Event coverage posts
Much like sports posts, event coverage posts are not the most important work the ODYSSEY does. However, for keeping an audience engaged and apprised of goings-on in the CCHS community, event coverage posts are invaluable. I think of posting the photos almost in inverted-pyramid format – the most important and compelling first, but after those, I usually employ a chronological account that captures the mood. The captions should reflect the emotional context of that first photo in a way that synthesizes the occasion.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Caption: Clarke Central High School varsity football quarterback Hezekiah Millender, a senior, signs a National Letter of Intent for the University of Georgia’s football team on Dec. 4 in the CCHS Billy Henderson Strength & Conditioning Center. After previously verbally committing to play at Boise State University, Millender publicly announced his commitment to UGA on Nov. 29. “Just me having the opportunity to stay home, stay in Athens (made me commit to UGA). They welcomed me, and I thought it was best to come to be a Bulldog,” Millender said. Photos by Wyatt Meyer, story by Cooper Jones
Check out Editor-in-Chief Wyatt Meyer’s story about Millender’s commitment on the ODYSSEY website or at the link in bio!
This event was a very big deal for our school – Hezekiah Millender was the high school’s first commit to the University of Georgia in several years, and given the prominence of both Millender and the UGA players, the signing ceremony was a must-see. For students who couldn’t be there, however, we provided a 10-photo slider (posted a few hours later that day) that helped viewers understand the emotion and significance of the event. The caption provided balance and additional context to the photos.
The Rhythm of Life
Caption: Montu Miller, Cedar Shoals High School social studies department teacher and local hip hop artist, hosts Hendershot’s Coffee’s monthly “Beats, Rhymes and LIFE” event on Sept. 11. Classic City High School Class of 2021 alumnus Michael “AY3K” Ball and CSHS Class of 2022 alumnus E.J. Chapman performed as a duo at the event. “We love performing, we love showing our talent,” Ball said. “We just love really giving back and making sure we’re showing love to the city.” Photos and story by Wyatt Meyer
Unlike Millender’s signing ceremony, this was an event that the CCHS community didn’t inherently care about. As such, my first job was to convince them to devote their time and energy to looking at the post. I did this with strong visuals throughout, using the most dramatic and eye-catching shots first before shifting to the ones that showed the ambiance of the occasion. The knock-on effect occurred in the caption – because the photos had to catch the eye, I packed the caption with additional context about the significance of the event, providing information that readers wouldn’t know from simply looking at the photos.
Know Your Rights
Caption: Avid Bookshop hosted the American Civil Liberties Union’s Know Your Rights Bus Tour on Sept. 12. The event, attended by roughly 75 Athenians, featured a Q&A with author of banned book “The ABCs of Queer History,” Seema Yasmin, ACLU first amendment policy advocate of Georgia Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, and content creator Jameelah Jones, as well as readings from Yasmin’s recently banned novel “Unbecoming.” “As an author, I think it has a chilling effect,” Yasmin said during the Q&A. “You can censor yourself, because what’s the point in writing this thing? I won’t get an agent, my agent won’t get a book deal, or I’ll write it and it’ll just get banned. The majority of banned books don’t get any love and attention.” Photos and story by Wyatt Meyer
Once again, this event was fairly obscure. It was definitely newsworthy – it’s not every day that the American Civil Liberties Union launches their bus tour in your backyard – but once again, I had the task of making our primarily student audience care about something they weren’t naturally invested in. The photos from the event weren’t as good as I’d hoped – for both lighting and action reasons – but I still compiled the ten best and put them with a strong caption explaining the significance of the event. However, I do believe that the post suffered engagement-wise due to the average photo quality, signifying the importance of getting quality shots to supplement strong interviews.
Pep in their Step
Caption: Clarke Central High School sophomores Landry Davis (left) and Will Davis (right) cheer during the 2024 Fall Pep Rally on Oct. 23 in the CCHS Competition Gym. CCHS senior Destiny Foots participated in the tug-of-war flag football vs. volleyball match on the flag football side. “It was a fun experience because I’m (normally) shy to do anything in front of a huge crowd of people,” Foots said. “The pep rally was good.” Photos by Wyatt Meyer, story by Liya Taylor
On the total opposite side of the spectrum was the 2024 Fall Pep Rally. This was an event students cared about, as they were required to attend, and thus saw one thing: faces. In selecting shots to be posted on social media, I made sure to select not only the most compelling shots, but photos of the moments people would care about too. Timing was everything – we managed to get the post out quickly after the rally, meaning everybody was still talking about it. The caption was get-in-get-out, conveying only basic information, but this was to further let the photos shine through – the moments were the story.
A Marathon in Athens
Caption: Clarke Central High School sophomore Waylon Vaughn (left) hands the relay belt off to sophomore Noah Kilpatrick (right) at first the exchange point during the inaugural Classic City Marathon on Jan. 28. CCHS students competed in two relay teams, with the girls placing 15th and the boys finishing first. “We all do road races independently from the school at other points of the year, and we all wanted to be a part of the first Athens marathon,” CCHS junior Ryan Marshall, who ran the relay’s last leg, said. “I ran a PR in the 10k split of my leg by a good three minutes, and managed to chase down a marathoner with a big gap in front of us. It was honestly the best I have felt in a race in quite a while.” Photos and story by Wyatt Meyer
Finding the right photos for this event was tricky, since once again, I needed to make the audience care about what was in them. As such, I had to think about what they wanted to see first and foremost – they wanted to see recognizable faces. As such, I chose a photo of two Clarke Central runners as my opening shot even though it wasn’t my most compelling photo because it gave people a reason to keep swiping. From there, I continued to post with an emphasis on recognizable faces and places, leaving the best-composed shots on Flickr for those who were interested. The choices helped the posts engagement – almost 400 likes for an essentially community news story was strong, making me feel justified in my photo selection choices.