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Schools

Aspiring Journalist Heads School Newspaper

Each week Patch will highlight an individual kid, youth group, teen, or sports team that's wowed us with their accomplishments. Meet this week's pick, Brad Babendir.

Brad Babendir

Age: 17

 School: Deerfield High School

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Accomplishment: Brad Babendir remembers the summer of 2010 as being a time when he went “a little journalism crazy." In a few short months, he took a course on being an effective editor at Columbia University as well as courses in news writing, opinion writing, and feature writing at Indiana University. As editor in chief of Deerprints, Deerfield High School’s newspaper, the experiences and friendships Babendir established last summer better prepared him for the requirements his leadership role called for.

There are many responsibilities Babendir has as editor in chief. He oversees every Deerprints operation, working with section editors, managing editor Molly Block, and adviser Mrs. Sallee to perfect each issue. Despite the stress that comes with meeting deadlines and proofreading others’ work, Babendir enjoys every part of his role. He’s met with Superintendent Dr. George Fornero to discuss pressing questions such as the school budget, and frequently dialogues with Principal Audris Griffith and the deans concerning issues to be covered in Deerprints articles.

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“Dean Chamberlain says hi to me in the hallway and it’s not because I’ve ever gotten in trouble.” Babendir said. “I can e-mail the deans or the principal and ask them questions about things that have happened so I can write about them in the paper.”

Babendir will study at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism next year and he hopes to soon work for whatever publication he has an opportunity to be a part of.

Key to Awesomeness: When Babendir was a freshman, he began writing CD reviews online, quickly discovering his passion for writing. Because Mrs. Sallee, the Deerprints adviser, was Babendir’s freshman English teacher, he felt more than comfortable enrolling in the Deerprints class. Now, joining Deeprints seems to be the decision that propelled Babendir toward a potential career.

Established journalists are a major influence on Babendir, who loves The New York Times, GQ, The New Yorker, and Wired, among other publications. “They all can take an issues and present it in a totally unexpected context,” he said. “They show things in a different light, and a lot of their articles are really eye opening and thought provoking.”

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