As I reflect on this past year—my final year on The Wachusett Echo—I become more optimistic for the future of our school newspaper. Working as a writer, junior editor, and finally Editor-in-chief granted me many opportunities: Most notably, I have been able to work with many driven, thoughtful individuals on a variety of undertakings.
Since sophomore year, the Echo has been an important community to me. As a first-year writer, I feared the steep learning curve for interviews and writing articles. At first, I struggled to reach out to interviewees, record quotes, and properly structure articles. However, I was quickly welcomed by more experienced members, guiding me through each step in the process. Under the guidance of former Echo advisor Ms. Lefebvre, and senior editors, I learned about running the newspaper, and the abilities necessary to do so. We spent our Tuesday nights eating pizza, editing articles, making schedules, and facing the ever-difficult task of creating catchy titles for each story.
This school year, the Echo underwent many changes—from a change in leadership to an influx of many new members—each intent on improving our school’s newspaper. In spite of my admittedly hectic publishing calendar, and with the patience and effort of the Echo’s writers and graphics teams, we managed to publish at least two articles each week. It was thanks to the Echo staff’s incredible adaptability that we were able to achieve this. As such, I would like to express my gratitude to each writer, editor, and graphics team member for their effort throughout this year. Additionally, I would like to thank our Echo advisor, Ms. Leschke for her patience and guidance as we adjusted to new positions and assumed new responsibilities within the Echo.
The three years I have spent with the Echo taught me the value of academic community, mentorship, and hard work. Learning to become a part of, and facilitate a supportive community was an invaluable opportunity which I am deeply grateful to have experienced.
Good luck to everyone next year!
