Kate’s Goodbye:

Three years ago, my good friend Mia introduced me to journalism and I accidentally sat in the editor’s row without knowing. It wasn’t an amazing start to, what was going to be, my favorite elective throughout high school. Mr. Wolf and I started the same time, with it being his first year at Horizon and his first time teaching journalism. It’s nice to think about how Mr. Wolf and I started our journalism journey together and he has continued to be the same fun teacher every year. When I first started, I was extremely nervous. I already believed I was a good writer but I joined journalism because I knew I could improve and because I had a strong passion for writing. I want to thank the previous editors for helping me grow in my writing, for telling funny stories a little too loud, and for adding me to the journalism quote book. 

When I finally became an editor my junior year, I was ecstatic. Since the start of my journalism journey, I was determined to get where I am today. I was so lucky to get to work with some of the best editors, like Kalynn and Brandon, in their last year here. They passed down their editor knowledge to me and I then got to pass it down to some of the present editors that sit next to me today. More so, Kalynn passed down her knowledge to me while Brandon kept up his role as class clown, or in other words, editor entertainment. I also would like to mention Carsten, he graduated my sophomore year which was sad because I knew him very well before even joining journalism. He made me feel more comfortable in an environment I was not all that familiar with and he also helped me become a better writer even if he does not know it.

Now when I look back at the editors that have graduated and the editors we have now, I notice the similarities. To me, Jameson is just like Carsten, he is an excellent writer and has been offered the same amazing opportunities as Carsten. Even if he didn’t go through with it. Jameson also takes the leadership role just as easily, as if it was made for him. Looking at Prerna, she reminds me so much of Kalynn. Just like Kaylnn, Prerna has taken the leadership role pretty smoothly, she is the alpha as she herself would say. Lastly, Logan and Eli have reminded me of Brandon a ton. Logan with her need for a curse jar and her love of making diss tracks on people (sorry Christian). And Eli clocking out most of the time just like Brandon did. Though Leo and Sid don’t exactly remind me of anyone from years before, they are still just as special to me and the editor team and I hope they stay in journalism in the future years.

Nearing the end, I want to thank all the columnists. I love seeing everyone progress in their writing throughout the years and I love to see all the different personalities in the new students we get. Shoutout to Matthew who has been here for so long and has kept plenty of us entertained, reminding me of another columnist from a couple of years ago, Canon Grant. Also thank you to Parker who replaced Joey Miller in my mind, otherwise this class would feel empty. Again, thank you to everyone and I hope you all have an amazing summer.

Logan’s Goodbye:

It’s surreal to know that this will be my last article for The Horizon Sun. Journalism has helped me grow in so many ways; as a writer, as a leader, as a person. It has provided me with a space where I could feel I truly belonged, despite whatever hardships I may have gone through in that regard both before and during my time in the class. The experiences I have had in Journalism have been some of the most fun experiences of my entire high school career, and I will be forever grateful for the environment we have cultivated in this classroom. 

I can’t really describe the effect Journalism has had on me without getting into some lore: Long story short, my first two years at Horizon were difficult. Long story long, being the new kid in a school where everyone had a lifetime of history with each other made it seemingly impossible for me to integrate into the student body. I remember so vividly, my third block Contemporary Visual Media (CVM) class in ninth grade: I walked into the classroom on my first day, and it was full of juniors and seniors. In the weeks leading up to that first day, I had convinced myself that entering high school meant that I was one of the ‘big kids’; that I had nothing to be afraid of, even in such an unfamiliar environment. But upon entering Horizon, and sitting in that room full of people who were so much taller, older, and wiser than me, and who had so much history with one another that I could never quite be privy to, I felt smaller than I ever had before. It felt like everyone knew something that I didn’t—it was like I was a little kid again, surrounded by older kids saying all the big words that I couldn’t quite grasp yet. I couldn’t wait to grow up, to be tall like those upper classmen in my CVM class, and to finally know the things that everyone else knew.

This feeling continued throughout the remainder of my first and second years of high school, though it slowly lessened in intensity as I grew more accustomed to Horizon’s culture and environment. Still, by junior year I was still struggling quite a bit. Until, that is, I was placed into the Journalism class as a result of a scheduling conflict. The class had been number 8 of 10 on my course request sheet, yet somehow every elective I had put above this class was full, so, of course, I naturally, landed in 4th block Journalism. Entering the room, I felt similar to how I did first entering that CVM class freshman year. There were so many students who had taken the class years prior; there were so many inside jokes I didn’t understand, so many preestablished friendships I didn’t want to worm myself into. It felt like I had walked in somewhere I would never quite belong.

