David Tuck shares academic journey, motivations

Working for the school newspaper is not a simple task. This is evident by the end of the first week of school. However, there is no adequate reason to avoid joining. Rather, this was one of my greatest motivations for enlisting in the first place.

In a Christian homeschool program called “Classical Conversations”, the tutors emphasize literature. In my junior high years, my class read and studied almost two dozen books, and we transferred what we saw into our essays. I grew to love writing, and progressed in my four years of fifth through eighth grade.

However, an abrupt school change occurred. A new condition in the school contract, that charter families are treated unequally, made my parents unhappy. With Classical Conversations no longer an option to them, they told me they would send me to Fresno Christian. Upon hearing about The Feather, I immediately wanted to join.

No matter what hardships arise, diligence is a healthy habit. The theme for my seventh-grade year was “personal investment builds ownership”. If one settles for a mediocre school year, personal limits are not pushed. Instead, I desired to pursue my passion for writing in The Feather.

Some students bypass the mere consideration of working for the Feather with the defense that they are incompetent writers. But this is easily proved invalid. Adviser Greg Stobbe takes in writers of any skill level, and already, he has helped me improve.

Writing is crucial in the course of life. In The Feather, we amplify this fact greatly, and every member on the team is willing to coach and lead every other member. We criticize each other’s work, because we all work towards the same goal: to strive with diligence, expertise and accuracy.

Much like Christianity, everyone is accepted, and everyone continues to make mistakes – but we learn from mistakes and advance. I see this in our editors in chief, seniors Sam Cross, Kamryn Schultz and Alex Rurik. They support all of us, and I look up to them as leaders of our staff.

Though there are many aspects to consider, Stobbe takes the first two weeks just to lay out the rules. He presents them crystal clear, so that no one falls behind. He and co-adviser Kori Friesen are the heart and brain of The Feather, giving us assignments and the materials needed to complete them.

I recommend joining The Feather to any and all students. The benefit that comes from it changes lives, and I have full confidence that it will change mine.

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David Tuck can be reached via email.