● ISSUE NO. 12 — SENIOR YEARREAD TIME: 3 MIN · TAKES: HOT

WORDS
WITH TEETH.
EST. 2023

Riley Thompson, 17. Editor-in-chief of The Falcon Cry, opinion columnist, debate menace. I cover school board meetings like crime scenes and cafeteria pizza like fine dining. Northwestern Medill or bust.

ROLEEDITOR-IN-CHIEF
OUTPUT120+ PUBLISHED PIECES
AWARDSSTATE PRESS ×3 🥇
STATUSOPEN FOR FREELANCE
BREAKING: RILEY EXPOSED THE VENDING MACHINE PRICE HIKE ★ OP-ED ON PHONE BANS WENT VIRAL (40K) ★ LIVE-TWEETS EVERY PEP RALLY ★ 

GREATEST HITS 📰

Four pieces that made teachers nervous and principals call meetings.

INVESTIGATION · 2.1K READS

The Vending Machine Scandal

FOIA'd the district snack contract. Prices up 40%, commissions down. The machine got restocked. I got a warning. Worth it.

OP-ED · 40K VIEWS

In Defense of the Phone Ban (Yes, Really)

Argued FOR the thing everyone hates. Reprinted by the city paper. Comments section = war zone.

PROFILE · STATE WINNER

The Janitor With 400 Vinyls

Mr. Okafor's secret jazz collection. Won 1st place, State Scholastic Press. He cried. I cried.

SATIRE · CULT CLASSIC

Ranking Every Hallway Smell

From "fresh paint hope" to "mystery fish Friday." Banned from printing. Photocopied 300x anyway.

ARSENAL ⬛

01

REPORTING

Interviews, FOIA requests, showing up. 40+ sources cultivated. Adults actually return my calls now.

02

OPINION

Hot takes with receipts. 30+ columns. Thesis, evidence, kicker. No fence-sitting allowed.

03

EDITING

Run a 25-kid newsroom. Copy desk, AP style quizzes, killing darlings daily.

04

DEBATE

Varsity LD, state octofinals. Cross-ex is just journalism with a timer.

05

AUDIO

"Hall Pass" podcast, 18 eps. School stories, mic always hot.

06

DESIGN

InDesign layouts. Brutalist, obviously. This site is my portfolio piece.

Newsroom
"The best student journalist I've advised in 20 years. Fearless, fair, and fast."

— MS. DELGADO, NEWSPAPER ADVISOR

RECORD 📁

2026
Editor-in-chief, The Falcon Cry. 25 staff, 8 issues, 1 censorship fight (won).
● NOW
2025
3× State Scholastic Press gold. Investigation, profile, opinion sweep.
🥇🥇🥇
2024
City paper stringer. Covered 6 school board meetings. Fell asleep once. Never again.
📰
2023
Joined paper as freshman. First story: marching band bus breakdown. Hooked forever.
★ START

PITCH ME / SAY HI ⬇

✉️ riley.thompson.school@email.com · 🐦 @rileyreports · 📍 Chicago, IL