Chloe Coleman, head anchor of Lugoff-Elgin High School’s LETV news show, has been recognized as a Southern Interscholastic Press Association Star.
Coleman’s interest in the school’s journalism program began in a Journalism 1 class, where she first had the opportunity to see an LETV segment. She joined the school yearbook staff and developed a love for event coverage, as well as a desire to report on events beyond the school walls.
“Every episode LETV would come out with, we would watch,” Coleman said, “and I thought it was super cool.”
As a co-anchor, Coleman discovered the joy of broadcast and watched as LETV expanded from one episode each month to at least one per week. She is currently the head anchor and hosts the show from the anchor desk solo.
“[Chloe] is great in front of the camera and her personality shows it,” Michael Branham, adviser of LETV, said. “I’m even more thankful of how prepared she is ahead of time… I wish I could have her in class for longer.”
Her work in the broadcast field has influenced her future plans as well. Coleman will be attending Columbia International University in the fall, majoring in youth ministry and minoring in journalism.
“I plan on hopefully working with CIU’s journalism programs,” Coleman said.
She has participated in “mini mic” segments around the school, her favorite being the Valentine’s Day episode. Coleman’s most notable change since joining LETV is her new willingness to be extroverted. Parents recognize her in the halls and mention how they’ve watched her segments on YouTube.
“I would 100 percent say it’s gotten me out there,” Coleman said. “It’s a conversation opener for sure, and overall journalism has made me a totally outgoing person.”
Work samples:
SIPA Stars is a showcase series that spotlights individual students, celebrates their content and exemplifies good Southern journalism at work in scholastic classrooms.
An adviser or editor can recommend a student to be a SIPA Star through a short application process. We will create web and social media posts and letters to principals and local media outlets to identify and spotlight the student selected.
