Projects
A New World of Acting was my first long-form story for the publication. This story introduced me to the editing process, as the current rendition has undergone many changes since the first draft. Additionally, I had to conduct interviews entirely online, as this story was assigned before the first day of school. I got the initial interviews via Instagram DMs, which initially hindered the quotes. Once in person, though, I was able to get interviews with the four subjects. The final product dives deeper into the story than I anticipated.
A Relative Maximum was one of my favorite stories, as the shrewd, determined personality of the subject came through in the writing. During the writing process, I learned to shape the story to fit the town rather than use a formula. One of the challenges was conveying the story's facts, including the tutoring relationship between him and his sister and his school timeline. In the end, though, I was able to keep the interesting details in, cutting out the unnecessary information.
In Your Spare Time was one of my first sports features, which required me to revise my questions to focus on growth, skill, and accomplishment. The first draft was a little bland, so I needed to take a more narrative approach. This allowed the story to both flow better and show growth over time. After a follow-up interview, I was able to write a more fulfilling story. Additionally, the subject was a little shy, so making sure the interviewee was comfortable was a top priority.
Pushing Through the Pain was one of the most shocking stories I wrote, as the subjects revealed some of the less pretty details of technical theatre. The interviewees were mostly rapid and animated in their responses, so mirroring them helped them to get more comfortable. The first subject helped guide me to other sources, leading me through different takes and introducing new, chaotic events to ask further questions about. When writing the story, I had trouble with formatting the quotes within quotes and ellipses, but learned the grammar with each edit.
Benjamin Seelig has worked on various creative and newsworthy projects during his time at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. These projects include writing news, features, and poetry.
Reporting & Writing
Below are examples of work done for the Marquee Yearbook. Click on the title to bring up the piece.
July, 2023
Sept, 2023
Nov, 2023
Oct, 2023
Journalism Schools Place Pressure on Immediacy was my winning submission for the news writing contest at FSPA. The contestants needed to inform the public on the role of technology in journalism and how schools are adapting to modern demands. I was thrilled to interview the journalists present at FSPA, but nervous about racing others to the best sources. Afterwards, though, I learnt that anyone in a particular field has value they can contribute to a story, and just how important “now” is in journalism.
Brass and Brights, alluding to the subject’s two passions, was an interesting story to write, since I had to focus on both hemispheres of Brown’s life, and explain how the worlds collide. Since he is constantly pulled in many directions, it was hard to track him down, often requiring me to wait half an hour after school or trek half a mile off campus to talk to him. Capturing his voice was essential to the charm of the story, so I’m happy that, from the get-go, he was comfortable speaking in his signature style.
Beyond the Canvas is one of the stories that wrote itself. Aris, the central artist of the story, spoke with a natural confidence and creativity. Interviewing her made me reflect on how I conduct interviews, since Aris’s grip on conversation was inspiring. The structure was a challenge, as she has so many novel traits that choosing one to lead with seemed impossible. Interviewing her art teacher, though, helped me see her impact on artists around her, and what they find most important.
Un Concerto Incredible was another multi-angled story, encompassing many “firsts” in the history of Dreyfoos. Not only was it the first opera performed at the Prism concert, but it was also the largest student-run group, and the first collaboration between strings, band, piano, and vocal. The effect of all of these together was a priceless shock from the crowd. So, it seemed necessary to capture the energy burning in the Kravis Center. Summarizing the opera's plot was also important,e of the most frequently since it was on asked questions among my peers.
April, 2024
March, 2024
Jan, 2024
Dec, 2023
I was inspired by other sports articles I’ve read, where human imperfection is praised just as much as perfection. Yes, getting a high score is cool, but I think the core of the story is how long it took to get there and what is blocking them. Secondly, I had to bite the bullet and accept that I had a couple of dud interviews with quotes that wouldn't have contributed anything. It was hard to get the interview, but I realized it was most important to focus on the meat of the story, and that the interview is only as good as the interviewer.
This was my first time writing a news article for the book, and it reminded me of why I mainly stick to features. For one, I had to restudy, with the help of the copy editor, how to properly cite websites and papers for evidence. Secondly, beyond just familiarizing myself with the topic, I had to understand it to the point where I could teach it; however, in the future, I hope to improve at accurately paraphrasing people, even if I haven’t internalized their meaning yet. Afterwards, though, I was most happy to know information I hadn’t known before.
Being that it was my first assignment as coverage editor, I took on a story I was passionate about: a recording musician at our school. If I pursue journalism in the future, I hope to cover musical topics like the story above mainly. Given my excitement, though, I realized halfway through my interview that I needed to think less about what I wanted to know and more about the greater story at hand. Taking the time to let the subject lead allowed the story to reflect who he truly is.
