Reporting and Writing
Yoni Zacks interviews Fmr. Rep. Dean Phillips and Rep. Kelly Morrison (MN-03) after Phillips's final town hall as a Congressman for a feature story.
News - Royce White Profile
It was a late August day at the Minnesota State Fair. I went to the The Minnesota Star Tribune booth to hear the Republican Senate Candidate Royce White speak. As he was speaking, I had an idea: I should interview him. Almost immediately, one side of me tried to shoot that idea down without even asking him. However, I trusted my gut and chased the story. He was all for it. As he spoke to me, I realized how crazy the whole situation was. I was in a poncho at the Minnesota State Fair interviewing a basketball player turned U.S. Senate candidate. After the story was published, fellow students asked me how I got the interview and told me how it broadened their understanding of the Senate race.
Awards: Best of SNO
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News - Noa Tishby Event Recap
This was the first piece I wrote professionally (for TC Jewfolk), and it was an experience I'll never forget. I stuck to my assignment for this one and did an event recap focusing on the speaker’s message to teens. She was really funny but the conversation was moving really fast, so it was a good test of my notetaking skills.
News - East Door Access
This story came out the same cycle as my article about federal politics, but it focused on a different type of politics: One that impacted most of the upperclassmen, especially the seniors. The administration decided to close the door closest to the student parking lot in response to a series of issues. As I sat there, listening to the principal announce the closure, I knew that students would have lots of opinions. I also knew that this was the time when student journalism mattered the most, since only fellow students could properly tell the story.
Opinion - Political Independence
When I wrote this piece, I was inspired. I was at the NSPA Convention in Philadelphia, and I found my way to the Jewish Scholastic Press Association Booth a couple of times that weekend. That same weekend, the attacks in Amsterdam happened. Pent up about all of my frustrations over the past few months of election coverage, I channeled them all into an article telling my story of politics through a traditional game of chess. I don’t write opinions that often, but this one felt especially important to write.
Awards: Best of SNO
Research - Israel-Hamas War Timeline
While pushing for the editorial staff to create an Israel-Hamas War In-Depth page, I knew I would have to write one of the articles. I talked to the section editor, and she requested that I write the timeline. Since the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a very complicated topic, I knew that I would have to provide a variety of sources from a wide diversity of perspectives. I spent hours researching every event on the timeline, which ended up being over 1,000 words. It's one of the articles that I am most proud of.
Awards: First Place, PSJA Continuous Coverage
Feature - Dean Phillips and Kelly Morrison
This was one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. I attended Dean Phillips’s final town hall to try and schedule an interview with him about his connection to Blake, but I left with a much more personable story about Dean Phillips and Kelly Morrison’s friendship and its roots at Blake. I was lucky enough to be able to interview both of them together, and also interview Kelly Morrison’s parents. I then used my research skills to find one of their classmates from high school to add another perspective.
News Feature - Head of School's Exit
I was sitting in advisory one day when I got an email that my head of school would be leaving following the 2025-26 school year. I was shocked, as it really felt as though it came out of nowhere. The next block was our staff meeting. As an editor emeritus, I had first pick of articles, so I picked this one. I talked to our head of school, as well as the chair of the board (who also chairs the search committee) and the chair of the search committee that originally hired out current head of school to talk about our head of school and her impact on the community. The second article in this series, which will discuss what the search process is like, is currently being written and will be published in April.
Sports Feature - Boys' Hockey Coach Retirement
This story came to fruition because one of my friends, who's on the hockey team, told me that their coach was retiring. I went in wanting to write a story on the process for getting a new coach. However, once I started my interviews, I realized the true impact that the coach had on his players, and that would make a much better story. I interviewed five current players, two assistant coaches, and one former player to attempt to fully grasp the impact their coach had.
Feature - Students and Code-Switching
I wrote these two articles for my first cycle as Editor Emeritus. The period before we assigned and pitched articles, the Director of the Office of Equity and Community Engagement gave a 45-minute presentation on code-switching, which garnered a big reaction from students across the school. My job was to interview the presenter, as well as find students who had experienced code-switching and report on their experiences. These interviews were a good experience for me because they allowed me to have a small window into the lives of other students at Blake and their experiences as part of a visible minority. After writing these articles, I came out with a new perspective on code-switching and the importance of being supportive of all students.
Feature - Israeli Scouts
This was the second piece I wrote professionally, and I wrote this one more like a feature. The group that I featured has come to Minneapolis for years, and because they were based in Israel, this year was extra special. It was an honor to get to tell their story and also hear from some of the people involved in bringing them to Minneapolis and all the hilarious adventures they’ve gone on.
Sports - Boys' Soccer Series
These three articles were written in tandem about the varsity boys’ soccer team and their road to the state tournament. I was the only media member at their first section game (and one of few students), and I covered the team all the way through their heartbreaking loss in the state semifinal. Getting to tell the story of this team, with the seniors having gone through two heartbreaking section losses and years of blood, sweat, and tears to make it to this point, was so exciting. They had an amazing experience at the state tournament, and telling their story was an honor.
Sports - Girls' Soccer Section Tournament
This game took place the same day as one of the boys’ games, and it ended in an 18-0 blowout. It was definitely a unique article to write, and it really stretched my soccer knowledge. When I interviewed the players after, they were all so excited. So many players had scored their first varsity goal that day, and you could tell how much fun the other players were having celebrating with them.
