The Cascade High School Publication’s team is a vital part of the community at CHS. Their mission, elucidated on their website, is “to create publications that make every member of the Kodiak community feel appreciated by capturing all students, sports, events and interests.”
They have experienced incredible success over the past half-decade: winning multiple awards as a group at both the state and national levels, being regularly published in professional media, and boasting individual staff awards as well. A big reason why they are so successful is in large part due to the tireless efforts of the student editors who edit and finalize articles and yearbook spreads, and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Not only do they work incredibly hard during class, they also put in many hours of hard work behind the scenes.
The CHS Publications team is supported by a group of talented editors who all bring different skills to the team.
The CHS Publications team is supported by a group of talented editors who all bring different skills to the team.
Caroline Menna (12) is serving Pub as the Editor-in-Chief this year. She is in charge of copy editing, the Pub calendar, creating the ladder, and editor meetings. Menna has been a part of Pub for four years and always works diligently on her assignments. She’s always happy to help others and explain anything to people who don’t understand.
“Caroline was asked to be an editor, because she is an excellent writer with a talent for investigative journalism. She knows how to do everything that Pub requires and can answer almost any staffer’s question. She is dedicated to the mission of our team and tireless in her efforts to ensure that staffers have success,” said Robison. “She is efficient with her work and a compassionate leader. She is very organized and a pleasure to work with.”
“She excels at writing articles and always strives to help other people and make sure everything's moving along and running smoothly. She really cares about the team, and I think everything would fall apart without her,” explained Hazel Eschen (12).
To see Menna's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit her portfolio: Caroline Menna
Caroline shares her title of Editor-in-Chief, and the associated responsibilities, with Paige Runions (12). Both Caroline and Paige served as junior editors during the 2023-2024 school year before being promoted to their current roles. They also both had experience as staffers and returning staffers before beginning to edit for the team.
“Paige was asked to be an editor because of her writing and editing skills, but more importantly due to her ability to work well as a member of a team. Like Caroline, Paige knows how to do almost anything related to yearbook and newspaper,” said Robison. “Last year, Paige undertook the Hurculean task of revamping our Index/Reference section. She managed this year-long, incredibly complex assignment with grace and efficiency. I know that I can trust Paige with anything.”
“Paige’s generosity and willingness to utilize her experience to help within any area of the class makes her an extremely important member of the publications staff. She’s always working hard and continuously exceeds expectations,” stated Hazel Etchen (12).
To see Runion's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit her portfolio: Paige Runions
Ben Jerome (12) has been in publications for three years and has become an incredibly valuable part of the team. In addition to his positive attitude, he is one of the best photographers in Publications and can be counted on to help staffers with anything related to photography.
“Ben was asked to be an editor because of his commitment to the team, talent with a camera, and personable attitude. His role this year is Photo editor,” said Publications advisor Ms. Robison. “Jerome is in charge of all things photography: he helps to assign photo opportunities, process and organize photos, select and post the photo of the week, and help staffers with questions related to photography. He has also stepped up and has been helping with graphic design aspects of the yearbook and social media posting.”
“I think he's a great guy, he brings a certain lightheartedness to the class. He adds an eye of design and he's been around, so he knows the inner workings of the class. He’s also just easy to get along with so he makes everyone in the class feel motivated,” said Coal Fiano (11).
To see Jerome's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit his portfolio: Ben Jerome
Jackson Feeney (12) is the coverage editor and website manager for Publications this year. In addition to being a great photographer, Feeney is a creative thinker who brings fresh, new ideas to the team.
“Jackson is an excellent selection for coverage editor, because he knows everyone and he’s very social,” said Ms. Robison. “He is not afraid of speaking his mind, asking difficult questions or putting himself out there. He has a unique voice as a writer and an eye for style and design. He’s also very connected with the community.”
“My favorite thing about Pub is that you get to go out of class to do cool stuff and write about it. For example, we got to do Pilates, and I got to go to the mural painting at Sage and that was really cool too. Having the opportunity to do things like that along with just getting to interview people, which is fun. I've kept doing Pub for so long because I really like talking to people and I think it’s a good career choice,” said Feeney.
To see Feeney's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit his portfolio: Jackson Feeney
Avery Houghton (11) is the editor in charge of graphic design and marketing. After the 2023-2024 determined the theme for this year’s yearbook, Avery spent the entire summer designing a cover for the book. She works with Jerome to create all of the graphic elements being used in the book and helps the team to edit articles each month. Her job entails making certain that the entire yearbook looks cohesive.
“Avery is an absolute pleasure to work with,” said Robison. “She is talented, kind, intelligent and a hard worker. I can count on her to produce high-quality work and to assist incoming staffers in doing the same. I am excited to see her develop as an editor and journalist in the next two years.”
“Avery plays an important part of publications because she’s one of our best graphic artists and I know she played a huge part in making the cover for the yearbook this year. [She] really helped creating the folio and overall, she just makes our yearbook look more put together and organized, she’s always working hard and seems happy to help," stated returning staffer Arlo Gibbs (11).
Gwen Pehowski (11) serves Pub as the social media editor. Her jobs include managing the team’s Canva and Instagram accounts. She posts promotions and photos of the week on the Pub IG and creates content on Canva.
To see Houghton's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit her portfolio: Avery Houghton.
“Gwen is a valuable presence on our team,” said Robison. “She has been in Pub for two years and has a natural talent for social media management and graphic design. At meetings, she is calm and collected. She helps us all to be less stressed near deadlines.”
“I am the social media manager in publications, and I am also just an editor overall, so I help with editing articles and spreads and making sure everything is finalized. Publications is an amazing opportunity that everyone should do. I think other people should join Pub, because it allows you to get really involved with the school and really get to meet and interact with new people,” said Pehowski.
To see Pehowski's cumulative contributions to The Kodiak Chronicle, visit her portfolio: Gwen Pehowski.
With a team this strong, it is certain that this year’s Publications team will be met with as much success as previous years.
Comments