The student paper with a big impact: Co-editors, staff advisor, making The Inlet thrive

Sophie Clark likes to write. The Shelter Island High School junior’s first love, however, is science, and problem-solving that goes into it, which is why she’ll concentrate on that discipline, especially marine biology, when she goes to college.

Ms. Clark, co-editor of The Inlet, the school newspaper, uses a scientific approach when she takes on reporting and writing, she said. She likes researching a topic and “asking questions, then figuring out how to put it together and making a story.”

Leonardo Dougherty, Sophie’s co-editor, comes from a family of journalists, amateur and professional.

His sister Myla, Class of 2022, was The Inlet’s editor, and their grandfather, the late Richard Lomuscio, was a reporter and columnist for the Reporter. He was an inspiration to them both. When Myla and Leonardo attended Hayground School in Bridgehampton, Mr. Lomuscio started a student paper there as an after-school extracurricular activity.

“I really liked it,” Leonardo said. “It worked out well and I saw joining The Inlet as a good opportunity.”

The co-editors, and the staff of Luca Martinez, Charlie Murray, Hayden Rylott, under the direction of advisor and English teacher Devon Treharne, consistently  produce a professionally laid out, attractive to the eye, and crisply written paper.

This is a momentous year for The Inlet; it’s been 10 years since Ms. Treharne helped revive the school paper with former School Superintendent Michael Hynes, and through the years, she’s actively recruited students she believes would flourish in student journalism.

Ms. Treharne said she feels fortunate to have the two bright, young journalists editing the paper. “Leo’s taken the reins from Myla, in some respects, but he has different strengths,” she said. “Leo’s creativity and artistic talents have brought back The Outlet section, which highlights student artwork, poetry and photography.”

She noted his calm presence,  and that “he never gets rattled by deadlines or his workload. He’s a talented writer, and has a quiet way of making his interview subjects feel at ease and open up readily. I’m lucky to have him on the staff.”

She finds her other co-editor a talented manager. “Sophie is my organization and deadline queen,” Ms. Treharne said. “She’s incredibly dependable, and is always willing to pick up the slack if someone is floundering. She’s never late and her writing is solid. If I need to remember something, I text Sophie and she’s on it. She is such an asset to our paper  I know it wouldn’t run as smoothly without her.”

For Leonardo, the most difficult aspect of the job  — which rings bells with anyone in journalism — is, “managing the team’s due dates. And also making sure we have enough articles, and that they fit when we’re laying out the paper.”

He’s learned that managing a staff, even a small one, is mainly judging writers’ talents and “finding out what they want to write and then assigning them to it.”

The greatest reward? “Seeing it all come together. Holding it in my hands. Seeing it throughout the school and the community.”

Sophie said coming up with ideas is at times difficult, and deciding on a topic with Leonardo for editorials can sometimes take work. But as many other writers will attest, once she has the idea, the writing process goes smoothly.

“Ms. Treharne has been a great help with ideas, and with everything, really,” she said.

SERIOUS FUN

The latest issue of The Inlet continues its tradition of being a lively, thoughtful and informative paper, giving a full view of student life, taking seriously local, national and school issues, while showcasing the fun and entertaining part of being part of a school community.

The front page of the latest issue — there will be one more before summer — is an incisive take on a visit  to the school by Rohan Murphy, a person who has overcome disabilities and a become a youth motivational speaker.

Also included is a feature by Ms. Clark called  “20 Reasons Why,” which in this issue poses the question how “S.I. School is a standout … in a good way (in no particular order).” The items range from — “No one cares what you wear. Want to wear pajamas to school on a daily basis … go for it!” — to “Some of our teacher have taught our parents.”

There’s a well-written and engaging column by Luca Martinez on how the recent World Cup lightened moods and brought students and teachers together, and a hilarious quiz by Luca, taking off on the idea that, “It seems there is always a new trending term popping up, and the most current one is ‘rizz.’ Rizz is a synonym for ‘game.’ If a person has rizz, they can charm everyone around them … girls, guys, teachers, moms, you name it. I wanted to know how much rizz people have in our school.” It has to be read in total for the full comic effect.

A mature, forceful, well-organized opinion column by Luca calls for the continuance of Affirmative Action, which will be up for review soon by the U.S. Supreme Court. The writer maintains that “disbanding it would affect not only our generation, but many more that come after us. This policy has brought hope to those who never thought they could seek higher goals, and gave an opportunity to students in particular who had no power over their less-than-ideal educational beginnings. If the Supreme Court decides to remove affirmative action, that will be 10 steps backwards in the name of one day reaching true equality.”

Sebastian Romero weighs in with a list of comfort songs. “Everybody has a comfort song, don’t they? It’s that song you can return to again and again to put you in a good place or a happy mood” — with a list of teachers and students and asks the reader to put the song to the person.

There are takes on the subjects for senior theses, how New Year resolutions are holding up, and National Honor Society inductees, along with plenty of photos. 

Ms. Treharne counts her blessings for having a dedicated and bright staff, led by her co-editors. “Leo and Sophie strike the perfect balance of fun and hard work,” she said. “We laugh a lot in the making of our little paper, but we always get the work done. The joy of  being the advisor of our paper is how close I become with the kids who give so much to it. It’s the best.”