This semester, The Forge has welcomed four new staff writers to the team. These staff writers are Santa Barbara High School’s (SBHS) sophomore Jordan Volz, senior Annabelle Tiller, and juniors Madeleine Savellano and Kate Hashbarger. These writers have contributed articles to past Forge issues and are crucial participants in The Forge’s writing cycle.
Volz joined The Forge by referral of Natalie MacFarlane and wanted to engage with new people. She came with her already-established strengths in interviewing and the drive to expand her writing skills toolbox.”I need to, and hope to, work on writing all of the information I collect,” Volz said when asked about her strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Volz has written articles in the paper’s arts and entertainment section and hopes to write in other sections, such as student and features, with a more SBHS-centered point of view. “The student section or features definitely sounds fun,” Volz stated.
Volz is a strong Forge member with a drive to improve, whose presence on The Forge is unique and positive.
“Jordan contributes to The Forge community with her calm, easy-going personality, which makes her an amazing staff writer to work with,” MacFarlane said when asked about Volz’s presence.
Another resourceful staff writer, Tiller, has written for numerous sections, including arts and entertainment. Tiller, an exchange student from Norway, brings her own spin to everything she writes. She was drawn to The Forge for several reasons, she shared, “I have always enjoyed publishing day and getting the Forge to do the crossword… I also love writing.”
Tiller’s favorite part of writing is seeing her article come to life and become something she is truly proud of. Tiller, being a senior, can only be part of The Forge for one semester, though her presence will leave a mark through her articles and memorable personality. “I hope to be proud of everything I have written and look back on it as something I have made.” Tiller shared her hopeful takeaways from this experience.
Hashbarger, staff writer and junior at SBHS, is a new writer on The Forge. Hashbarger joined The Forge with the hopes of growing her passion for writing and being a part of something with her friends. “I wanted to try something new, and I heard The Forge was a great experience on campus for writing from my friends.”
Hashbarger’s favorite opportunity she has been part of as a staff writer at The Forge was the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).
“I have to grow my interviewing skills and writing. It was a really cool experience.” She stated when asked about the festival.
Hashbarger has always had a love of writing and is deepening her skills and research in every topic she writes about. “Getting to learn about what I am writing and meeting more people is my favorite part,” she said when asked about her favorite aspect of writing.
Hashbarger hopes her experience on The Forge can help her meet new people and advance her writing. She is a determined staff writer who will continue to learn more.
The last of our new staff writers, Savellano, joined The Forge due to a schedule change and the atmosphere. “…I needed a new third period, and it seemed super fun,” Savellano stated when asked about joining. Savellano, before her staff writing, had not written in a very long time and felt that she needed to work on the discipline of writing unpreferred topics. “Something that’s a weakness for me is writing things I do not want to write,” she said. She hopes to gain new writing skills and interview skills from her time on The Forge. Savellano wrote an article, “Heap of the Week,” in the previous issue that highlighted a car on our campus, and this edition is changing it up with a teacher spotlight. Savellano, a new staff writer revisiting writing, has made a positive contribution to The Forge with her diverse writing.
