DGN's Bull -- news writer, news maker
Trojans soccer/journalism star Sam Bull makes an impact
By Matt Le Cren
Sam Bull has been a difference-maker for Downers Grove North ever since his freshman year, when he cracked the varsity lineup as a defender on a team that won a regional championship.
The senior left back’s skill and leadership ability are unquestioned.
“He’s played a lot of positions,” Downers North coach Mike Schmitt said. “In club he’s more of an attacker, but we’ve utilized his abilities as an outside back, and he’s been doing a really fantastic job of leading our team.
“He’s been captain the last two years and it’s evident why. On the field and off the field, he’s a great leader.”
Indeed, Bull’s leadership abilities extend to the classroom and the community. The honor roll student is editor-in-chief of Downers North’s student newspaper, the Omega, and is the school’s student representative on the District 99 Board of Education.
Bull came to journalism relatively late. He began writing for the Omega his sophomore year before taking over as editor last year.
But just as on the soccer field, where he has earned all-conference honors, Bull has risen quickly to the top. Last month, the Illinois Journalism Education Association named Bull its 2021 Illinois Journalist of the Year.
“Sam is an outstanding student who is fully engaged and passionate about everything he undertakes,” Downers North principal Janice Schwarze said in a statement. “We are so proud of him for achieving this prestigious honor.”
The award was first given out in 1989. Bull is the third Downers North student to win it, following Abbey Murphy in 2017 and Natalie White in 2018.
“It was such an honor,” Bull said. “I had no idea what to expect.
“I was just taking some inspiration from our old editors-in-chief from the Omega. I didn’t know who else was competing, and I had no gauge on what was happening. So, the day I found out was life-changing.”
Journalism has become a passion for Bull, for whom reporting is not merely a 9-to-5 job, nor one that is limited to the school’s physical footprint.
“I like it because it’s such a real-world experience,” Bull said. “I feel like every other class is getting through your assignments and get out, but journalism almost feels like a job.
“It’s a class and an extra-curricular. On the weekend, if you see something happen you automatically go into journalism mode and you cover it. It’s a 24/7 thing and really interesting to get up-to-date with all those issues.”
The past year has not lacked for momentous events and difficult topics. Bull and his peers on the Omega have not shied away from issues like the coronavirus pandemic or the fight for social justice.
“The last couple months I’ve really been spotlighting some social justice issues and issues with students of color in our school because they are such a minority,” Bull said. “I wrote a pretty long article about how black students feel at our school and how it can be very isolating.
“Our school, unfortunately, has a lot of racist incidents that make it onto social media or come out of people’s mouths at school. I’m really highlighting that and highlighting on how it makes people feel and hopefully crack down on that and make the school a better place.”
Bull wrote the article shortly after a December incident in which racist comments were posted on social media by unidentified students. In addition to detailing Schwarze’s handling of the situation, Bull, who like 74 percent of North’s student body and 91 percent of its faculty is white, interviewed several black students and teachers.
The result was a thorough and illuminating piece on how racism, both overt and subtle, affects people of color.
Another recent piece examined how teachers chose to incorporate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol into their lessons, not only in social studies and English classes but throughout the school day. Bull interviewed students of different races as well as teachers to get their views and reactions to the politically charged events.
Bull’s efforts to tackle hot-button topics in an unbiased but forthright way did not go unnoticed.
“The passion, honesty, dedication and commitment to excellence reflected in your outstanding portfolio moved everyone,” IJEA president John Gonczy wrote in a letter to Bull. “You are clearly an articulate and self-reflective young man with a key sense of social justice.”
But Bull’s efforts don’t entail merely reporting on events. As the student representative to the Board of Education, he attends all school board meetings, contributing his opinions and reporting back to his fellow students.
Like most school districts, District 99 has had to wrestle with remote learning, hybrid models and the question of when to resume full-time, in-person classes.
“This year, more than anything, there’s been so many big decisions,” Bull said. “It’s really great to have the Omega and the school board; it’s a way to hear what’s happening and then link it to the students so that they know what’s going on.
