Introduction
For the Junior Documentary Project, we worked to creatively and authentically tell the story of an important person, group, place, idea, or issue within our community. In the making of this project, narrative-style journalism was emphasized. To accomplish this, we collected primary and secondary research sources to better understand the role of our subject in the community from a unique perspective. In English, we wrote a research-based paper to use as the copy for the magazine article.
For my Documentary Project, I investigated the sport of cross country running. I was curious about this topic because every time I saw cross country teams running by, my head was filled with questions. Mainly, why do they do it? Running has never been an enjoyable activity to me. It’s exhausting, mentally and physically demanding, and I could never understand why anyone would choose to do it for fun. For these reasons, I decided to look into my high school’s cross country team and interview some of the members.
English & Digital Media Class Production
For the final production of my Documentary Project, I developed the writing in English and transformed it into a magazine article in Digital Media. After thorough research and talking with my interviewees, I discovered the answer to my initial question. My article is about the role community plays in cross country and how it makes the sport unique.
Animation
For my documentary animation, I focused on cross country runner Betsy Cortes’s experience with cross country as someone who also does ballet. I hope this animation inspires those who face similar struggles to try cross country.
Interviewees
Betsy Cortes is a current junior at Los Altos High School and ran for the junior varsity cross country team. When she first started cross country, she found it very challenging. However, as time went on, she has grown to love running and frequently goes on 10+ mile runs for fun!
Coach Alexander coaches cross country and track at Los Altos High School. He ran cross country in high school, then for Stanford, and continued to run locally and nationally with the Hoka Aggie Running Club. Through his coaching, he strives to teach the lessons he learned from cross country, such as self-confidence and the value of hard work.
Interview Transcripts
Reflection
This project helped me realize that significant and interesting stories can be found everywhere within the community. From doing my own project and from the project’s of my peers, I’ve learned so much more about the community that I am a part of. I’ve also discovered that, if I try just a little bit harder to investigate the world around me, I can learn so much more.
I’m proud of myself for taking that first, hard step of reaching out to people in the community and asking about their stories. If I hadn’t, I would never have learned all that I know now. I’m also very happy with the final outcome of my project. I think my article does a good job of showcasing the fun of cross country and I really like the mood I achieved with my animation.
Thank you
First of all, I want to thank my interviewees for being open and telling me their stories. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them. I also want to thank my amazing teachers for guiding me throughout this whole project. I never would have attempted a project like this if it wasn’t for them.