’s 42nd street is already underway and planning for October’s Grandstands of Terror has been pushed up because of the cancelled show.
Grease, the first of a planned annual summer musical in town is now being looked at as a possibility for June of next year.
“Even if we get the licensing it will still cost double what a normal show costs. We’d have to pay for every seat whether they are filled or not,” Hoge said. The community players would hold the show at the Blackfoot Performing Arts Center due to lack of air conditioning at the Nuart Theatre which means they’d pay to fill 12,000 seats.
“There’s no way we’d fill them. We depend on public support and the reactions to our shows are mixed so we try to choose shows wisely.”
Grease, which was performed by the Snake River High School recently, will likely start the 2014 summer season along with a larger production of either Les Miserables or The Phantom of the Opera to come.
The community players fund the shows, which cost roughly $3,500 to produce. The revenue of patrons who watch the show and donations from the community make up most of the cost but they are still looking for the funds needed for their summer musicals, which will exceed the budget they have at the time.
“We are hoping to get sponsors to fund the show,” says Amanda French, long-time actor planning to play Betty Rizzo in the show. “To be honest I was bummed that it was cancelled, but that’s theatre and things like that happen. You need to stay positive. I always try and look for the best in things even when it might not seem to go the way you plan.”
Whitney Deru, a student who has learned from the Conservatory of Ballet and Theatrical Arts, was excited to do the show and added that she loves Grease and is disappointed that it is on hold.
“Now that we may not be able to do it I will have a bit more free time,” Deru said.
The Nuart Theatre and Blackfoot Community Players don’t currently have any shows planned for the summer season and are looking forward to the fall for exciting dramatic productions.
Although auditions had already taken place and the cast had been assembled none of the actors had a chance to rehearse before the announcement was made that the play would be postponed due to licensing problems and expenses beyond the Blackfoot Community Player’s funds.
“When a group chooses to do a production of a popular show, they must first get licensing to do it from New York. Every agent I have worked with I’ve never had any problems until this one,” said here’ Director, Sharon Hoge. “There are two musicals that are hard to license, Grease and Chicago, and Grease is one of the hardest,” she explained.
The matter of licensing ultimately came down to Pre-advertising by Blackfoot community calendars. Because the company was able to find mention of the show coming to town without it first being licensed, the agents had to send the case to their attorneys pushing the show back another two weeks.
“We need eight weeks to do a show right and with the 4th of July we were looking at about 5 weeks or less,” Hoge said adding that production on November’s 42nd street is already underway and planning for October’s Grandstands of Terror has been pushed up because of the cancelled show.
Grease, the first of a planned annual summer musical in town is now being looked at as a possibility for June of next year.
“Even if we get the licensing it will still cost double what a normal show costs. We’d have to pay for every seat whether they are filled or not,” Hoge said. The community players would hold the show at the Blackfoot Performing Arts Center due to lack of air conditioning at the Nuart Theatre which means they’d pay to fill 12,000 seats.
“There’s no way we’d fill them. We depend on public support and the reactions to our shows are mixed so we try to choose shows wisely.”
Grease, which was performed by the Snake River High School recently, will likely start the 2014 summer season along with a larger production of either Les Miserables or The Phantom of the Opera to come.
The community players fund the shows, which cost roughly $3,500 to produce. The revenue of patrons who watch the show and donations from the community make up most of the cost but they are still looking for the funds needed for their summer musicals, which will exceed the budget they have at the time.
“We are hoping to get sponsors to fund the show,” says Amanda French, long-time actor planning to play Betty Rizzo in the show. “To be honest I was bummed that it was cancelled, but that’s theatre and things like that happen. You need to stay positive. I always try and look for the best in things even when it might not seem to go the way you plan.”
Whitney Deru, a student who has learned from the Conservatory of Ballet and Theatrical Arts, was excited to do the show and added that she loves Grease and is disappointed that it is on hold.
“Now that we may not be able to do it I will have a bit more free time,” Deru said.
The Nuart Theatre and Blackfoot Community Players don’t currently have any shows planned for the summer season and are looking forward to the fall for exciting dramatic productions.
ABOUT: Bucky the Bronco was a new mascot in 2015 and this picture was taken during his performance at the Homecoming Football Game. It went on to be used in local media.
