11
EICs led the presentation with
smart and sometimes witty
commentary. Freshmen laughed
and cheered as they learned about
who they were as a class. At the
end of the presentation, the staff
got a standing ovation. They told
freshmen to look for the full results
of the survey in the September
issue. They shared information
about how freshmen could get
involved on our extracurricular
staff. After this presentation,
freshmen recognized our core
leadership team of upperclassmen
around campus. They also got their
first glimpse of what real student
leadership at the school looks like.
Several freshmen who joined staff
each year have cited the visibility
of the freshman survey as one of
the reasons they decided to get
involved. honest answers) and enhancement
ideas.
After the presentation, the staff
debriefed and started planning
for print layout, which felt easier
with many of the graphics and
commentary already complete.
They also wrote down suggestions
for next year while the process was
still fresh in everyone's minds. This
debrief file included new questions,
process notes (for instance, make
sure the computer screens are
facing away from the open area of
the book sale so curious parents
can't read student responses over
their shoulders, resulting in less A program about which I was
initially skeptical about has turned
into an important teambuilder, as
well as an anticipated feature of
freshman orientation and in our
first issue of the year. The freshman
survey inspires curiosity, builds
relationships, and helps our team to
publicly identify as journalists and
student leaders as they move into
the new school year.
In year two, the editors were able to
draw comparisons to the previous
year's data without inferring trends.
One class might just be different
from another— for instance, the
fact that the Class of 2020 identified
as an inch shorter than the Class of
2019 is not yet a trend. They have
decided to keep a core list of about
25 questions consistent from year-
to-year, so we can hopefully draw
some trends in the future. They also
decided to add some extra features
to the print edition of the survey,
like suggestions for campus life,
and to write the staff editorial in the
September issue addressed to the
freshman class. Alumni editors have
helped to coach the new team on
the survey each year.
"My favorite part of the survey is
being able to learn a great deal
about the incoming class before
anyone else does," Rowley said.
"The survey as a whole always is a
great eye-opener that the people
who comprise Malvern are much
more varied than what we may
initially believe."
By launching our year with the
freshman survey, we learned a
lot about the incoming class, but
perhaps even more about our staff
dynamics as a team, and what it
would be like to work together for
the rest of the year.
K ATE PLOWS
Kate Plows advises The Friar’s Lantern
newspaper and website at Malvern
Preparatory School in Malvern,
Pennsylvania, where she also teaches
graphic design and ceramics. Her
students won Pennsylvania Student
Journalist of the Year in 2016 and 2017,
the 2016 JEA Impact Award, 2017 JEA
Aspiring Young Journalist, and other
state and national recognition. Kate
is the 2017-2018 Pennsylvania School
Press Association Journalism Teacher
of the Year.
CLASS OF 2019 SURVEY ON ISSUU
CLASS OF 2020 SURVEY ON ISSUU