Teacher Feature October 2025: Elizabeth Ward

Elizabeth Ward is an A/V Teacher at Chief Leschi Schools in Puyallup, Washington. She is in her fourth year of teaching, including her second year leading broadcast journalism classes. Before transitioning to education, Elizabeth spent eight years in the news industry at the local FOX station. She loves helping students develop their communication skills and takes great joy in seeing their creativity shine on display.

Discover Elizabeth’s favorite lessons, pro tips, and some sneaky behind-the-scenes adventures in the Q&A below.

How long have you been using StoryMaker resources? 1 year

What’s your favorite StoryMaker lesson or prompt? I like the Scriptwriting lesson because it helps students refine their stories and make them as strong as possible. 

What’s a media-making tool or resource you can’t live without? My favorite piece of equipment is our school’s drone. The footage is unique, and it’s fun to fly. 

What’s your advice for teachers and educators just getting started on StoryMaker? Watch the Level Up tutorials and show them to your students.  They’re great at explaining concepts and much more interesting than a teacher lecture.

Links to student work: Warrior Student Broadcast on YouTube

What’s a dream story you’d like to report on or a person you’d like to interview? I’d love to do an interview with Lily Gladstone.  I think she would be really inspiring for my students since she’s Native American like them and has ties to the Seattle area.

Currently listening to: Josiah Queen 

Fun facts? I worked on a hidden camera show with Howie Mandel back in 2013.

You can reach out to Elizabeth directly to learn more about how she’s integrated StoryMaker into her classroom. Email her at elizabeth.ward@leschischools.org