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EDITING

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Editing isn’t just about fixing grammar and punctuation—it’s about shaping stories, refining narratives, and ensuring our publication maintains the highest journalistic standards. I’ve taken on the responsibility of not just overseeing and editing every article that goes to print multiple times, but also coaching writers to help them develop their skills through the editing process.

Stinger Stylebook

When I first came to The Stinger and started copy editing during my freshman year, I was only given a single sheet of basic AP Style rules to go off of.

 

My freshman-year (and even sophomore-year) self spent hours scouring various websites trying to find the correct AP Style guidelines for specific formatting when I could have been devoting that time to making more in-depth, sophisticated, substance-related edits.

As editor-in-chief, one of my first actions was to create a more detailed, standardized stylebook with the most common AP Style tips plus additional important entries (see above).

 

I’ve revised our stylebook every year, updating it with relevant guidance as needed. For example, many of our sources used profanity in very important quotes, so I issued guidance on under what conditions profanity is appropriate and how it should be handled (page 9). For this 2024-25 school year, I also updated the stylebook with helpful tips about election coverage (page 6).

 

My stylebook is now used to teach all levels of journalism classes and is a key resource in our newsroom for everyone, from staff writers to senior editors.

Editing Process

Over the past two years, I've re-organized and streamlined our editing process significantly. One of our best changes was going from a Google Docs budget for planning our issues to Google Sheets. Not only is it easier to navigate, but it’s much simpler to edit and make changes without offsetting everything else on the page.

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The old budget was messy, difficult to read, and lacked the flexibility of columns and rows provided by Google Sheets. It glitched often (like seen here), making it a pain for editors to go back and fix the budget.

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The new budget is color-coded, easy to navigate, and even easier to edit. The editing process has been much smoother after we switched to this new budget. On both the new and old budgets, stories written on Google Docs are hyperlinked for editors to comment on and edit. 

Once it’s been read a few times on its Google Doc by editors, the section and deputy editors will lay it out on Adobe InDesign and print a mock copy for everyone to look at.

 

From there, it’s read another 3-4 times by myself, my managing editor, our advisers, and copy editors before we PDF the page and approve it for printing. 

 

Additionally, I always include comments with a brief outline of my reasoning for more complicated edits — that way, if I'm not there then whoever is making changes on the page has some idea of what I mean.​ In order to keep track of who's editing what, each editor signs each page they look at with their name and the time. 

Here's just one example of my editing, commenting on both issues with the layout as well as story issues which weren't caught earlier. 

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Our strict editorial process demands proper fact-checking at every stage. The writer finished this story about our school district blocking seemingly harmless words (like "German") on school Chromebooks shortly before production started. While the school district constantly shifted on its position regarding this topic, I made sure we double-checked our reporting on these terms every day — even going so far as to recheck it minutes before going to print.

My Editing

To me, editing isn’t just checking for AP Style or grammar then passing it on to the next person. Nor is it rewriting entire paragraphs or just underlining a portion of the story with the message, “fix this.” Instead, it means working with and coaching the writer, taking them on a journey to help them understand why we make the changes we do. It drives the writer to dig deeper, and to find out more about their story.

 

Take this piece by a sophomore on our English as a Second Language (ESL) program being revamped and merged with standard English classes.

 

Here are my main edits/takeaways for this piece: 

  • Passive voice: I comment on this a lot when I’m editing. I’m not the kind of person to say “you should never use passive voice,” because I don’t think absolutes are helpful in crafting good writing. Sometimes, passive voice is necessary for a thought to flow properly or for a sentence to make sense. That being said, when there is a choice between active and passive voice, I will always choose active and encourage my staff to do the same.

  • Lack of additional sources: As a standard rule, we require a minimum of three sources for every news story. Before editing, this story only had quotes from the ESL teacher. I suggested the writer interview ESL students and see how they are adjusting to the new, unprecedented changes to add more depth to the story. 

  • Use genuinely impactful quotes: I suggested the writer use informative, powerful quotes, especially from the ESL teacher, to both explain the situation and provide insight into how teachers and students are feeling. Don't use quotes just for the sake of having more quotes in your story — some things are better left paraphrased.

  • Tell a story! By attaching a "face" to the story, you make readers more invested in what happens and how the larger outcome affects individuals students at school, regardless of whether or not they personally know the subject.  

