An OPRF junior made her own headline after winning first place in headline writing at the Illinois High School Association’s state journalism tournament.
Sophia Lynn, 17, placed first in headline writing and fifth in review writing at the Illinois High School Association’s state journalism tournament, held in April in Normal, Ill.
Sophia made her way to state following a great run at sectionals, where the junior placed first in review writing and third in headline writing.
At the state competition, Sophia was given various stories to read spanning different flags including opinion and news. Sophia then had to produce a headline along with a secondary headline within a certain character limit for each piece.
“I liked headline writing a lot,” she said. “I liked how it was like a puzzle.”
An avid writer, Sophia said she struggled a bit cutting down her review writing to fit the character limit because she went “way over the 350 word limit.”
Despite her nerves, Sophia said she was able to flesh out her reviews and made the most out of the allocated time, making sure to edit through her stories and refer to her AP style book, which was allowed, throughout the process.
Her attention to detail and hard work paid off.
Sophia said she was shocked but very excited about her placement.
The junior said she has always had a passion for reading and writing from a young age.
She has channeled those passions into her work as a student journalist.
“I think what I like about journalism versus other types of writing is that it is more simple,” she said. “It is more about getting the story and getting straight to the facts and doing the best you can in the time you have.”
At OPRF, Sophia started working at Trapeze this past year. She began as a staff writer and is now the opinions editor for the paper.
“I really love opinion writing, I think it’s great to be able to share your perspective on things, especially in a school community,” Sophia said.
In her new role, she hopes to be able to work with writers who not only have great ideas for stories but who are also able to open themselves to other people’s opinions and be able to “see the other side.”
Kate Hawley, English and journalism teacher at OPRF, said Sophia has always impressed her.
“Sophia is a gifted storyteller with exceptional drive and focus,” Hawley said. “I wasn’t surprised to see her draped in medals after the IHSA tournament. I’m even more impressed by her dedication to our team of student journalists who publish Trapeze, OPRF’s newspaper.”
“Sophia produces real stories like a pro. I’m excited to see what she goes on to do.”
Sophia said she has also channeled her love for reading and wanted to help children have access to books and become better readers.
“I am really passionate about reading and I definitely recognized that I have been very lucky in my life to have parents who always read books to me, I have always been so engrossed with books,” Sophia said. “But I know it’s definitely hard and I can imagine it being hard for students who come into school not knowing how to read.”
Sophia worked to start a chapter of Ferst Readers in Illinois. The literacy program helps provide bookstore-quality, age-specific books and resources to children under the age of 5 in underprivileged areas to bridge the adolescent literacy gap.
“I know that the literacy gap is a really big issue for a lot of kids and I know a lot of that is happening really close to my home and I just want to try to work to change that,” Sophia said.