Kingston Barber ‘23
Barber is a sophomore at Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in Psychology. He does not write for his university’s newspaper but plans to edit for it soon. Barber was on staff from 2020 to 2023 as a Sports and Viewpoint writer. He served as the Viewpoint team leader during his junior year and the editor-in-chief during his senior year. The Scroll helped him become a better writer by allowing him to connect more with his community. Because of his writing, editing and leadership positions, he works as a student assistant for his college’s Office of Special Scholarships, editing letters recipients send to their donors. One of his favorite articles he wrote was “The steaks are high: Longhorn vs Texas Roadhouse.” When reflecting on his time on staff, Barber is grateful for the experience but wishes he had dedicated more time to his writers.
“We had a great team working together,” Barber said. “Sometimes, our priority was placed on the product we were putting out and not the [writers]. I [wish] I would [have] focused more on the [writers] around me and [gotten] to know their stories and not just the people that go to our school.”
Sari Richmond ‘23
Richmond is a sophomore at Northwestern University, double majoring in Journalism and Biology and minoring in Legal Studies. With her degrees, she plans to enter a career in Patent Law. Richmond was on staff from 2020 to 2023 as a Sports writer. She served as the Sports team leader during her junior year and the managing editor during her senior year. During Richmond’s freshman year, she was shy and did not join any clubs. She knew she had to get comfortable speaking if she wanted to go to law school, so she joined The Scroll to get out of her comfort zone. Richmond learned not only how to improve her writing but also how to communicate with her peers and adults. One of her favorite articles she wrote was about Jared Rowling’s wrestling journey because “it was a hefty feature, and it was pretty intimidating to write that many words on one topic.” Richmond won her first Best of SNO through this article, inspiring her to keep writing. As managing editor, some of her favorite days were when staffers focused on reviewing the paper before it was submitted for print.
“[I enjoyed] the last few days of the cycle where it was down to the wire … and everyone [was] getting the first few print drafts of the paper and checking their articles,” Richmond said. “I feel like in that moment we really interacted with everyone in the class the most and everyone was working together … I enjoyed the chaos in the room and thrived on the high energy of everyone being stressed but excited that the cycle is over.”
Chase Pittman ‘23
Pittman is a sophomore at Belmont University, majoring in Mathematics. She does not write for her university’s newspaper but first started her writing journey in third grade, writing mini paragraphs about events at her school. Pittman was on staff from 2020 to 2023 as a News and Features and Arts and Entertainment writer, later serving as the Arts and Entertainment team leader her senior year. She switched to Arts and Entertainment in her junior year since she was involved with White Station High School’s (WSHS) art department and had easier access to feature artists throughout the school. One of Pittman’s favorite articles was her hot chocolate review because she could give honest opinions and not stay as objective as most article topics require. As a team leader, she enjoyed watching her writers find their voice. She hopes writers remain true to themselves and see what writing style best suits them.
“For current writers, enjoy the process of writing and creating an article,” Pittman said. “[Journalism is] such an interesting thing to do. Most students and people don’t get to gain that experience in journalistic writing … Also, be yourself. Everyone has their own unique style of writing. Everyone has their own voice, so don’t try to sound like everyone else … Don’t be afraid to be yourself because that’s what makes an article interesting.”
Ellie Pappas ‘23
Pappas is a sophomore at the University of Memphis, majoring in Music. She has played the piccolo since her freshman year of high school and flute since sixth grade. Pappas was on staff from 2020 to 2023 as a News & Features writer and the copy editing lead her senior year. Although she is not involved with her university’s newspaper, The Scroll opened her mind to various new topics, including Kwanza, eating disorders and students’ small businesses. While not all the article topics she was assigned to write stood out to her, Pappas advises Scroll members to approach every topic with an open mind. Writing for The Scroll allowed her to interact with more students and form friendships while on staff. Pappas’ favorite article she wrote is about Diogo Trindade, a Brazilian exchange student.
“We became good friends after and the whole process of meeting people from interviews was fun,” Pappas said.
