Dillon Stoneking’s, junior, passion for writing began in the sixth grade. After he noticed his poor performance on english tests and essays, he went through a writing program at his school and learned that he loved writing. Soon after, he began to ace every english test that followed.

Stoneking now enjoys reading in his free time, when he isn’t sleeping his average of 12 hours a day. His favorite genres of books are fantasy, science fiction and sometimes horror because “they always keep me excited,” Stoneking said. If it’s a nice day out, Stoneking would go for a run while listening to classic rock.

The Amplifier was a perfect match for Stoneking because he loves the way the class functions.

“Everyone works well together as a team,” said Stoneking. “It’s fast paced and I love that.”

The biggest thing Stoneking has learned so far is that you can’t include even a scrap of your personal opinion in news articles.

“You have to keep it dry to get the facts out unless it’s an opinion article,” Stoneking said. He plans on majoring in journalism with a minor in English after high school. He looks forward to being able to write about current events.