“There’s a lot of confusion, a lot of people want to know what’s going on right away, so having that link has been good. Normally, you’d think board meetings would be boring. This year, they’re pretty interesting with all the decisions being made about school returning.”
Bull and his soccer peers have made sure their efforts on the field are worthy of headlines. The Trojans are unbeaten in their first three games after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of crosstown rival Downers Grove South.
“He’s an awesome captain,” senior forward Trygve Hansen said. “He uses his voice, and he knows where to put the ball at the right time.
“He knows how to communicate with his teammates, and I think that’s really important as a captain, especially as a left back. It’s pretty impressive how much multi-tasking he does outside of school, being on the board of education and being a journalist. It’s a lot of work doing that and being captain of the varsity soccer team.”
Bull intends to continue that work in college. He will attend Northwestern, where he intends to major in political science but also hopes to earn admission into the school’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism.
If he can swing that, Bull will also major in journalism. A double major would be a heavy load but a path in keeping with family tradition on the pitch and in the classroom.
Bull’s brother, Christopher, was the starting goalkeeper on North’s regional championship team in 2017, when Sam was a freshman, and is currently a Northwestern student majoring in economics.
Christopher’s twin sister, Olivia, was a star midfielder on the Downers Grove North girls team that finished fourth at the 2018 state finals -- the first time the Trojans had advanced past the sectionals. She is now majoring in business analytics at Iowa.
Neither sibling is playing college soccer. Bull has not decided whether he will try to walk on the team at Northwestern. He also is undecided about what career to pursue, whether it be journalism, politics or, as his lawyer mother Holly suggests, law school.
But Bull will always cherish his tenure on the Omega.
“It’s been the ride of my life,” Bull said. “The Omega has really changed my high school experience for the better.”
Despite all the heartbreak and anguish wrought over the past year by the pandemic and the tough conversations stemming from the nation’s racial reckoning, Bull is optimistic, for himself, his peers and his community.
“I’ve been so impressed with so many people in our grade,” Bull said. “We have an empowerment club, we have so many clubs that love to take action, love to make a change.
“I can see hope for the future.”
Trojans soccer/journalism star Sam Bull makes an impact
By Matt Le Cren
Sam Bull has been a difference-maker for Downers Grove North ever since his freshman year, when he cracked the varsity lineup as a defender on a team that won a regional championship.
The senior left back’s skill and leadership ability are unquestioned.
“He’s played a lot of positions,” Downers North coach Mike Schmitt said. “In club he’s more of an attacker, but we’ve utilized his abilities as an outside back, and he’s been doing a really fantastic job of leading our team.
“He’s been captain the last two years and it’s evident why. On the field and off the field, he’s a great leader.”
Indeed, Bull’s leadership abilities extend to the classroom and the community. The honor roll student is editor-in-chief of Downers North’s student newspaper, the Omega, and is the school’s student representative on the District 99 Board of Education.
Bull came to journalism relatively late. He began writing for the Omega his sophomore year before taking over as editor last year.
But just as on the soccer field, where he has earned all-conference honors, Bull has risen quickly to the top. Last month, the Illinois Journalism Education Association named Bull its 2021 Illinois Journalist of the Year.
“Sam is an outstanding student who is fully engaged and passionate about everything he undertakes,” Downers North principal Janice Schwarze said in a statement. “We are so proud of him for achieving this prestigious honor.”
The award was first given out in 1989. Bull is the third Downers North student to win it, following Abbey Murphy in 2017 and Natalie White in 2018.
“It was such an honor,” Bull said. “I had no idea what to expect.
“I was just taking some inspiration from our old editors-in-chief from the Omega. I didn’t know who else was competing, and I had no gauge on what was happening. So, the day I found out was life-changing.”
Journalism has become a passion for Bull, for whom reporting is not merely a 9-to-5 job, nor one that is limited to the school’s physical footprint.
“I like it because it’s such a real-world experience,” Bull said. “I feel like every other class is getting through your assignments and get out, but journalism almost feels like a job.
“It’s a class and an extra-curricular. On the weekend, if you see something happen you automatically go into journalism mode and you cover it. It’s a 24/7 thing and really interesting to get up-to-date with all those issues.”
