Student News Desk: Cyan leaves a legacy in print at East High School

February 25, 2026

Lincoln Public Schools understands the importance of quality journalism to help inform our community and shine a light on the people, programs and events that make our school district unique. Student News Desk is our ongoing effort to promote excellence in journalism and public education by highlighting student journalists from our high school publications classes. This month’s spotlight is on East senior Cyan, who is editor-in-chief of “The Oracle” newspaper. Congratulations, Cyan!

East High School senior Cyan is printing a strong resume with her journalistic accomplishments on the campus newspaper.
 
Cyan is providing information to hundreds of Spartans in her role as The Oracle’s editor-in-chief. She has expanded her newspaper duties ever since her first article appeared in print during her sophomore year. She now holds the top leadership position on a staff that includes 19 writers, photographers and editors.
 
Cyan became intrigued by the idea of joining The Oracle when a former writer visited her English class. She said the decision to apply for a staff position has resulted in many new friendships and fulfilling moments.
 
“I like the creativity of this,” Cyan said. “Having the ability to just have ideas and let them be published for others to read is really exciting.”

 
East teacher Emily Geldmeier said Cyan’s talent for initiating warm and welcoming conversations with others has helped the entire group. Geldmeier has served as newspaper advisor for five years and has watched Cyan gain confidence as both a writer and manager. She has penned everything from news stories to entertainment reviews during her career, and she now proofreads and edits all of the copy that appears in each newspaper edition.
 
“Cyan has been a role model for her fellow Oracle staffers by showing what it looks like to commit to an active classroom community,” Geldmeier said. “Inside the classroom, she has planned and facilitated community-building activities like classroom debates, personality tests and editor meetings. Outside the classroom, Cyan has planned and hosted a staff Christmas party and a staff meeting at a coffee shop to break down the writing and editing process.”
 
Cyan said the journalism class has helped her become more connected with her fellow Spartans. She interviews students of all grade levels for stories that appear in each issue, and she takes photos at many East games and activities. Those experiences have increased her network of friends and acquaintances at school.
 
“During my sophomore year, I was kind of scared,” Cyan said. “I was the only sophomore in the class, so I was pretty nervous to talk to people, but now I talk to anybody and everybody.”

 
The National Honor Society student said her interview sessions have given her the skills that will benefit her after graduation as well. She is planning to major in animal sciences in college and become a veterinarian.
 
“This is going to help me a lot with communication when I’m older, whether it’s in college or at a job,” Cyan said. “I’ve learned how to communicate with so many different people of so many backgrounds here, and knowing how to do that is going to be really important in my future.”
 
Cyan said The Oracle has also allowed her to become more knowledgeable about the community, nation and world. Her first love is entertainment writing, but she has also worked on news articles, opinion pieces and feature stories. Some of her recent articles have focused on topics such as the all-school musical, the HOSA-Future Health Professionals club and Student Council fundraising efforts.
 
“I’ve branched out in my story ideas for sure,” Cyan said. “I used to be kind of shy when I wrote, but now I’m not shy at all. I’ll get an idea for an article and just go for it.”

 
Geldmeier said she has been impressed with Cyan’s willingness to teach journalism fundamentals to younger students on staff. She has used her editor-in-chief platform to emphasize the importance of meeting deadlines, conducting quality interviews and maintaining strong lines of communication with others.
 
“Cyan has modeled what it looks like to hold a high standard of excellence in journalism,” Geldmeier said. “For example, she did a mini lesson on infographics after noticing it as an area of growth for our staff.”
 
Cyan’s time at The Oracle is also paying dividends as a Student Council member. She has learned how to gauge a group’s interest in a topic and identify the skill sets of fellow Spartans. That has helped Student Council activities flow more smoothly and effectively this year.
 
“In Student Council we have committees, which are with smaller groups of people, so journalism has really helped in the sense of being able to get people together and making sure everyone is comfortable together,” Cyan said.
 
Geldmeier said Cyan’s leadership qualities have made her a valuable member of the newspaper staff. She felt Cyan would continue to print difference-making paragraphs in all of her future pursuits.
 
“I think that Cyan’s attention to detail and skills as a self-motivator will help her in whatever she chooses to do next,” Geldmeier said.
 
Interested in learning more about The Oracle? Visit the newspaper’s website to view stories and photos by East students.
 
Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by filling out this form!

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