Introducing 'The High School Beat'

*This article was originally published on The Nutgraf.

I started in the newsroom as an eighth-grader with no idea how to write, but a journalism camp at Columbia Scholastic Press Association ignited my passion when my first human feature moved its subject to tears.

That moment pushed me beyond editing to reshaping the Jets Flyover, creating a staff manual and eventually transforming us into an “SNO Distinguished Site.”

Yet, I struggled to find journalism resources relevant to international schools, which led me to create High School Press Central — a platform dedicated to helping student journalists navigate press freedom, leadership and storytelling worldwide.

Fast forward to 2025, and I’m writing “The High School Beat,” a column for The Nutgraf that covers all things high school journalism. This column will go out every two weeks on Thursday beginning today.

I am Leanne Yoon, editor-in-chief of the Jets Flyover at South Korea’s Daegu International School and the founder of HSPC.

In the three years I’ve worked in our school’s newsroom, I’ve reformed staff guidelines and have led the team to become the fourth school to achieve the “Best of SNO Distinguished Sites” status in the 2024-25 school year.

In terms of writing, I’ve penned articles on various social issues such as how deepfake videos were used for sex crimes in South Korea.

I fell in love with journalism because it is so much more than the frantic reporting and tedious editing some of you may associate with writing. Rather, journalism tells a story that readers would want to pick up in their own time.

HSPC began with the vision to spread guidelines on journalistic writing and newsroom management to underserved newsrooms worldwide.

While leading my own publication, I realized that there were few resources catered to student journalists — most resources were geared toward advisers. I also wanted to create the robust student journalist support network I didn’t have while growing the Jets Flyover.

At HSPC, I post bite-sized lesson plans for writers, editors, and advisers. These posts cover a wide variety of topics, from how to write smooth transitions to how to deliver feedback to writers and use AI in the newsroom in a responsible manner.

I also wrote “The High School Journalist’s Handbook,” available on Kindle. This e-book covers all the basics of journalistic writing and newsroom management so that even a beginner editor or adviser can pick up the process easily.

I hope to bring my perspective as a high school journalist to The Nutgraf on various topics such as press freedom, working with middle and high schoolers and environmental journalism.

I’m excited to empower all journalists by sharing insights, best practices, and real-world experiences as the editor-in-chief of a burgeoning publication.

📧 Contact Leanne Yoon at hspresscentral@gmail.com.