The past year has not lacked for momentous events and difficult topics. Bull and his peers on the Omega have not shied away from issues like the coronavirus pandemic or the fight for social justice.
“The last couple months I’ve really been spotlighting some social justice issues and issues with students of color in our school because they are such a minority,” Bull said. “I wrote a pretty long article about how black students feel at our school and how it can be very isolating.
“Our school, unfortunately, has a lot of racist incidents that make it onto social media or come out of people’s mouths at school. I’m really highlighting that and highlighting on how it makes people feel and hopefully crack down on that and make the school a better place.”
Bull wrote the article shortly after a December incident in which racist comments were posted on social media by unidentified students. In addition to detailing Schwarze’s handling of the situation, Bull, who like 74 percent of North’s student body and 91 percent of its faculty is white, interviewed several black students and teachers.
The result was a thorough and illuminating piece on how racism, both overt and subtle, affects people of color.
Another recent piece examined how teachers chose to incorporate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol into their lessons, not only in social studies and English classes but throughout the school day. Bull interviewed students of different races as well as teachers to get their views and reactions to the politically charged events.
Bull’s efforts to tackle hot-button topics in an unbiased but forthright way did not go unnoticed.
“The passion, honesty, dedication and commitment to excellence reflected in your outstanding portfolio moved everyone,” IJEA president John Gonczy wrote in a letter to Bull. “You are clearly an articulate and self-reflective young man with a key sense of social justice.”
But Bull’s efforts don’t entail merely reporting on events. As the student representative to the Board of Education, he attends all school board meetings, contributing his opinions and reporting back to his fellow students.
Like most school districts, District 99 has had to wrestle with remote learning, hybrid models and the question of when to resume full-time, in-person classes.
“This year, more than anything, there’s been so many big decisions,” Bull said. “It’s really great to have the Omega and the school board; it’s a way to hear what’s happening and then link it to the students so that they know what’s going on.
“There’s a lot of confusion, a lot of people want to know what’s going on right away, so having that link has been good. Normally, you’d think board meetings would be boring. This year, they’re pretty interesting with all the decisions being made about school returning.”
Bull and his soccer peers have made sure their efforts on the field are worthy of headlines. The Trojans are unbeaten in their first three games after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of crosstown rival Downers Grove South.
“He’s an awesome captain,” senior forward Trygve Hansen said. “He uses his voice, and he knows where to put the ball at the right time.
“He knows how to communicate with his teammates, and I think that’s really important as a captain, especially as a left back. It’s pretty impressive how much multi-tasking he does outside of school, being on the board of education and being a journalist. It’s a lot of work doing that and being captain of the varsity soccer team.”
Bull intends to continue that work in college. He will attend Northwestern, where he intends to major in political science but also hopes to earn admission into the school’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism.
If he can swing that, Bull will also major in journalism. A double major would be a heavy load but a path in keeping with family tradition on the pitch and in the classroom.
Bull’s brother, Christopher, was the starting goalkeeper on North’s regional championship team in 2017, when Sam was a freshman, and is currently a Northwestern student majoring in economics.
Christopher’s twin sister, Olivia, was a star midfielder on the Downers Grove North girls team that finished fourth at the 2018 state finals -- the first time the Trojans had advanced past the sectionals. She is now majoring in business analytics at Iowa.
Neither sibling is playing college soccer. Bull has not decided whether he will try to walk on the team at Northwestern. He also is undecided about what career to pursue, whether it be journalism, politics or, as his lawyer mother Holly suggests, law school.
But Bull will always cherish his tenure on the Omega.
“It’s been the ride of my life,” Bull said. “The Omega has really changed my high school experience for the better.”
Despite all the heartbreak and anguish wrought over the past year by the pandemic and the tough conversations stemming from the nation’s racial reckoning, Bull is optimistic, for himself, his peers and his community.
“I’ve been so impressed with so many people in our grade,” Bull said. “We have an empowerment club, we have so many clubs that love to take action, love to make a change.
“I can see hope for the future.”