To add fuel to the fire, I fell very ill midway through the first semester of Junior year, and had to switch to online school until the start of the second semester. Upon returning, I was particularly worried about reentering this class—worried no one would care for my return, or would even remember who I was. Most of all though, I worried that people would be upset with me for having left so abruptly. However when I returned, I found that no one actually cared as much as I worried they would. More than anything, the editors had been concerned about my absence, and were glad to have me back. This realization shifted my view, and suddenly I found it 10x easier to look outside of myself and the things that I do. Following that experience, I finally began to feel like I had a place within that class, and within Horizon as a whole. I finally felt like I was growing up, and understanding the things the others had known far before me.

For the remainder of that year, I began to flourish both in and outside of the class—but I’ll focus more on how I grew within the class for the purposes of this article… and to not wordwall anymore than necessary. Writing had always been something that had almost come naturally to me, but it was a skill I didn’t exercise enough to make any notable improvements. That was, until I reentered Journalism that semester. I was admittedly intimidated at the prospect of so many people reading and critiquing my writing, but I soon found that it wasn’t nearly as scary as I worried it would be. In fact, I got a lot of compliments from my peers and from Mr. Wolf on my writing, and I think that encouragement was what really helped me go on to truly cement writing as one of my passions.  

That class almost felt like a family, and though I had missed a significant portion of the formation of that family, I was still welcomed with open and warm arms every time I entered the room at the end of a silver day. It was incredibly special to me, and that 4th block of journalism remains my favorite class from all of high school. Of course, I can’t say any of that without mentioning the editors who did the majority of the legwork to make that class feel so tight knit and special: Jameson, Eli, Kate (all 3 of whom would go on to become editor colleagues so I will get to them momentarily.), and the two seniors, Brandon and Kalyn. Kalyn brought so much professionalism, yet so much fun to the table, and was one of the people in the class who gave me the most encouragement. For that, I will be forever grateful. Brandon became a good friend within the class, and he along with Kate reserved me a preliminary spot at the editor’s table. I probably laughed more during my time sitting in that spot than I ever did at school before that. 

Now, come senior year, I am grown up, and it came faster than I ever imagined that it would. But still, even now that high school is coming to an end, I feel Journalism’s effects on me are still continuing to grow. This year I was promoted to an editor position alongside Prerna, Sid, and Leo. Though this year has been so different to last year, we have still been able to create another sort of familial bond within the class, which makes me so incredibly happy. Particularly at the editors table, this year has been so fun and we have made so many memories. I’ll never forget all the Kalynders we’ve made, the comment threads we left on my ‘Silksong” article, the (unfortunately) infamous “me and twin” photo, or all the debates over whether Jameson or Prerna is the true alpha of Journalism (it’s Prerna). I’ll miss sitting and laughing all of class, and having to dedicate my SLAB to editing and uploading the handfuls of articles that I procrastinated mulling over because I was having too much fun with the fellow editors. It feels like each and every one of us brings something special, important, and unique to the table, and without any one of us things would just never be the same. If I got into listing each of their qualities, this article would be like a million words long… but just know. Thank you Prerna, Leo, Kate, Jameson, Sid, and Eli for making me feel like such an integral part of this community. This is the exact thing that I dreamed I would experience back when I was that timid, awkward little freshman sandwiched amid a classroom of confident and loud upperclassmen. 

Of course, I can’t talk about this year without thanking all the columnists. If the editors are the backbone of the class, the columnists are the entire rest of everything else ever. Each one of this year’s columnists has brought so much to the table, and I am so proud of all the progress every single one of them has made since the beginning of this year. I hope all of them continue writing in the future, even if not for the Horizon Sun. There is so much potential to be beheld.

Finally, to Mr. Wolf, the class you have cultivated is truly so special, and you should be immensely proud. Although you leave the majority of the curriculum in the hands of the editors, you still play such an important role in managing this classroom. Your ability to trust your students enough to step back and allow them to run an entire newspaper essentially on their own is something to be admired, and I would not have it any other way. Thank you for creating such a welcoming and fun environment. And thank you for always encouraging me to keep writing. 

The Horizon Sun has given me a place to belong, and I’ll be forever grateful. Though my time in this class has been relatively short, it is some of my most cherished of all my high school years. I can’t think of any other class I would have rather spent my last two years of high school. I’ve grown very attached to the place I’ve found for myself within this class, and I am sad to be leaving so soon, but I know it will be okay. All I hope is that next year can be just as special for all the new and returning students alike, like it was for me and so many who took the class before me. I am STRICTLY assigning Sid, Jameson, and Leo the duty of carrying the flame. Carry Prerna, Eli, Kate, and I’s honor. 

P.S. to editors: I will keep up the reel spam. Get ready for more Hellrunners.