On the first day of school, our newspaper staff created their purpose statement for the year: “As the newspaper journalism staff at Metea Valley High School, we communicate the truth to the Metea Valley community. We strive to empower Metea Valley students to seek justice and to hold our teachers and school leaders accountable for upholding Metea L.I.F.E.”

The boldness and clarity of their sense of purpose set the tone for all they accomplished in the year ahead. With the leadership of these 12 seniors, the students in our newspaper journalism class published over 200 stories on Metea Media; published 144 pages of magazine content; and published over 40 podcast episodes. They told Metea Valley’s stories through words, photography, graphic design, audio, and video.

Every step along the way, these seniors stayed true to their purpose: To speak the truth and to hold our school leaders accountable. They celebrated our school’s many accomplishments, but they also didn’t back down when they saw their teachers and school leaders not living up to Metea L.I.F.E. This takes courage and passion and audacity, and these twelve seniors have shown that they have all of that.

Charlie: You stepped up at a time when we needed you, and you filled some big shoes with grace and ease. I am always in awe of how you can make our readers feel like they were there when you are covering a game, able to bring all of the excitement of sports into words.

Ell: Did I get irrationally excited when you walk into our English class with a Green Day shirt? I sure did. Through both ELA and newspaper, I have been so fortunate to get to know different sides of you. Whether you are writing or taking photographs or creating digital art, you are creative, insightful, and fun to be around. 

Javi: I always love your sarcasm, even when you are roasting me in front of the class. (It is sarcasm, right?) Whether telling stories through words, audio, or video, you are able to draw from a variety of media to get your voice out there and tell stories. Any time there was a new episode of the sports podcast, I was always eager to hear what you had to say.

Mansi: Whether you are copy-editing or “Let’s Chat”-ing or spotlighting, it feels like there is nothing you can’t do. Not only did you walk into our class ready to take advantage of every opportunity that was in front of you, you managed to do it all so well. Oh. And. Your antics in class never failed to make me laugh.

Ava: It has been a joy to watch you come into your own this year. You found a confidence in who you are and what you are all about that has not only brought into focus what is important to you, but has also allowed you to stand tall as a role model to others. Your creativity amazes. Your leadership inspires.

Jake: While it is always personally sad to see a student leave our class early, it is also incredibly rewarding knowing that you were ready to start your next chapter. Thank you for the leadership that you offered first semester. Watching the sports team thrive now is a testament to the strong foundation you built: It is clear they learned from the best.

Kayla: You have learned so much about yourself, about leadership, and about photography from when you first joined our staff, and it’s so exciting to see the progress you have made. Whenever a challenge is in front of you, you take a deep breath and say, “OK,” and then get to work. We miss your photographic eye and your hilarious positivity in the newsroom.

Lindsey: You are one of those people who makes doing challenging things look so easy. You took on a new team this year and not just taught them, but you also inspired them. I hope you see that you played a big role in shaping the future of our journalism program, and you did so by opening doors and encouraging your peers to thrive.

Ven: You are an innovator at heart, never willing to do what has been done or to say something is “good enough.” From the moment you walked into our newspaper journalism room, you have been trying to see where the limits are, and then push them. In the process, you have pushed our whole staff to achieve things we have never achieved before.

Ollie: I need to apologize. No student should have me as a student for four years. Your first year in my class was during the lows of a pandemic, but in the years since, you have found your voice, your confidence, your value … yourself. Your selflessness makes it easy for you to support and encourage others. Your future-teacherness makes it easy for you to organize and problem solve. Your creativity makes it easy for you to envision success and new opportunities. Your passion makes it easy for you to be a voice for the voiceless.

Sarah: You are a wonder. Your ability to lead with clarity and kindness, while offering help and insisting on our team reaching high expectations, is a joy to watch. And it all comes so easily for you. I have zero doubt that you are going to make a lasting difference in this world — I can’t wait to see what it’s going to be.

Tanay: I remember reading one of your first stories while I was on a Blue Line train in Chicago. And I remember being like, “Dang. This kid can write!”  And then you went and published a novel.  Like, not just a long article … an actual full-length murder mystery novel.  And then this year, you took that expertise to coordinate and lead our staff, always leading by example, never backing down when we fell short, always encouraging others to find new opportunities to thrive.  You have so many superpowers: Insight. Drive. Humor. Resilience. Clarity. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.

Journalists know that time always presses on. There is a new edition of the newspaper with every new morning. The world will never stand still. While saying goodbye to our seniors is always a sad moment, they leave knowing that they have moved the work of The Stampede forward another big step. 

As I remind them often: We stand on the shoulders of giants. Over your time on our newspaper staff, you have grown into the giants that the future staff will now stand upon. We will miss you in our classroom, but we will carry forward what you taught us.