WESTFIELD-Trust and autonomy in professional relationships are lessons Devon Kurtz has learned which will serve him well in his new role as an associate editor at The Dartmouth Review.
During a recent phone interview, Kurtz said he was “shocked” when he discovered the editors had chosen him for the position.
Devon Kurtz of Westfield has been named an associate editor of The Dartmouth Review, known as the oldest conservative college newspaper.
“I was shocked when I found out that they chose me,” said Kurtz, a 2016 graduate of Westfield High School who served as class president and valedictorian. He is the son of Lori and Eugene Kurtz.
“Dartmouth in general is an extremely competitive place, and it often seems like everyone here has an extensive background in everything imaginable,” he said. Kurtz started his freshman year at Dartmouth College in September.
Kurtz credits and “thanks” Patrick Berry of the Westfield News Group who supported the Student Think Tank (STT) project that was an integral part of Kurtz’ high school years and was the primary reason Dartmouth editors chose him for the position.
“The STT was like a child to me,” said Kurtz, adding he assumed the role as STT editor in June of 2013. His sister, Mariah Kurtz, had started the STT in 2012.
“When my sister first started it, it only included three writers, two college students and myself, and it did not last very long,” said Kurtz. “When I decided to revamp it at the end of my freshman year of high school, I got a group of people I thought would be good writers and we just went for it.”
The STT submissions were featured on the pages of the Westfield News for several years.
Kurtz noted that as the STT grew to include more students from neighboring schools, the topics became “more controversial and more complex.”
“I found it astonishing how far it came,” said Kurtz, noting that students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy and Suffield Academy joined the Westfield High students in their pursuit of editorial and hard news writing. All students were residents of Westfield.
“The editor-in-chief told me that my experience with the Westfield News, when added to the work I had already done for the paper, made me a good choice for the associate editor role,” said Kurtz.
During his tenure on the STT, Kurtz met with writers monthly to discuss current events and hot-button topics and a majority vote then determined the subject matter that would be explored. Topics ranged from teen parents, gun control and abortion to Westfield High School’s principal enforcing a dress code.
“The autonomy that Mr. Berry gave us was key to our success,” said Kurtz, adding he received a lot of “backlash” through the newspaper’s Pulseline column from the dress code issue.
Kurtz added that Berry “never told me no when I would come to him with an idea, and he would always provide me with the resources I needed.”
Kurtz said writers interviewed state representative and senate candidates three times over his tenure as STT editor, and Berry assisted him by coordinating logistics with the Westfield Athenaeum and the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce for interview locations.
“He never failed to provide us with everything we could need,” said Kurtz. “It was great to work with him for so many years.”
When asked about working with Kurtz and other students, Berry stated, “My role as a local business owner is to help our local kids be better. We need to set them up with the skills and experiences that will propel them to great success in life.”
With his name now on The Dartmouth Review masthead, a greater responsibility awaits Kurtz in his new endeavors. The newspaper is an independent organization from Dartmouth College and has its office off-campus.
“The current administration does not get along with The Dartmouth Review at all,” said Kurtz. “As associate editor I will work with the other editors to help guide the direction the paper goes in,” noting the publication is nationally known as a controversial newspaper.
“It was the first conservative college newspaper, founded in 1980, and its success paved the way for the other Ivy League conservative newspapers such as the Yale Free Press, The Stanford Review, Harvard Salient, California Review, The Princeton Tory, and The Cornell Review,” said Kurtz.
Since its establishment, Kurtz said The Dartmouth Review has gone through many phases, most of which were “controversial enough to regularly make national headlines.”
“In my position, I will help find a balance between the often flamboyant nature of the paper, and the highly acclaimed journalism that has been key to its success,” he said.
With majors in economics and religious studies to keep him busy and now the added role of writing and editing at The Dartmouth Review, Kurtz has a full plate but relishes every minute. He also plans to mentor younger students when his schedule allows to pay it forward for the opportunities he had working with Berry.
“My current plan is to attend law school and I’m weighing all of my options which could include the media,” said Kurtz, adding he is open to pursuing an internship with Fox News or CNN when the time arises.
“Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, who later went on to be the paper’s editor-in-chief, first started out as the associate editor her freshman year at Dartmouth,” said Kurtz.
