As her time at KO comes to an end, senior Ashley Buckingham finds herself reflecting fondly on the past three years she’s spent working on the KO News. Serving as Editor-in-Chief on the 2023-24 staff, Ashley brought consistency, enthusiasm and hard work to the paper every single month. Whether she was writing her “Wyvern’s Tale” or working with English teacher and KO News faculty advisor Cathy Schieffelin to finish that month’s edition on time, Ashley will never forget her time served on the paper.
Beginning her journalism career as an associate features editor on the paper, Ashley slowly but surely worked her way up to become head news editor and then editor-in-chief during her senior year. “It was really nice to take on a leadership role and give back to the paper in my last year at KO,” Ashley said.
She describes her time on the newspaper as extremely rewarding, yet also very challenging. “It has definitely been a huge time commitment, but being able to produce an exciting and engaging paper each month is a really great feeling,” Ashley commented.
Before becoming Editor in Chief, Ashley had a passion for writing news. “I loved writing about what was happening around our community,” Ashley said, “and getting to interview people at KO about things happening on campus was always really interesting.”
Although she doesn’t have an all time favorite article that she’s written, she really enjoyed writing her “Wyvern’s Tale” each month. “I enjoyed writing about topics that I thought would be relevant to the KO community and provide a fresh perspective, especially about things I was passionate about,” Ashley said. She also loved writing a senior farewell article last year for former KO News staff member and her close friend, Alyssa Temkin.
Ashley says that her favorite memory from her time on the news was simply getting to work with the staff. “Whether it was on Sunday News Days or Monday planning meetings, all of the collaborative moments when the staff got to work together were my favorite memories.”
Her time on the newspaper has taught her many valuable lessons. “I’ve definitely improved my communication skills,” Ashley said. She also thinks that over these past three years on the paper, she has learned not to be afraid to take risks and to put her individual voice out there for readers to recognize.
Ashley attributes a lot of her success to the paper’s advisor, Ms. Schieffelin. “I’m really thankful for all of her support and guidance that she’s given me this year,” Ashley said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without her by my side.”
Her advice for people who want to join the paper is this: do it. “If you’re thinking about joining the KO News, you definitely should because it’s a great outlet,” Ashley said, “not only to improve your writing skills but also to work collectively with other students who are passionate about the same things as you.”
Ashley has been an amazing peer, teammate, and friend to all she has met and will be missed by both the paper and KO community next year. We all wish Ashley the best of luck as she heads off to Washington University to study finance in the fall!