Sophia Turner ‘24
Turner is a freshman at Rhodes College, majoring in English. She currently writes for Rhodes’ newspaper, the Sou-Western, and is a member of the editorial board. Turner was on The Scroll from 2021 to 2024 as a News & Feature and Viewpoint writer. She served as the online editor during her junior year and the editor-in-chief during her senior year. She joined The Scroll because “it sounded fun,” and some of her friends were joining. The Scroll allowed her to grow as a leader and form some of her closest high school friendships. One of her favorite aspects of journalism was talking to random people and gaining more knowledge about their lives and opinions. Her favorite article she wrote was during her sophomore year, featuring the Latin teacher and school librarians’ retirement because she learned about their whole career and their future aspirations. Being editor-in-chief gave her experience handling conflict and producing an efficient, timely paper.
“As editor-in-chief, you get that inside perspective of how other members on staff don’t get the logistics of how everything works and how you get a printed issue,” Turner said. “Because of that, you naturally know the best decision to make [but] that doesn’t make you better than everyone on staff. People might think you believe that, but [being editor-in-chief] puts you [in] a position where you are the most logical to make decisions.”
Chitkala Alli ‘24
Alli is a Rhodes College freshman planning to major in Public Health on the Pre-Med Track. With her degree, she plans to be a physician. Alli was on staff from 2021 to 2024 as a News and Feature and Viewpoint writer. She was the business manager during her sophomore and junior years and the managing editor during her senior year. As the business manager, Alli learned how to manage her finances because she had to monitor and organize The Scroll’s spending expenses. Her position as managing editor taught her how to work with others, preparing her for a collaborative college environment. Alli’s sister was on staff in 2019 and would bring home copies of The Scroll. Seeing a physical newspaper similar to the Commercial Appeal and other notable papers inspired Alli to join The Scroll. Her time on staff brought her closer to the WSHS community because her interview subjects were usually people she never interacted with before. Some of her favorite days on The Scroll were spent between writing cycles playing Pictionary Relay or Hangman with staffers.
“It was a lot of fun to be on The Scroll and be managing editor,” Alli said. “For two years, I want[ed] this position [and was] finally able to fulfill it. [As managing editor, it] was really fun for me to be able to see what I had envisioned for The Scroll [be] executed. It was really great working with Sophia, the editor-in-chief, and all the other team leaders … I thought it was a really great group, and the experience taught me more things than I could ever verbalize.”
Megan Shipp ‘24
Shipp is a freshman at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, majoring in International Relations. While she is not a part of her university’s newspaper, she plans on joining their radio show. Shipp was on staff from 2022 to 2024 as a News and Feature and Viewpoint writer. She was the Viewpoint team leader her senior year because she wanted to interview more students about their opinions on current events. Shipp started writing in sixth grade in her school’s creative writing program. As an avid writer, Shipp wanted to continue writing however she could, so she joined The Scroll to expand her skills. Her favorite article she wrote was about the school’s new police officers because she felt it was good for students to know them. After interviewing them, she continued to talk to them in the hallways or after school. Having the chance to form friendships through The Scroll is one of Shipp’s favorite moments on staff. The biggest piece of advice she learned while on The Scroll was to take pride in her beliefs.
“Viewpoint had four members, and while that wasn’t a really large team, it was a very hard and difficult team to be on,” Shipp said. “A lot of people are very unsure of their opinions on things and are scared to speak up about certain things that might be a difficult topic or something they have to think on. I thought it was good to learn how to incorporate different viewpoints and learn how to come up with ways to diffuse certain situations.”
Shania Moore ‘24
Moore is a freshman at Rhodes College, planning to major in Neuroscience or double major in Psychology and Health Equity. She is roommates with Turner. Moore was on staff from 2021 to 2024, writing for News and Features, Sports and Viewpoint. She was the layout lead in her junior and senior years, where she was able to explore her passion for graphic design. As an introvert, being the layout lead allowed Moore to break out of her shell and interact more with staffers by explaining how a physical newspaper is made. At Rhodes, she finds it easier to make friends because The Scroll taught her to “ask people questions in a way that gets them talking.” Her favorite memory on staff is when Advisor Scott Harrison dropped his crockpot, and his “crack” dip “exploded everywhere.” Besides Harrison’s failed “crack” dip, Moore enjoyed the creative freedom The Scroll fostered. In 2024, she wrote an article about the “cartdemic,” which was controversial at the time, but it spoke to her because she could write about a sensitive topic without feeling silenced. She wants current writers to know that The Scroll is a strong community through trial and error.
“My advice for writers is to remember that The Scroll is a very understanding group of people, and you have a good community around you,” Moore said. “Don’t waste the connections that you’re building; those people love you, [so] let them support you.”
