Schools
Whiz Kid: Oakville Student Wins With Opinion
An incoming senior at OHS wrestles with emotions and word count restrictions.
This week’s Whiz Kid is Emily Maag, a whiz at making her opinions known through newspaper commentary.
Name: Emily Maag
Age: 17
Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
School: Oakville High School
Accomplishment: Maag earned Honorable Mention in the Newspaper Commentary category in the Sponsors of School Publications’ spring conference.
Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Key to Awesomeness: Emily Maag believes in standing up for what you think is correct—even when the so-called experts are against your opinion. During her time in newspaper class at OHS, Maag heard about Missouri professor Wesley Scroggins’s opinion editoral against one of her favorite books: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Disappointed by what she read, Maag wrote a commentary refuting Scroggins’s criticism of the book.
“I really enjoyed writing the piece,” Maag said. “I was angry that Prof. Scroggins wanted the book banned... it was great to be recognized for something I care about."
In addition to participating in newspaper class, Maag has served on Student Council and assisted drama production at OHS. She will be the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper beginning in the fall and hopes to pursue a career in journalism.
