Jane Ripps swiftly established herself as a passionate storyteller. She is now the managing editor of Clarke Central High School’s (Ga.) ODYSSEY Newsmagazine and serves as a mentor to younger students.
“Each production cycle, I see how Jane works to enhance our readers’ experience with our publication, be it print or online,” David Ragsdale, ODYSSEY Newsmagazine adviser, said. “Time and time again, she has engaged in out-of-the-box journalism, which can be a high-risk, high-reward proposition.”
Alongside her reporting, she is an active member of a local club swim team as well as president of her school’s Women in STEM chapter.
Her enthusiasm, determination, and dependability set her apart from her peers, according to her adviser.
“Her desire to continue to innovate through pitching diverse story ideas, attempting different eye-appealing layouts, creating multimedia and broadcasts for our website/social media and bringing different perspectives to the pages of the magazine and website have been refreshing,” Ragsdale said.
Ripps shared the pieces she holds closest to her heart and what makes them so memorable.
Q: What have been some of your favorite pieces that you’ve covered and why?
A: Throughout my time in the ODYSSEY, I have had the privilege of covering various topics in my community. Each story I have crafted carries a goal to inform readers and generate change. During my junior year, I wrote a feature profile story on a local nonprofit organization that offers transformative experiences to kids and adults with disabilities in the Athens community. The organization, which is called Extra Special People Inc., has been expanding across Georgia and the nation for a few years now, and I loved highlighting an incorporation that is making a real difference in people’s lives. Towards the end of my junior year, I also took on a story covering the murder of a female student on the University of Georgia campus, which was just down the street from my high school. I interviewed our city’s mayor, the police chief, female professors at UGA, as well as students at my high school to report on the sexual harassment and targeting women face all over the nation. Both stories opened my eyes to the topics I had never really delved into before — only skimmed the surface. Not only did I learn and grow as a student, but I also became more informed on my community and worked to allow access to that same ability to our readers.
Ripps also offers valuable advice and guidance to high school journalists, helping them hone their skills and grow in their craft.
Q: What advice do you have for other high school journalists?
A: Journalism can be an outlet for high schoolers to use their voices and speak out on topics that may affect them personally or members of their community. I have long believed that as student journalists, it is not only our job to report on our school and community diligently, but it is also our job to find what we are passionate about reporting on. Finding what one wants to pursue will not only generate motivation but also a genuine love for harnessing one’s voice. So, to all the student journalists out there, advocate for yourself and find what you want to do within your publication. The options are endless.
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.
