elle rotter of parkway west high school
For Parkway West High School sophomore Elle Rotter reporting on COVID-19 was as simple as ABC … well, kinda. She and Emily Early, a fellow writer at the school’s newspaper, Pathfinder, penned the “ABC’s of COVID,” an exploration of how students experienced the pandemic and quarantine. Earlier this year, the piece was recognized nationally by Quill and Scroll as part of its writing, photo and multimedia contest, winning first place in the category of pandemic coverage.
What made you decide to write for Pathfinder?
In middle school, writing was my strong suit. I knew I wanted to branch out in high school. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a meteorologist. I grew out of that, but I’ve always been interested in the news. I figured I would take journalism for a year and see how I liked it.
What do you enjoy most about journalism?
It’s a very life skills-based subject. You have to be resourceful and responsible, and you have to learn how to talk with people and sometimes pull information out of them. I think the interviews are my favorite part. I love hearing about people’s stories and experiences.
Is it something you plan to continue?
Yes. I’m still really new to journalism, but as I go into my junior year, I’ve been looking at what colleges have good programs. Even if I don’t pursue journalism, I want to have some kind of writing career.
Where did the idea for the “ABC’s of COVID” come from?
I was interested in doing an entertainment story because it’s not something I’d done before. I thought about applying the ABCs format to COVID and quarantine because it’s what was on everyone’s mind. I found it intriguing and ran with the idea. I created a spreadsheet with each letter to organize my interviews. Emily, my co-writer, was looking for a new assignment, so we started working together.
How did it feel to have your work nationally recognized?
When I got the award, I honestly was shocked. I didn’t expect any award, let alone such a prestigious one. I spend a lot of my time on journalism, so it was almost reassuring to see my work rewarded. I felt very proud and lucky. It’s definitely not something you take for granted.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I’m also president of the ASL (American Sign Language) Club at Parkway West. It’s still new, so we’ve been working hard to establish it, especially with the pandemic. Outside of school, I enjoy creative writing. In eighth grade, I wrote a book with one of my friends. That summer, we’d sit out on her deck and write. I went back and read it, and it’s really quite terrible, but I have a lot of fun memories from it.