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CSD Spartan Media

CSD Spartan Media

CSD Spartan Media
Kate Saussele

Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor

Kate Saussele is a senior in her second year at CSD. She has participated in journalism outside of school, but this is her first year as an official staff member of the Spartan Sentinel. In her writing, she enjoys exploring the intersection of entertainment, science and aspects of human interest.

Over the summer, Kate was accepted into Boston University’s Summer Journalism Academy and had the opportunity to publish two articles she wrote during the program in their online newspaper, The Terrier. While in the city, she also explored the greater Boston area and met other like-minded journalists from all over the country.

At CSD, Kate is president of the Women in STEM club and is a member of Model UN. She hopes that what she learns in the Journalism class will help her make an impact in a future career.

Outside of school, Kate enjoys playing piano and guitar, antique shopping and taking day trips with friends. She also loves to rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You, scroll through Pinterest and decorate her room.

Quote?

“Live your life with arms wide open; today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten”

-Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten

Walk-up Song?

“One Way or Another”

-Blondie

All content by Kate Saussele
When asked to write about a person you love and share what makes this person special, Ben Gallagher (‘25) said, “The CSD Spartan mascot framed in a heart summarizes our school spirit. I love the Spartan mascot because it represents the community of CSD and school pride. Love isn’t just person to person but can also be used to describe the things we care for deeply and I do love my school.”

Photo story – The look of love ‘25

In an annual class exercise, journalism students share ideas and get answers to Valentine’s Day questions within CSD high school
Ben Gallagher, Callie Hobbs, Kate Saussele, Liam Bradley, Jaelyn Nguyen, Avery Nardone, Dylan Sherman, Mia Kirsch, Evan Mulligan, Elena Cunningham, Conner Shelton, and Brandon Amaya
February 14, 2025

Paired with images from Valentine’s Day at school, journalism students chose to answer one of the following questions in the captions. Why do you think Valentine’s Day is associated with the heart? ...

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Change is a force that is constantly moving around everybody all the time. Although the word has its own denotation, or literal meaning when searched, it can evoke a variety of different feelings and emotions for people in different situations. The choice then becomes how to deal with it.

Change, it’s the one constant in high school

In this team researched and written feature, edited by Kate Saussele, CSD’s Journalism staff digs into what the term means for the student body and shares everything from examples and horror stories to statistics, tips and suggestions with the hope of helping readers make change (and everything that comes with it) a friend.
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
January 29, 2025
In this team researched and written feature, edited by Kate Saussele, CSD’s Journalism staff digs into what the term means for the student body and shares everything from examples and horror stories to statistics, tips and suggestions with the hope of helping readers make change (and everything that comes with it) a friend.
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CSD seniors (from left) Jenni Lewman, Julia Vecchiarello and Madeline McKinley display their phones, two of whom have TikTok downloaded and one who has the app deleted and can no longer download it. The past month has been a turbulent one for TikTok users. The app briefly shut down but is now back, at least for the short term.

For now, TikTok keeps ticking

As a new presidential administration weighs a possible national security risk against the popular app’s usage, high school students keep scrolling
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
January 22, 2025

Community School of Davidson (CSD) student, Madeline McKinley’s (‘25), alarm goes off at 6 a.m. every weekday. Before stepping out of bed to get dressed, pack her lunch and drive to school, she opens...

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The last time Charlotte, NC, received measurable snowfall was roughly the four inches that covered the city in January 2022 (left). January 2024, by contrast, was windy and snowless (right). As temperatures are climbing year-round, CSD students and Charlotte residents are becoming skeptical about the next time they will see a winter with measurable amounts of snow.

Snow Miser vs. Heat Miser: how climate change has altered perception of the holiday season

How much does winter precipitation in the chilliest months of the year really affect the “magic” of the holidays?
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
December 19, 2024

For many kids, nothing beats the surprise of opening their curtains on a chilly winter morning to see a bright blanket of snow covering streets, rooftops and lawns. Some have even described the holiday...

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Before doors opened, student artists and staff apply, last-minute organization to the “Under the Sea” gallery. As one of four different areas, The gallery, housed, visual, ceramics, wood and other art during Arts Night ‘24. (CSD Journalism class photo).

Photo story – CSD artists light up Arts Night

From visual, wood and ceramic arts to music, dance, tech, production, photography and more, the annual Arts Night brought to life the incredible talents of Spartan students.
Elena Cunningham, Conner Shelton, Mia Kirsch, Ben Gallagher, Liam Bradley, Evan Mulligan, Kate Saussele, and Brandon Amaya
December 16, 2024

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, hundreds of Spartan students, families and friends entered via red carpet to a school transformed into a living, magical center of galleries, performances, interactive displays...