ABOUT: In 2013 I was contacted to write for a new and upcoming news magazine in South Eastern Idaho that would be a gathering site for young journalists from multiple schools. This was the first time somebody contacted me to write for them and I was pretty excited.
The History of Hartkopf Stadium As submitted for "The Idaho Spectrum News Magazine"
It may not be sacred ground and you may not even think twice about stepping onto it however, the football field at Blackfoot High School has more history than what may at first meet the eye.
His name was Frank Hartkopf. The name may not sound familiar to anyone of this generation however, when you say the name to a former graduate of the class of 1964 or earlier (or anyone with a former tie to Blackfoot High) you can’t stop the flood of response.
Hartkopf was an American Government and history teacher starting out back in the early 1930’s. His career lasted over two decades until he retired in 1964. Both he and his wife were local residents and his wife even headed the board of directors for the Fairgrounds at one point.
“He was a very respectable man. Hardly anybody thought badly of him,” 1955 Blackfoot graduate Merlin Smith said.
“I remember him as a fun teacher who stuck to the rules and I enjoyed his class,” local resident, George Hulse, said. According to both Smith and Hulse, the field had already been named “Hartkopf” when they were at BHS so the mystery had to go back further.
“The only reason that I can think of that Hartkopf field was named after him was because for several years he was an assistant coach and a very strong disciplinarian and was considered as an institution at the High School. I was never there when he coached. To the best of my knowledge the field was named after him out of respect and the number of years he was an employee of the School District.” Retired history teacher Lamar Hagar said about Hartkopf. Hagar replaced Hartkopf after he retired and only worked with him for two years before he retired.
“I can tell you that both he and his wife were highly thought of in this community,” Hagar said.
Teachers today knew very little on the subject and even many of the students didn’t realize the football field had a name.
“I have heard of it. I remember seeing the name at my very first freshman game and it has stuck with me,” Aaron Mccree (12) said.
So the mystery of why they decided to name the football field after him might go past even the oldest generation but for those that did know Frank Hartkopf will always keep a fond memory of him and the Blackfoot Broncos will always keep his memory in the heart of each game played on the field.
His name was Frank Hartkopf. The name may not sound familiar to anyone of this generation however, when you say the name to a former graduate of the class of 1964 or earlier (or anyone with a former tie to Blackfoot High) you can’t stop the flood of response.
Hartkopf was an American Government and history teacher starting out back in the early 1930’s. His career lasted over two decades until he retired in 1964. Both he and his wife were local residents and his wife even headed the board of directors for the Fairgrounds at one point.
“He was a very respectable man. Hardly anybody thought badly of him,” 1955 Blackfoot graduate Merlin Smith said.
“I remember him as a fun teacher who stuck to the rules and I enjoyed his class,” local resident, George Hulse, said. According to both Smith and Hulse, the field had already been named “Hartkopf” when they were at BHS so the mystery had to go back further.
“The only reason that I can think of that Hartkopf field was named after him was because for several years he was an assistant coach and a very strong disciplinarian and was considered as an institution at the High School. I was never there when he coached. To the best of my knowledge the field was named after him out of respect and the number of years he was an employee of the School District.” Retired history teacher Lamar Hagar said about Hartkopf. Hagar replaced Hartkopf after he retired and only worked with him for two years before he retired.
“I can tell you that both he and his wife were highly thought of in this community,” Hagar said.
Teachers today knew very little on the subject and even many of the students didn’t realize the football field had a name.
“I have heard of it. I remember seeing the name at my very first freshman game and it has stuck with me,” Aaron Mccree (12) said.
So the mystery of why they decided to name the football field after him might go past even the oldest generation but for those that did know Frank Hartkopf will always keep a fond memory of him and the Blackfoot Broncos will always keep his memory in the heart of each game played on the field.
ABOUT: I wrote this in response to our school board proposing a $2.6 million levy in which the community was asked to vote on on March 10. I received multiple responses from it, some positive some negative. It was a great help in taking criticism.
Voters asked to increase levy An editorial published in both the Morning News and Idaho State Journal
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to a letter to the editor written by Clara V. Call in the February 11 issue of the Morning News about Blackfoot School District's proposed $2.6 million levy.
