When
I graduated from high school, we were meant to do a little write-up for the
yearbook that people could look back on years from now and think, “Oh, I
remember her!” or, “Wow, I really didn’t follow my dreams at all!” Some of the
entries said things like “penis!”, but others left quotes that were meant to be
inspiring. I, myself, feeling particularly inspired at the age of 17, left words
from the now over-quoted tale of the Lorax from Dr. Seuss: “Unless someone like
you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better … it’s not.”
Many
of my other editorials this year have tried to raise awareness about the
important issues that are constantly occurring and developing in our society,
because I believe that that Lorax quote is accurate. If we don’t start paying
attention and raising awareness about issues that are going on in our world,
things are only going to continue to get worse. As students, we should, every
day, be challenging the opinions of those around us and the opinions that we
ourselves hold in an effort to encourage ourselves to think critically. Many of
us who have worked at the Courier over the past year have aimed to do this using the
written word. Through our articles we have offered a different perspective, or
even introduced a story that may have received very little attention because it
was not covered by the mainstream media.
I
am so proud of the Courier and all of our wonderful staff and contributors for
being able to provide these services. This year, we have seen many changes to
the paper, but we’ve still held true to our motto of “pushing buttons”. Our
writers have been given national exposure, and we have been thanked by the
community for showcasing stories that needed to be told. It has been a year of
so many learning experiences, but one of the greatest things for me has been
seeing each person on our staff grow into the strong, confident members of the student
press that they are now.
One
thing we have also learned this year is the value of teamwork. You and I are a
team, as reader and writer, because together, we help to spread ideas. As well,
the Courier staff
has consistently worked together as a team, realizing all too quickly that to
miss a deadline results in a pile-up of work for everyone the next week.
Without teamwork, life in the newspaper industry is very difficult. There is a
wrong perception that in order to be a journalist (in a “dying industry” no
less), you must be cutthroat, pushing others out of the way in order to get the
Big Story. Certainly, it may be like that for some papers, but what I have
learned in my time so far is that you must be aware of how your actions affect
others, because every action has a consequence.
This
is my last editorial as Co-Editor-in-Chief, so I need to take some time to
reminisce about what, for me, has been one of the most important years in my
life so far. I’m not really ready to say goodbye. Some of us are leaving this
circle of life and moving on to different schools, different activities,
different goals. Some of us will remain to provide you with another year of
articles that will both inform and entertain. At this time I must thank you
all, staff, contributors, and readers, for the passion and love you have given
to this publication. I cannot express to you how much your various
contributions have meant to me, because wherever we end up, we were all able to
spend some time together with this shared experience of reading and writing
each other’s words. It is through this experience that we have proven that
there is power in words, and strength in new ideas. When combined, these tools
can allow us to change our society for the better.
As
Lord Byron said, “But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like
dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions,
think."
//Samantha Thompson, editor-in-chief
//Samantha Thompson, editor-in-chief
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