I can’t believe I finally have to write this story. I’ve been struggling because it’s hard to put into words how meaningful my year with the Memorial Messenger has been.
It was tough having to start from scratch, but I think we did a pretty good job. We ended up publishing almost 100 stories which is awesome considering we had a pretty small staff.
One of my favorite memories was getting to tour the building early last summer and interview some teachers moving in.
As a senior, it was annoying having to go to a new school for my last year. I didn’t care about getting to see it and didn’t think I would feel much pride for my school as I would spend such a short time with it.
Once I saw how beautiful and well thought out the building was, all of that changed. I was 100% more excited for the year than before. Getting to hear teachers’ excitement about all the new gadgets and spaces they would get to work with made me realize how important this change was.
That was such a special experience I wouldn’t have had without newspaper.
Overall, that was one of my favorite parts of being in newspaper this year – getting to document the beginnings of our school’s history.
As we were closing Rider last year, I got to spend some time looking back through old yearbooks and learning about how the school used to be when it first opened. It was fascinating to see how far we had come. I hope that one day people will look back at the stories I’ve written and feel the same way.
I’m thankful for how I’ve grown as a writer this year. I got to tackle some longer, more challenging stories and I’ve really enjoyed it. I feel more confident in my interview skills as well. That wouldn’t be possible, however, without Coach Duncan.
I’m thankful for his continual leadership over the past four years, and that he entrusted me to be editor-in-chief. That was not a role I saw myself taking on, but I’m so grateful I did.
Lastly, I’m grateful to my mom for convincing me to sign up for journalism class freshman year, and both of my parents for continuing to support me through my time in newspaper.
They have always been some of the first people to read and share every single story I’ve written. As I continue to pursue journalism in college, I will never forget how I got started.
