The turnover of staff every April is bittersweet: younger students take on new roles, looking to grow both as writers and as people, while experienced seniors leave the knowledge they’ve gained to their successors. While everyone in the paper contributes and is crucial to its success, this year we are sending off an especially special senior: our Co-Editor-In-Chief, senior Jordan Cipriano.
Committed to the University of Michigan – a college he has been a practically die-hard fan of for the past handful of years – he plans to major in economics with a minor in history. Math teacher Tracy Deeter has certainly helped him to that path, and Jordan noted that he’d miss her AP Economics class the most after his time at KO. “Because of her amazing teaching and the fun environment she creates,” Jordan said. While unsure if he will continue his newspaper experience directly in college, he stated that he’d go back and use what he has learned through the club in his future endeavors.
Speaking of, Jordan began his KO News journey as an Associate Sports Editor his sophomore year and Head Sports Editor his junior year before ultimately finding his place as the Co-Editor-In-Chief this past year. His favorite articles to write were always the “Player of the Moment” profiles. “They allowed me to showcase my friends and peers around me,” he said.
As a whole, despite the early morning News Days and late-night editing sessions, he has treasured the collaborative aspect of the paper, especially in his final role. “I enjoyed having that opportunity to represent our school and represent our newspaper,” he said, “and to tell everyone in the community what’s going on…it was always stressful, but it was worth it.”
In his free time – which you would never guess based on the articles he’d typically write – he enjoys a good round of golf with his friends and family and watching sports, specifically, basketball and football. He found that golf cleared his mind, which is certainly helpful for a high-school student in this day and age.
As a seven-year senior, Jordan is certain to have countless memories, both good and bad, found on KO’s campus, one of which was last year’s Homecoming football game against St. Paul’s, which involved a last-minute touchdown to secure the win.
After graduation, he plans on working as a camp counselor at his sleepaway camp before he heads to the state of the Great Lakes, where he hopes to utilize the skills he has developed both in English teacher Catherine Schieffelin’s journalism class and throughout his time on the paper.
While Jordan’s passion may not be directly writing articles about various topics, especially sports, he still recommends taking journalism and leaving your mark on the newspaper, believing that it can benefit you in so many more ways than just the surface-level expectations. “There are so many different opportunities within the paper,” he said, “and it really doesn’t require too much time. It’s also a great chance to improve your writing and become part of a large team.” As an experienced member of the KO community, one could say Jordan knows it all — or at least most of it. So, in his wise final words, “Try to do as much as you can within your community at KO, and to seize every opportunity that comes your way.”
