Riordan High’s Susan Sutton Talks Training Future Journalists

On the Archbishop Riordan High School campus is a micro newsroom overseen by an instructor driven to inspire young writers.

Excelsior District native Susan Sutton is the advisor for the school’s student-run The Crusader newspaper and The Shield magazine.

Sutton, a San Francisco State University and Kent State University alum, first began teaching at Jefferson High School in Daly City and then found herself at Riordan a few years later.

“I just kind of felt the pull somewhere else and I went to a job fair and Riordan was represented and, of course, I know Riordan because I grew up in the neighborhood and I have lots of friends who went here,” Sutton said. “I don't want to call it destiny but maybe a little bit, a little destiny.”

The club prints and publishes at least four issues a year and is also funded by the school’s administration, alumni donations and ads. Copies can often be found at Ingleside Branch Library and Java on Ocean.

“They are a group of talented, energetic, spirited students who are determined to put out good stories, good photos, good images and they work hard at what they do,” Sutton said.

The passion for journalism and her teaching is felt deeply by her students. Editor-in-Chief Angela Jia and Food Editor Loghan Hwang both noted the welcoming nature of the club and how it develops life-long skills. Plus, there are snacks.

“All of them [former students] credit Ms. Sutton as inspiring them towards this field and I can definitely say that she’s kind of pushed me towards this field as well,” Jia, who is part of the 2025 graduating class, said. “Journalism is definitely something I want to keep in my life in the future. I can say in full confidence that everybody loves her, truly.”

The Ingleside Light caught up with Sutton to chat about the school’s news operation.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

How did you get into journalism? 

When I was going into my freshman year of high school, we had an admissions interview and the teacher asked about my future aspirations. I said, “I want to be a lawyer” and she said, “Well, you're a good writer. The world has enough lawyers. Why don't you join the newspaper club?” It was as simple as that. Like somebody just giving me some encouragement and then I was off. I've never really looked back and I always remember that and I try to do that with the students.

What does a typical day in the newsroom look like? 

We have more than a hundred students on the staff: writers, photographers, artists, editors. 

We meet every Tuesday and then with the editors, when we can just to kind of plan. I don't know if anything's typical with us. I guess typical is just meeting with the writers, the editors, the photographers and coordinating. “Who's going to get this photo?” “Oh no, the basketball game is tonight, who's going to get that?” I try to let the students run most of it. I like to say I'm here for supervision and snacks.

Why is having a club like this important?

Journalism, in general, is just really important to students individually as well as a group because everything we do will help them later. Writing, reading, critical thinking, talking to other people, presenting your ideas, staying up to date on current events and making sure information is getting out quickly and accurately. Even if they don't go into journalism, a lot of those skills will transfer into other areas and just life in general.

What is one piece of advice you have for anyone interested in taking a journalism class or pursuing a career in journalism? 

Don't let people discourage you. If that's what you truly want to do, you can make it happen. Just like Sister Mary Lewis told me all those years ago, the world needs good writers. We need storytellers, people who have integrity and talent and most of all the passion for writing.