One day after the final for senior Kaitlyn Sanders’ yearbook class, she produced two online stories. She wrote a spring sports recap and a feature on senior swimmer/track athlete Megan Keil.

See, Sanders has a passion to be a sportswriter. And so she set about developing her skills.

She wrote weekly previews and game stories for football. She wrote Q&As, previews and stories during the winter. She wrote weekly spring recaps and features.

And every story was critiqued by journalism adviser Joanna Chadwick. A new challenge was set each week for Sanders, and each time she stepped up.

It wasn’t always easy for Sanders, who is quiet and soft-spoken.

“Journalism forces you to step out of your comfort zone,” she wrote. “I mean, I could say I’m still quiet in my other classes, but in yearbook class I don’t care what anybody thinks of me.

“It made me fearless so I can talk to anybody and feel cool as a cucumber because I don’t care about being awkward during interviews anymore. Being in yearbook definitely boosted my confidence. It’s crazy.”

Sanders took first in Class 6A/5A regionals in yearbook sportswriting, then finished third in Class 6A/5A state in yearbook sportswriting.