Episode #3 – Bridget, Claire, Marisa, Rob, Sophie – how Newport Media Leaders Shape the School Story

Bridget Taketa shares what it’s like leading Newport Harbor as ASB President, balancing student leadership with athletics, and why ASB has been one of the most meaningful experiences of her high school career.

Claire West explains the vision behind The Galleon yearbook, focusing on storytelling through design while capturing every club, sport, and program at Newport Harbor.

Claire reflects on how yearbook connects her to the school community, the challenges of meeting deadlines, and the creative process behind making each page visually tell a story.

Bridget gives a behind-the-scenes look at ASB life, including the months of preparation for Battle of the Bay and the challenge of leading a team full of big personalities toward shared goals.

Marisa Culmet shares her journey from design editor to Editor-in-Chief of The Beacon, explaining how the student-run magazine has expanded with new social media and podcast teams while giving students the freedom to write about what matters to them.

Marisa opens up about the biggest challenge of running The Beacon, revealing how perfecting the magazine cover keeps her up at night and why shaping student ideas into focused, school-centered stories is no easy task.

Sophie and Rob highlight their favorite TarTV episode of the year, featuring a Newport Harbor student who works on cars with his mom, a breast cancer survivor, showcasing the powerful human stories TarTV brings to campus.

The TarTV executive producers discuss their “Three Cs” approach—Campus, Culture, and Community—along with the journalism focus that helped the program earn a Broadcast Excellence Award from the Student Television Network.