 

The finished product ultimately placed 9th nationally in the NSPA “Best of Show” competition this year, a huge win for one of our younger writers. The best part is, I didn’t do any of the writing — I provided content and stylistic suggestions but the writer made all the changes, and I’m so proud of that. Compare the unedited (left) and edited (right) versions below.

ESL Program revamped, merges with CP English

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English Language Development (formerly English as a Second Language) teacher Tammy Kita instructs students in her classroom. For EHS' English language learner population, ESL classes have been essential to their education. Photo by Thiffany Ceolin-Reimao.

by Rae Murphy

ORIGINAL

    For years, English as a Second Language, or (ESL,) has been a key part of high school for many students. Entering high school is a nerve-wracking experience for anyone, with all its bustling halls and chattering students, but for students who speak little to no English, it can seem like an insurmountable task. 

    Despite this, former ESL teacher. Tammy Kita’s room was always a safe space for these students. As the former ESL teacher at Emmaus, she dedicated much of her time and energy to helping these students find their place at EHS. 

“It’s really important to me that these kids, who might be a little more timid in other classes, can have this place they’re comfortable in,” Kita said.

    However, this norm was recently completely upheaved, as this year, all students that had been taking ESL were instead integrated into CP English classes.

    This was done at the recommendation of an intermediate unit, which is the level of school governance between a district’s school board and the Pennsylvania board of education. “They came in and they said that we should put the kids with their grade levels, to make sure they’re being exposed to the correct standards,” Kita explained.

    This decision proved to be quite divisive, with some people strongly believing that ESL should have remained separate from CP English, while some advocated for the benefits of this change.

    On one hand, this merge could have intensely detrimental effects on both the students who speak little English and the students who were always plotted for a CP course. 

    Part of the issue is that ESL students simply may not know enough English to follow along in class. “I was joking with one of the math teachers, and I gave him a bilingual dictionary with Chinese and English, and I said ‘Oh, now you can take the Keystone in Chinese!’” Recollected Kita. 

    Another problem with this new policy is the loss of a community caused by the dismantling of traditional ESL classes. Many non-English speaking students felt at home in ESL, as they might have connected with other speakers of their native language in an environment where they won’t be judged for their lack of knowledge in English.

    “A Venezuelan girl and a Chinese girl both came at around the same time, both knowing basically no English, and they became best friends. The Venezuelan young lady took the Chinese young lady to the beach this summer; It was her first time at a beach.” Kita recounts.

    However, there are benefits to these changes too. As the intermediate unit said, it’s incredibly beneficial for these students to be exposed to the standard learning for their grades.

    This could also help lessen the perceived divide between ESL students and the rest of the school population. Separating ESL from the general English courses prevents ESL students from ‘fitting in’ with their fellow students as well as they could. On top of this, connecting with people who have different experiences is an important opportunity.

    “Oh, I've never known a person who ‘x’, fill in the ‘x’, whatever you want ‘x’ to be. People could be a little scared and a little timid, but when you get to know that this person who is ‘x’, whatever the ‘x’ is, yo actually a person just like you, and you get to see that, oh, this person isn't just x. This person like soccer or this person has a favorite video game, just like me, or whatever, this person's also, you know, learning biology just like me, then you get to connect on this level, and they're not so much of like a different person.

    There’s also the question of how such an ambitious task as integrating two separate English courses together would be accomplished.

    “At first, this teacher assigned the kids a dystopian text, and I was like ‘oh my gosh, these students that don’t really know English are being asked to read this dystopian short story, how is this gonna work?” Kita said.

    However, this strategy ended up working extremely well. Kita was able to supply them with both simplified versions of the text and a version of the text in their first lesson. Kita and her students would meet and take notes ahead of time and help make sure the students comprehended the general themes before moving onto more detailed analysis. Kita believes this first test to have been a success.

    Kita also reports that the English teachers have been crucial in this effort. “I’ve been communicating with everyone in the English department pretty much constantly,” She says. “I’m helping them support these kids in any way they can, and they’re doing awesome.”

    The kids that don’t speak enough English to follow along with class will often have Google Translate open on their computers, so their teacher’s speech is being translated in real time. While not ideal due to the occasionally questionable nature of Google Translate’s AI, it’s still an important tool during this transition.

    Despite this, Kita has her reservations. “Our ESL students are very intelligent, but in some cases, they simply do not know enough of the language to be efficient in these classes.”

