Left: Echo staff members stand together for a group photo after participating in the MIJA journalism day on Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024. Multiple staff members were recognized for their publications within the past year.
Right: Echo staff members, seniors Jasper Winterton, Margaret Korte and Arianna Peper participate in Trivia Night against other school newspapers. The event was designed to raise funds for the Bruce Schneider Memorial Leadership Scholarship and took place on Thursday, Feb. 5 2026.
As Echo has been a part of my extracurriculars throughout high school, each year has also reflected the personal growth I experience every year. When taking upon my first leadership role on staff as a sophomore, I took on the responsibility of covering the news within the Webster community as well as writing opinion pieces that analyzed the perspective of each side and advocated for specific solutions to local and societal issues.
This ability to understand the perspectives of others, and avoid personal bias, has, not only created immense growth within my character, but also, strengthened my leadership abilities. Using my dedication to diversity and understanding, I am able to collaborate with my fellow editors to discuss events on the national and local levels.
As a junior, becoming the Junior Editor and Business Manager meant that I took on a new layer to my writing: marketing. In addition to the growth of understanding I have developed, I managed the funds of the Echo and ensured the contracts with our advertisers are followed through. So, after many calls that ended in rejection, I began to take on a new perspective. Rather than “This advertisement will benefit the Echo” I shifted the to “What makes an advertisement with us benefit their business?”. In doing this, marketing pitches became a second nature to me.
In addition to my new responsibilities, I managed the 2024 Turkey Day Issue where the Echo and the Call (Kirkwood High School) work together to publish an issue that is distributed on Thanksgiving Day at the rivalry football game between Webster and Kirkwood. While doing this, I directed the journalism students with the tasks necessary for completion, connected with Kirkwood staff, and ensured the quality of our publication.
As the Editor-in-Chief, I am able to utilize each skill acquired within the past years. Knowing the depth of understanding, marketing, and management is crucial to leadership roles, both in and outside of the Echo and it is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Arianna Peper 