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KYRA BALCH
The Blaze Co-Editor In Chief 25-26
JEA Wisconsin Journalist of the Year 2026
Editing, Leadership and Team Building
Editing
Every deadline has five deadlines within it. These are made by our editors and adviser to make sure all the staff stays on track. This helps us stay organized and makes the editing process easier. Our copy editor goes over all the stories at least twice each deadline to make edits/suggestions. By the end of every deadline, every staff member has to have completed three elements. A story, spread or covering an event can all count as an element.
Every spread goes through every editor. There are typically five or six editors with various jobs. As the associate editor and now Editor-In-Chief, I go through every detail of every spread rather than just one element on the page. We use this organizer for each spread to make sure we check for everything and get multiple pairs of eyes to look over each one.
In the final two weeks of the deadline, also known as production weeks, we print each spread numerous times. All the editors sit in a circle with a different colored pen and look through every spread for any mistakes.
Leadership
Going into my junior year, I was associate editor preparing to take over as Editor-In-Chief the following year. I worked side by side with the EIC at the time, Juliana Mora, and learned the ins and outs of yearbook and leading. Towards the end of last year, I started taking on more of that leadership within the classroom. I now split this role with Alyssandra Becker as we work around the challenges and bounce ideas off of each other. We lead the entire class together each day.
Alyssandra Becker and I on a flight to France for a school trip.
The first few weeks of the school year are dedicated to teaching/reteaching the basics of journalism and how to create the different aspects of the yearbook. This bootcamp was led by Alyssandra and I. I covered the more journalistic aspects, like interviews, writing and captions, while Alyssandra covered the more design aspects, like photography, cutouts and spreads. We keep all of this organized in our editors shared drive.
Before class on Mondays, Alyssandra and I write out all the events that are happening each day of the week. We make sure to include the time, level, event/sport and location. During class, all staff members check their schedule and sign up for any events they are available for. This ensures we have everything covered and we are staying on top of things.
There are a few days within the first few months of the school year that seniors have the chance to retake/take their gown photos. At these make up days, I had the opportunity to help them out. I helped students find their names, wear the right things and get the gown that fit their height. I also helped with setup and takedown.
Team Building
Over the course of a long, stressful school year and numerous late work nights, our staff grows very close. We believe very strongly in constructive criticism and taking others' ideas to make the best content we can. This is a class that I look forward to every day, knowing some of my favorite people are there. We are a team and a family at heart. Even though times can get challenging and heated, I love this staff just the same.
New classes can be scary or awkward if you don't know anyone. During bootcamp, we ran a photography workshop. In this, I made groups of two or three, and made sure each had people that didn't know each other.
We make sure to set aside a few days throughout the year for team building/bonding. We host a food/game day before Thanksgiving break, Secret Santa day before winter break and numerous game days. Having these days gives us a brief break from the chaos and allows us to enjoy each others' company.
The staff made a group chat so we could all stay in contact if anyone was confused or wanted to talk. At school events, like dances, we try to get everyone together for a group picture.
It's important that the staff is comfortable with each other. If they are not comfortable, they are more likely to keep questions to themselves, resulting in more difficult work, or go to our adviser instead of the editors. Our staff respects and trusts each other.
'24-'25 The Blaze Yearbook Staff.
'25-'26 The Blaze Yearbook Staff.
WANT TO GET IN CONTACT?
Instagram: @kyrabalch_journalist
Email: kyrabalch@gmail.com
X: @KyraBalch
© 2025 by Kyra Balch. All rights reserved.
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