Three years ago I went into my counselor’s office to switch my foods class for a class that involved fewer ovens. Most of the classes that were only one semester I had already taken so I decided to sign up for a class called Intro. to Photojournalism.

When I signed up for that class, little did I know the impact journalism would have on my high school career. It wasn’t the act of taking photos or even the people in the class that impacted me; it was the exposure I got to journalism.

It had never crossed my mind to be a part of the school newspaper prior to taking Intro. to Photojournalism, but by the end of the semester I had applied to be on the staff the following year. It was a decision that even on deadlines I never regretted.

Besides the obvious skill of writing that I learned from newspaper, I also received a plethora of other skills and learned numerous life skills.

Through each story that I wrote and read, I got to get to know the student body better. Each time I walked through the hallway I could pick someone whom we did a story about, and it helped to make such a big place more personal.

Our stories kept me up to date on what was going on in the school and in other parts of the world, but more importantly, they showed me what each staff member was passionate about.

But it won’t be writing the stories that I will miss next year, it will be the people that have surrounded me in journalism.

The past two years have been filled with memories, from layout nights with pizza to the places that we were able to travel to, that I will always cherish.

Thank you Mrs. Crotzer for not hating me when I didn’t turn my work in on time and for helping to not only grow my writing ability, but also teaching me skills, both pertaining to journalism and some that didn’t.

Thank you to both of the staffs from my junior and senior year. I know we never did bonding, but regardless we still bonded. The laughs we had about Molly and Lucy bickering and the stories of Paradise and the many other subjects that entertained us, I will always remember.  

And as cliche as it sounds everything must come to an end which  includes my time on newspaper. So after 15 issues on the staff I must sign off, but I will always remember the impact journalism has had on me, and be thankful for the small decision to join journalism that completely rewrote my high school experience.