The staff of The Beacon looks a little different this semester with some new staff members. Many of the former editors are studying off campus this semester or have graduated. Hiring new editors allowed for NW’s newspaper to bring in some younger students as editors, allowing for future security and structure of The Beacon’s staff. The new staff members, mainly freshmen and sophomores, will have the opportunity to gain experience as editors for a few years before they graduate NW.
“It’s a great opportunity for younger students to get experience with The Beacon,” said Kaitlyn Van Peursem, former features editor and current interim advisor for the NW’s newspaper.
The new co-editor-in-chief and copy editor for The Beacon is sophomore Aaron Eckmann, who will work alongside with senior Jocelyn McCormick, after previous co-editor-in-chief Bree Hodnefield graduated. Eckmann was formerly the news editor, but freshman Emily Berggren has now taken over that position. Sophomore Madelynn Harre was chosen to be the new arts and culture editor due to senior Hannah Ross spending the semester in Chicago, and sophomore Camber Herrig filled the position for the features editor after Kaitlyn Van Peursem graduated. Serving as the new photography editor and social media manager is sophomore Jadeyn Veltkamp.
Junior Caleb Arnett has stayed on as the editor of the opinions section, and sophomore Katie Jacob as the sports editor. Riley Rasmussen also stayed on as the advertisements and design manager.
As interim advisor, Van Peursem is in charge of overseeing the Monday night meetings of The Beacon’s staff. She is there to assist with any problems, answer any questions the editors may have and help them choose which articles should be featured in the newspaper each week. Van Peursem also assists with the copy editing on Thursday layout nights by looking over the articles for grammatical errors.
“It’s a little strange thinking I’m in charge of people I previously worked with,” said Van Peursem. While she wants them to respect her as one of their advisors, she also wants the staff members to feel like they can come to her with any needs they may have.
In his transition from news editor to co-editor-in-cheif, Eckmann reflected on his favorite part about being the news editor. He enjoyed keeping up with the news and talking with and getting to know a lot of interesting people.
However, now Eckmann has more of a leadership role within the newspaper’s staff.
“The job position was really sprung on me which was quite interesting,” Eckmann said. “After seeing the whole process and taking some public relations classes, journalism seemed like an interesting field, and this gave me the opportunity to explore it further which is why I was excited to accept the offer.”
Madelynn Harre became the new editor for the arts and culture section after being recommended. Harre has never worked for a newspaper before, but she has gained writing and editing experience through English classes and writing for The Beacon. As the new arts and culture editor, Harre hopes to highlight more of NW’s artists and performers through the articles in her section.
“I am most excited about getting to know the writers, artists and performers more through my section,” said Harre. “I like meeting new people and working where part of the job is getting to know people is a wonderful blessing and makes that that much more fun.”
Eckmann looks forward to the semester’s changes.
“I am super excited to see all the new faces on The Beacon staff!” said Eckmann. “While we will undoubtedly miss those who graduated, the new editors will bring their own journalistic style to the table.”