Call's first point was the accusations that the school district does not care properly with what money it currently has. The way she backed this up was with using former Superintendent Scott Crane's very public payout two years ago of $220,000 tax payer dollars. The problem with using this as a prime example of the current school boards flaws is that multiple members on that particular board are no longer on this one. Though there have been scandals in the past, rebuilding from them should not be halted by holding the new board accountable.
The idea that taxpayers in the school district are currently paying too much in taxes for our school system is absurd. As a student inside the Blackfoot High School, I see firsthand the budget cuts in our district. Clubs cannot afford to go on trips, there has been a paper shortage all year and printing excessive worksheets and fliers have been prohibited, and for the past three years the district has not had efficient sanitary supplies to clean the schools until a push to contract new custodial service last year by the same board is hoping to make a change with this levy.
In fact, this levy seems to be the only chance to help our schools have the funding it needs to operate. There are no benefits for me in this levy because I will have graduated when it goes into effect, however taxpayers paid for my education and I will turn around and pay for the next generation, and I want them to have a good education.
Since 1987 the patrons of the district have supported a supplemental levy every two years and the last time the levy increased was in 2007 to its current level of $1.975 million. Throughout the state our levy is the fourth smallest out of 19 school districts. Shelly, Snake River, and Aberdeen are the only schools who have smaller levies and the number of students in Blackfoot school district more than doubles and on some levels, quadruple the number of students enrolled in their school districts. In fact our levy is a fourth the size of Lakeland's levy with roughly the same number of students in the district.
Our community should not be afraid to support the students who are the future leaders of Bingham County and America.. The increase will affect homeowners with an added ten dollars or less onto their monthly taxes and is a small price to pay to help a district that is so insecure financially.
I would like to let the taxpayers know how much they are appreciated and that Blackfoot School District needs help now. If we take Call's stand and wait for test results that most people cannot understand, or wouldn't even look at anyways, we will have lost the opportunity to enrich the school system now.
Everyone can do their part and vote on this levy on March 10.
Erick L.Wood
Blackfoot
I would like to respond to a letter to the editor written by Clara V. Call in the February 11 issue of the Morning News about Blackfoot School District's proposed $2.6 million levy.
Call's first point was the accusations that the school district does not care properly with what money it currently has. The way she backed this up was with using former Superintendent Scott Crane's very public payout two years ago of $220,000 tax payer dollars. The problem with using this as a prime example of the current school boards flaws is that multiple members on that particular board are no longer on this one. Though there have been scandals in the past, rebuilding from them should not be halted by holding the new board accountable.
The idea that taxpayers in the school district are currently paying too much in taxes for our school system is absurd. As a student inside the Blackfoot High School, I see firsthand the budget cuts in our district. Clubs cannot afford to go on trips, there has been a paper shortage all year and printing excessive worksheets and fliers have been prohibited, and for the past three years the district has not had efficient sanitary supplies to clean the schools until a push to contract new custodial service last year by the same board is hoping to make a change with this levy.
In fact, this levy seems to be the only chance to help our schools have the funding it needs to operate. There are no benefits for me in this levy because I will have graduated when it goes into effect, however taxpayers paid for my education and I will turn around and pay for the next generation, and I want them to have a good education.
Since 1987 the patrons of the district have supported a supplemental levy every two years and the last time the levy increased was in 2007 to its current level of $1.975 million. Throughout the state our levy is the fourth smallest out of 19 school districts. Shelly, Snake River, and Aberdeen are the only schools who have smaller levies and the number of students in Blackfoot school district more than doubles and on some levels, quadruple the number of students enrolled in their school districts. In fact our levy is a fourth the size of Lakeland's levy with roughly the same number of students in the district.
Our community should not be afraid to support the students who are the future leaders of Bingham County and America.. The increase will affect homeowners with an added ten dollars or less onto their monthly taxes and is a small price to pay to help a district that is so insecure financially.
I would like to let the taxpayers know how much they are appreciated and that Blackfoot School District needs help now. If we take Call's stand and wait for test results that most people cannot understand, or wouldn't even look at anyways, we will have lost the opportunity to enrich the school system now.
Everyone can do their part and vote on this levy on March 10.
Erick L.Wood
Blackfoot