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Concert venues range in size, location and layout. The Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, GA (pictured), is a mid-size venue with a capacity of 12,000. However, the capacity of a smaller venue like Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte is 2,400, and the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, a large venue, has a capacity of about 75,000. All venue types come with their individual benefits and limitations.

Keeping music a-live

Understanding the evolving relationship between live and streaming music can promote learning and build emotional self-awareness in students
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
December 9, 2024
“[CSD supports] any event that finds a way to bring people together and helps kids find their niche,” Jen Chaffman said. “At the open mics particularly, I’ve never seen a more supportive group. When you come to them, it doesn’t matter who’s performing or how they sound, everybody is there and they’re all in and they're listening and they cheer them on no matter what. It’s a really low stakes way for kids who might want to perform but are afraid to perform to get to do it without having to audition for it. I don’t think anything could beat that.”
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Just a month into his new job, Craig Smith agreed to sit down with the Journalism, Media Productions and Photography classes for a first ever, student-driven press conference. Filling the band room, Smith shared his history and motivated students to be their best selves.

A new voice, a direction, a challenge

CSD’s new Executive Director, Craig Smith, takes questions at a student-led press conference and challenges Spartans to be their best selves
Macy Balmat, Ben Gallagher, Kate Saussele, Evan Mulligan, Callie Hobbs, and Elena Cunningham
November 10, 2024

During the summer of 2024, Craig Smith was hired as Community School of Davidson (CSD) new Executive Director, replacing founder, Joy Warner, and subsequently a team of three administrative leaders. He...

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In McConnell, some houses go all-out. Fun light displays, large decorations and various spooky elements all play their parts. One house in particular plays sounds resembling those from horror movies, overlapping multicolored spotlights shining on moving animatronic figures.

Photo story – Davidson’s Halloween spirit is in full swing

From homes to storefronts, front porches to college trees, it’s all about Halloween (and autumn) on a spooky stroll through the Town of Davidson
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
October 30, 2024

The Town of Davidson is completely ramped up and ready for Halloween. By now, it seems like everywhere you look, there is something that pays tribute to the dark and spooky holiday, or at least the autumn...

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Three of the 150 ceramic pumpkins await delivery to their new neighborhood homes. Through making the pumpkins and learning to give them away with a positive attitude, CSD’s Visual Arts and Ceramics students learn the value of how giving, communicating and connecting can build a community.

A (ceramic) pumpkin’s purpose

CSD’s Visual Arts and Ceramics students learn about giving and relationships through ceramics and an annual project tradition
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
October 16, 2024

As summer transitions to fall and the giving season approaches, Visual Arts and Ceramics students at the Community School of Davidson (CSD) put down their drawing pencils and set aside their easels to...

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CSD’s entire class of 2025 celebrates the start of the year during the annual Senior Sunrise on August 14, 2024. This new tradition invites seniors to come together early in the morning on first day of school, rekindle friendships and enter the building before anyone else. (Image used courtesy of CSD Student Life.)

Excited, bittersweet and hopeful: CSD’s class of ‘25 seniors open doors for the new year

As the 2024-2025 school year begins, CSD’s senior class hits the ground running as they quickly learn to balance final year pressures with building memories.
Kate Saussele, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor
September 13, 2024

The songs “Landslide,” “Scott Street,” and “Where’d All the Time Go?” ring throughout headphones and earbuds as Community School of Davidson’s (CSD) class of 2025 seniors finish the annual...

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Episode 10 – Shining a new light on Electric Vehicle charging

Join CSD junior, Kate Saussele, as she chats with her dad, an automotive electrical engineer and solar powered proponent, about the differences between gas and electrical, powered vehicles, how the purchase of a used EV is changing their lives and how solar charging could become a more accessible and affordable way to keep your EV on the road in the future.
Kate Saussele, Conner Shelton, and Isabel Sands
February 22, 2024

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After owning a 2015 Toyota Highlander Hybrid for 9 years, my dad, purchased a used 2018 BMW i3. And with the purchase, I got a set of keys, too.

Shining a new light on Electric Vehicle charging

By harnessing the sun and solar energy, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging can become more accessible and affordable.
Kate Saussele, Contributing Writer and Podcaster
February 21, 2024

After owning a 2015 Toyota Highlander Hybrid for 9 years, my dad, an electrical engineer, decided to test the waters of Electric Vehicles. In 2023 he purchased a used 2018 BMW i3 for just under $16,000....

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