Oct, 2024
July, 2024
Sept, 2024
Nov, 2024
21 Countries, 30 Days (photos and captions) was the team’s ode to the large Hispanic population of Dreyfoos and the effort the language team puts into the special month. Given the overlap between the class and these activities, I relied on the teachers to provide any pictures they could capture. As a result of the cross-teacher collaboration, the final story captured the most important aspects of Hispanic culture in the United States and, through the captions, told a story about the divide between Hispanic students and their culture. I am thankful that, with the patience of the interviewees, we were able to make the discussion deeper than simply the event they participated in.
Looking Back On it All (the central timeline) was one of a handful of timelines I wrote throughout the year, although the August edition ended up being my favorite. These pieces were the most difficult assignments I have worked on during my yearbook career, due to the nature of organizing, researching, and interviewing for 10 different events each cycle. As a result of this, though, it also turned out to be one of my most satisfying pieces, introducing me to new songs, paintings, or movies I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Out of the Orbit (left) is a story that had me on the edge of my seat throughout its creation. Initially, we planned to cover only Anthony Stan’s brother, Nicholas, but we decided to include the other twin as well. Going into the interview, I only knew that Anthony was brilliant and had been a communications major, and was now a piano major. With each minute of the interview, though, Anthony revealed an accomplishment of his that could have been its own PBS special. In the end, the most challenging part was deciding which accomplishment should take center stage.
Love in Bloom (photos and captions in the center) is the first complete photo package I created for the book. Trying to capture both the excitement of students receiving a flower and the special moment they share, the goal was to get as close to the students’ faces as possible. As a result of this experience, I am now more aware of how an environment can affect your ability to move around as a photographer, since the arrangement of the desks was not an issue I foresaw going in, although I should have.
Nov, 2024
Jan, 2025
Feb, 2025
This piece is important to me because it forced me to think about asking simpler, elegant questions. Since I usually take a conversational approach to interviews and follow a list of talking points, a Q&A required me to craft the perfect questions and ensure I matched the right words to the right question for journalistic integrity. Lastly, the details about her mom really served as a link throughout the piece, and carefully weaving them through required cutting some details in the story that didn’t add to the whole.
Dec, 2024
In our 2026 book, “Because it Matters”, we were trying to convey two central ideas: there are responsibilities that are so emphasized by our culture and minds that we sometimes forgot the smaller activities that capture what matter to us; the things that matter to somebody can be viewed based on their relative scale, being how many people are affected by our actions and how close the activity is to our hearts.
Our theme writing is our way to communicate these core ideas to our audience without outright explaining them. Across seven pages, we use the theme writing to tell the story of high schoolers in 2026.
The very first introduction to our theme story is the spread of the United States. In addition to the theme copy, the stories on each spread explore how that particular scale of analysis affects a specific student at our school. The angle of this story differs from that of some other pieces of protest coverage, since we are focusing on the event rather than on any particular participant. However, with the help of the theme writing, we were able to convey the idea that no matter what, Gen-Z keep their eyes open.
When the EICs and I first planned the seven opening spreads, we struggled to find the differences between the U.S., Florida, and Palm Beach County. However, the more I talked to students about the external impacts they made, the more I was able to separate the things that matter to all Americans vs the things only a Palm Beach resident would know. When I met Johana and learnt about her volunteering at Loggerhead Marine Center, I knew what made PBC special; it’s not just sparkling limestone or 5-star dining, but the natural beauty of our environment. Johanna not only wanted to help the animals that best represent our county, but also to fight for their future.
If there is one thing that makes Dreyfoos special, it’s that students choose to be here. This article is part of our theme package and elaborates on one of the seven scales of analysis for what matters to high schoolers. It was difficult at first to approach the subject, Connor, with the story idea, since it is built around his rejection by Dreyfoos on his first audition. However, his pride in his eventual success permeates the whole story, and Connor’s unwavering optimism, surprisingly, adds nuance.
July-Dec, 2025
Sept, 2025
Oct, 2025
Oct, 2025
Marketing and Audience Engagement
Ben has been engaging with local business and community leaders to sell ads and sponsorships for the Marquee Yearbook. He has successful sold an ad and two sponsorships.
Poetry
This is a narrative piece about a fish escaping the beak of a bird of prey.
This piece is about growing old and losing abilities we all take for granted.
2022-2026 © Benjamin Seelig
ben.seelig@gmail.com
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