Hello! My name is Noah Turner and I’m currently a senior at Nederland Middle-Senior High School. I write as a student intern journalist for The Mountain-Ear, where I have spent the past year acting as a high school liaison. I have loved keeping the community informed on school news and events!

I began writing for The Mountain-Ear when I saw an ad stating that the paper was seeking intern journalists in the community. The year before, I had begun experimenting with creative writing, so I thought that there would be no better way to propel my skill than to join the team at The Mountain-Ear.

My first article reported on the success of the 2021 NMSHS student council, and their dedication to improving mental health resources for the school. I remember agonizing over every sentence and word, worried that my amateur writing skills wouldn’t stand in a real newspaper. Even if my grammar was shoddy then, the articles I wrote in subsequent months allowed me to cultivate a deeper skill and passion for writing.

When writing for The Mountain-Ear, I most often enjoy the opportunities I am given to experience local events or news that I would not have known about otherwise. For example, I have had the opportunity to obtain insight from groups around the school like student council, as well as take quotes from students and staff. Without the opportunity to write for the paper, I would never have earned an “in” into student government and administrative discussion.

Outside of writing for The Mountain-Ear, I participate in many activities with the school. I act and direct in theater programs twice a year, and I sing in Nederland’s Loquations directed by Mrs. Evans. You may also see me working the desk at the Nederland Community Library, where I tend the stacks and check out books to members of our lovely community. I also spend time capturing the beauty of the Rocky Mountains through film photography and creative writing.

Before I leave for college next fall, I would love to continue reporting on the happenings of NMSHS. Being a high school journalist is what keeps me connected with Nederland. We live in such a special community to have fall leaves and moose make the front page of the paper, as well as locally written poetry or vignettes sculpted in the columns. I hope to write the occasional poem or story for the paper in the future, but I’ll stick with school news while the press is still hot.

Right now I live with my family and pets in the Cold Springs neighborhood. I’m excited to spend the next year enjoying our incredible nature, skiing, and writing articles for The Mountain-Ear!