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Team bonding
1. Bonding videos
2. Bonding with my team
3. Snack manager
4. Birthday traditions
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Team bonding is crucial to me, and it should be to any staff of journalists. A staff that works well needs to be bonded, a bond that pushes each staff member to do better for each other. A bonded team understands that there is no I in ODYSSEY; everything I do affects someone else, so I have to bond with my staff.
Dinner with Editorial Board
Left: In this video is a clip of me filming and the ODYSSEY Media Group Editorial Board at a local restaurant. These dinners come after we go to a leadership seminar, after spending a few hours doing work, we must have some room for fun together as a group, too. Sometimes, we help each other vent about stressors, and sometimes, we just laugh and chat. As I have gotten to know my fellow editors better, I have grown to enjoy these team-bonding dinners even more.
Tiktok with the staff
Right: Here is a TikTok I made with a couple of fellow staff members during an end-of-the-cycle celebration. We did our own twist on this trend that fit the ODYSSEY much more. Tape Ball is a game we play when things get stressful, which we all love to play. In the making of the video, we were laughing and talking because some people didn't know how to do the hand movements right. This video just brings back good memories, and it brought and few staff members closer.
NSPA picnic with friends
Above: In this picture, are me (back middle), Niles Flath (right), Sam Caspary (front middle), and Margo McDaniel (left). We took this picture during a picnic we had between sessions at the National Scholastic Press Association in 2023. During this picnic, we talked about our sessions, what we learned, and what could have been better. This was really nice because we got to just unload on our day so far, along with hanging out together.
SIPA ride back with Thrasher
Above: This image is me posing with one of my Viewpoints staffers, Ma'Kiyah Thrasher. We took this photo on the drive back from the 2024 Southern Interscholastic Press Association conference. This conference is always a big team bonding moment, from the moment we get on the mildew-infested bus to the ride home, our staff come back closer. During this trip, Ma'Kiyah and I were able to talk in a way that I hadn't yet experienced with her. She opened up a bit, and I am so happy we got closer.
Above: This image is me posing with one of my Viewpoints staffers, Ma'Kiyah Thrasher. We took this photo on the drive back from the 2024 Southern Interscholastic Press Association conference. This conference is always a big team bonding moment, from the moment we get on the mildew-infested bus to the ride home, our staff come back closer. During this trip, Ma'Kiyah and I were able to talk in a way that I hadn't yet experienced with her. She opened up a bit, and I am so happy we got closer.
Snackroom-backroom Manager
Left: This image is of me leaning over all the food I had set up for one of our summer workshop meals. If you didn't already know, as well as the Managing Editor, I am also the Snackroom-backroom Manager. While it is a joke title, the job is serious. I clean our backroom to ensure all food is being cycled out before it goes bad and that all classroom materials are stocked and available for staffers. This also means I work with the Business Manager, Merren Hines, to keep track of the inventory of magazines, merchandise, and equipment. I also plan staff bonding and morale boosters with Merren using the plastic trophies we have in the backroom and snacks. Sometimes this job means I need to be hard on the staff for their messes or when they don't properly check in equipment. Either way, this job commands real respect, and I actually really enjoy leading the classroom in this way, as well as more normal duties.
Birthday hot seat
Right: On the right is an image of me leading the class through what we call "Hot Seat" for Sylvia Robinson's birthday. This fun game is an ODYSSEY tradition and something I take pride in. I make sure it happens for every staffer and that everyone is fully engaged in it. This game may seem silly, but it helps us build a staff relationship based on team bonding. Without any bonding then our staff falls apart, so I always make staff morale boosters a priority. Other games I help coordinate are Tape Ball, Talking Points, and Bingo. All of these games make up our staff community and help a new staffer build a working relationship with a veteran. Those staff connections are what I find most important.
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