Wa-Hi student publishes article in Seattle Times

Walla Walla High School student publishes article in Seattle Time Education Lab series
Macy's Article

Earlier this year, Walla Walla High School Junior Macy Quinn-Sears was selected to participate in the Seattle Time’s Education Lab series and recently she published her first article. Macy wanted to dig deeper into why some students don’t feel challenged in school.

“Our job was to report from the student’s point of view on an issue we see in education; I am always intrigued by this idea of differential education, and how teachers accommodate different students,” said Macy. “Since starting high school, I haven’t really struggled much in any of my classes, and I wanted to explore different options and ask my teachers what they would recommend if a student came to them feeling unchallenged.”
Macy said she was intrigued by the idea of adding a level of class between Honors and Advanced Placement so she began asking her teachers their opinions on this subject.
“I came in believing it was the teacher’s job to challenge the student, and ended believing that it is the student’s responsibility to manage their learning and coordinate with their teacher,” Macy said. “It was a very eye opening experience.”

Macy is heavily involved in the Walla Walla High School Journal and says she loves journalism. She is captivated by the world of investigative journalism, and now has her heart is set on a career in the field of print journalism. In her free time, she enjoys riding her horses. She also works at a local restaurant, in part to fund her horse passion, and in part to fund her future college expenses and improve her Spanish.. This summer she has the opportunity to attend a week long journalism program at Stanford.

“I applied earlier in the year, and was amazed when I got in; it’s very selective and a once in a lifetime chance that I am so grateful to have,” she said.

About Education Lab
Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to some of the most persistent challenges in public education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, a New York-based nonprofit that works to spread the practice of solutions-oriented journalism, and funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since the project launched in October 2013, Seattle Times reporters have published dozens of stories identifying and assessing promising programs and innovations — both locally and around the country — to problems that have long bedeviled schools. Engaging with our readers — and reaching education stakeholders who are not regular Seattle Times readers — has been a focus of Education Lab from day one. Since launch, we’ve held several community meetings with parents, students, teachers and education advocates to gather ideas and input. We’ve experimented with new ways to feature community voices, including live chats, reader questionnaires and regular guest columns. We’ve also held four large-scale public events – with more in the planning stages. Our goal is to create a new conversation that connects teachers, parents, students and others around innovation in schools.