Max Arnold’s Portfolio
Commitment to Diversity
Hamilton County is, by many metrics, a county lacking in diversity, and Noblesville and its high school are no exception. Because of this, our staffs have made an explicit effort to diversify our publications to ensure that no students feel as though their communities' voices go unheard. This is a very personal issue to me. As a Jewish child growing up in predominantly Christian Noblesville. Growing up, I had close to no Jewish friends or role models outside of my synagogue, and thus I grew to appreciate representation in the media I consumed. Things like the Rugrats Chanukah special and athletes like Julian Edelman and Amar'e Stoudemire were massive to Jewish kids my age, as they were able to see people like themselves; they were able to feel heard. I have not forgotten what it was like to feel under-represented in media and have tried to use our publications as a way to allow people to hear stories from their communities. Below, I have attached some examples of stories I have produced showing my commitment to diversity within our publication.
"Food and Faith"
“Food and Faith” is a story which tackles an issue faced by various religious groups whose dietary restrictions often made lunch time difficult. As president of our school's Jewish Student Union, this is an issue I've heard about countless times not just from those in the JSU but also from my Islamic and Catholic friends. This story explores student struggles as well as providing a platform for cafeteria staff to explain their decision-making behind their lunch menus and allowing them to publicly state their awareness of this issue. This story also brings to light the lack of legal support these minority groups face from our state government. To learn more about these struggles click here or on the picture to the right.
"Keepin' It Old School"
“Keepin' It Old School” is a profile story on NBA champion and NHS staff member, Frank Kendrick. Kendrick was born in Indianapolis Indiana in 1950 and attended Arsenal Tech high school before going on to play basketball at Purdue and for the Golden State Warriors. Throughout his life, Kendrick faced racism at every turn. Specifically, Kendrick talked about the prejudice he faced during his collegiate recruitment process, when playing in Boston, and during his time playing professional basketball overseas. The original draft of this story contained extensive mention of these racial struggles, however after talking with Kendrick about how his story should be told, we decided not to include them. Kendrick told me he didn't want his story to be defined by the struggles he's already overcome in life. Kendrick also said that he wanted to be remembered as "a great basketball player, not a great black basketball player." Frank Kendrick passed away in December of 2024, less than a year after the publication of this story, a piece which defined his legacy the way he wanted, as a great basketball player. For a closer look, click on the image to the right.