    No matter the stance on this issue, there’s no doubt that the English course at EHS will look very different from now on

“It’s like I say to my Global Citizens Club,” Kita says, “In the end, we’re all just a part of the big wide world.”

FINAL

    “I’ve only been here for two months, and there’s so much going on, and it’s kind of scary,” Preity Banque, a sophomore multilingual learner student at Emmaus High School, said, gesturing at the crowded room she sat in.

    This can be true for any new student, but it’s especially true for multilingual students who come to the school with little knowledge of the English language. This has only become more prevalent with the recent decision to merge all but one English Language Develop class with CP English classes.

    For years, the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, now known as English Language Development (ELD), has been an essential part of integrating students who speak little to no English into highschool. 

    ELD teacher Tammy Kita has worked to make her room a safe space for these students, providing an environment conducive to this daunting task.

    “It’s really important to me that these kids, who might be a little more timid in other classes, can have this place they’re comfortable in,” Kita said.

    However, this norm was recently overturned — starting this year, all students who had been enrolled in ELD were instead integrated into College Prep (CP) English classes.

     Following an audit by Montgomery Intermediate Unit in January 2024,  the school was informed that it was not meeting state requirements by failing to enroll ELD students in on-level English classes. To rectify the issue, the school administration removed all English learners from ELD classes — with the exception of new students speaking no English — and put them in CP English classes.

    “We have a duty by the law and a responsibility to the students to ensure that we’re providing them what they’re entitled to in terms of an educational experience,” Dr. Jessica Thacher, East Penn supervisor of secondary education, said. 

    Many people strongly believe that ELD should have remained separate from CP English.

    “I was joking with one of the math teachers, and I gave him a bilingual dictionary with Chinese and English, and I said, ‘Oh, now you can take the Keystone in Chinese!’” Recollected Kita. “It was a joke, obviously, but it kind of shows the unrealistic standard we’re holding them to.”

    English class also introduces complex vocabulary meant to challenge native speakers. An individual who is just learning English may struggle to keep up with the curriculum to a greater extent. 

    “They move so fast,” another multilingual learner, senior Shantel Vargas said. “I’m always late [answering] because before I can answer, I have to translate.”

    According to Kita, many ELD students have to rely on Google Translate to keep up in the class. While the tool can be useful for allowing students to quickly translate what the teacher is saying, problems arise from this too. Students report that the lag often found in Google Translate’s audio function can cause them to fall behind, mistranslations are all too common, and some important messages are lost in translation.

    Another perceived problem with this new policy is the loss of a community caused by the dismantling of traditional ELD classes. Many non-English speaking students felt at home in ELD, as they might have connected with other students in an environment where they won’t be judged for their lack of knowledge in English.

    Another issue that arose was the question of how such an ambitious task as integrating two separate English courses together would be accomplished. 

    “We obviously wanted to start on the changes right away, but at that time it was the middle of the school year, and we couldn’t implement those policies at that point,” Thacher said. “But we absolutely had to go into the school year ready to make this shift.”

Instead, they began their efforts over the summer, focusing mostly on professional development for both ELD supports and English teachers integrating ELD students into their class.

    When the school year started, there were immediate challenges facing both students and teachers due to this change.

    “At first, this teacher assigned the kids a dystopian text, and I was like ‘oh my gosh, these students that don’t really know English are being asked to read this dystopian short story, how is this gonna work?’” Kita said.

     However, this strategy ended up working well. Kita was able to supply them with both simplified versions of the text and a version of the original text in their first language. Kita and her students would meet and take notes ahead of time and help make sure the students comprehended the general themes before moving onto more detailed analysis. Kita believes this first test to have been a success. She also reports that the English teachers have been crucial in this effort. 

    “I’ve been communicating with everyone in the English department pretty much constantly,” she said. “I’m helping them support these kids in any way they can, and they’re doing awesome.”

There are benefits to these changes too. As the intermediate unit stated, it is important for these students to be exposed to the standard learning for their grades and connect with the larger population of EHS.

     Despite these helpful aspects, the ELD program is having trouble finding enough teachers to support this demanding program. 

     “We don’t have the number of teachers that we would want to have to make it run seamlessly, so we’re doing the best we can with what we have, and I think that’s been a barrier,” Thacher said.

     In spite of the issues arising from these changes, Kita believes it will ultimately have a positive effect on the school.

    “It’s like I say to my Global Citizens Club,” Kita says, “In the end, we’re all just a part of the big wide world.”

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