You have seen his picture on the editorial page in every issue of the KO News this past year… the one, the only, Editor-in-Chief senior Ben Small!
You can find the snapshot of him peering out over an edition of the KO News on page 3, right next to the article he writes every month, in which he speaks on an issue important to him and the KO News editorial board.
Ben said his favorite editorial that he has written is the one from the January issue, in which he suggested that the school send out the “Wyvern Weekly” publication to all members of the KO community. He also mentioned he enjoyed writing the article about the College Board (found in the September issue).
Furthermore, Ben has taken up the challenging responsibility of heading our newspaper and managing the entire KO News staff. As you can probably tell from the name, the position of Editor-in-Chief is extremely important and, as Ben said, not at all easy.
“I didn’t think it’d be as hard as it is to manage people, but since we are all only human, a lot of mistakes and problems come up and I usually have to help figure them out,” he said. “I think it’s a good skill to have, though, being able to work through issues with other people, whether it be mistakes in laying out articles or dealing with problems in general. Collaboration and management skills are just important in life, and I’ve definitely learned a lot from being a part of the KO News.”
Ben initially joined the KO News in his freshman year when he took the prerequisite journalism course. “Journalism was actually my first elective, and honestly I didn’t really know it existed, but I thought it sounded cool so I thought I’d take it,” he said. “I’m happy I did.” He said he was excited to try out a brand new opportunity after having been homeschooled his whole life and not having the chance to be part of a community like the KO News.
After finishing the class, Ben became an Associate News Editor his sophomore year and the Head News Editor his junior year, a position that he also said he really enjoyed being in. “Being the Head News editor was really fun,” he said, “because I was very involved with the front page, and I could communicate the news to the whole entire school.” Ben said he plans on writing for his college newspaper and is excited for that, as well.
Ben, you have been an outstanding Editor-in-Chief and made sure all of us on the KO News staff put out the best and most accurate news that we can. Your work ethic never fails to amaze all of us, and you have shown us the true meaning of responsibility and leadership. Congrats on a great year. Thank you for everything you do, and we will miss you so much!
