It is with the utmost privilege that the Churchill Observer staff bestows the honor of “Student Art Spotlight” on none other than the Observer staff itself for producing the best WCHS student publication.
After years of breaking boundaries and writing articles that not even the Washington Post is capable of, the Observer has finally received the flowers they/we so richly deserve. They/we have shaped the cultural landscape of WCHS for years and the newspaper has been a beacon of truth for all students, especially in times of misinformation.
“I have worked my entire life for this award and I just can’t believe it is finally a reality,” Editor-in-Chief of the Churchill Observer and WCHS senior Leah Kreisler said. “I spend over 5 hours every single day writing, editing and taking pictures for the Observer and I am so glad someone appreciates our work.”
While most artists use oil pastels, paint palettes, sketching pencils or canvas boards, the Observer delicately and precisely types out their/our articles using MCPS-issued chromebooks and the occasional Apple Macbook.
“Of course I never use my PMD computer at school to write my articles, as I only use my chromebook,” Editor-in-Chief of the Churchill Observer and WCHS senior Cecilia Bernstein said. “But at home, when I can use my $10,000 computer, my articles really shine. I am able to carefully and beautifully choose my words to really convey to my readers my true intentions.”
While the Observer has experimented in the waters of thought-provoking pieces like every great artist, it has not come without struggle. Staff members such as WCHS senior and Copy Editor Claire Moylan have had issues with mastering the elusive art form known as “AP style.” While navigating this labyrinth of grammar is not for everyone, Moylan has developed her craft and really showed a new side to her.
“I always had issues with the Oxford comma and every single time I would turn an article in, a staff member would scream at me and belittle me in the comments for using it,” Moylan said. “But after months and months of training, I was finally able to perfect, improve, refine, and accomplish excellence. Darn it!”
The process of creating their/our monthly issue is simple: first the staff sits down for a session of brainstorming ideas, then the articles are submitted and pass through a round of three edits, they then get imputed into Adobe Indesign where the staff members carefully design the pages and then finally, the articles are submitted to the publishing company where they are printed and distributed to the student body.
“The whole process of creating a paper from start to finish probably takes about a month,” Kreisler said. “Production is my favorite part of the entire operation because it combines my two favorite activities of both journalism and socializing.”
The Observer plans to graduate its seniors at the end of the school year, with all of them turning down high-profile positions at publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. These already-established journalists have their sights set higher, having having landed the coveted roles as editors at The Onion, a sanctuary of hard-hitting journalism. With everything they have learned from working at the winning publication of the April 2025 Student Art Spotlight, their skills will surely be up to the task.
“While writing for The Onion will give me the opportunity to write authentic stories that can change peoples’ lives, I won’t ever forget the Observer,” Bernstein said. “It is the best student publication not just in MCPS, but in the whole world, and I’m glad it is being recognized as one.”
