Sengstock, Kramer Are Kane County Connects 2017 Summer Interns!
Two summer interns will bolster the content of Kane County Connects this summer — and learn a little about local government communications along the way.
The interns — Annabel Sengstock and Elizabeth Kramer — are from St. Charles East and St. Charles North high schools, respectively, and have already started an ambitious story series project that will put a spotlight on 26 Kane County communities and civic leaders.
The first article in the series, “Spotlight on Algonquin,” posted on KaneCountyConnects.com at noon Wednesday (June 14, 2017) and features an interview with Algonquin Village President John Schmitt as well as a focus on the village.
“Our goal in this series is to provide a kind of snapshot of Kane County’s amazing communities,” said Rick Nagel, Kane County Connects editor and county outreach coordinator. “People will be able to search online for these stories years or even decades from now and get a feeling for what life was like in Kane County in 2017. Our interns will not only learn the block-and-tackle fundamentals of writing, editing and designing online content but contribute — at least in a small way — in the chronicling of Kane County history.”
Sengstock, who will be a senior at St. Charles East High School next year, is in many ways the person responsible for initiating the KCC internship program. She reached out to Kane County Connects in February, asking if there were any opportunities to contribute content and learn more about online journalism. When Kramer (no relation to Sheriff Don Kramer) followed in March with her own query on internship opportunities, it became evident that there was enough interest to start a program, Nagel said.
Since March, the high school students have helped shape the program and its goals — starting weeks before the internship officially began on June 7.
“We have a long way to go this summer, but I’ve been impressed with the quality of the students’ writing, their leadership skills and their work ethic,” Nagel said. “These are two amazing, wonderful young people, and I’m lucky to have a chance to work with them.”
The internships are voluntary, unpaid positions, designed for work experience and/or academic credit, and do not impact Kane County taxpayers.
In additional to the story series, the KC Connects interns will:
- Brainstorm story ideas that will help grow KCC’s audience.
- Learn to aggregate content and edit news releases.
- Write and post articles on the KCC blog.
- Take photos/videos and include them in their posts.
- On occasion, build or help build the KCC e-newsletter on Constant Contact.
About Annabel Sengstock
Annabel Sengstock will be a senior at St. Charles East High School in the 2017-18 school year. Annabel first got involved with journalism two years ago when she became news editor for her high school newspaper, the X-Ray. She is a member of the National Honor Society, vice president of National English Honor Society and a head tutor for Saints Helping Hawks, a homework help program at Wredling Middle School.
Although she wants to major in education, Sengstock feels that learning to write efficiently and effectively is an essential skill for everyone to learn before going to college. Through her internship with Kane County Connects, Sengstock hopes to hone her journalistic skills, meet new people and become introduced to new perspectives.
About Elizabeth Kramer
Elizabeth Kramer will be a senior at St. Charles North High School this school year. She’s a National Honors Society student, president of the English Honors Society, plays on the North Stars’ badminton and tennis teams, participated in North’s mock trial team and has served as a camp counselor and student leader. She is active in Girl Scouts and the Fellowship of Christian Students at North.
Kramer is particularly interested in the Kane County justice system, policies on education and public protection. Through her internship with Kane County Connects, she hopes to further develop her communications skills and learn more about all aspects of local government.
