It’s hard to believe this will be my last issue on the KO News staff. The school paper has been so deeply entwined with my academic life over the last few years that I can scarcely imagine a time when I wasn’t deeply entrenched in our school’s journalism scene. In my freshman year, however, I remember journalism being a daunting challenge for me—a new, unknown species of writing that didn’t come easily to my pen. I was more of a creative type; I loved poetry, short stories, etcetera. I struggled to interview people and write without the embellishments I had come to enjoy flourishing across each piece. If you read my features from my sophomore year, my introductions were always filled with truly unnecessary and dramatic imagery; it took practice and guidance to get me comfortable in a journalistic style, and I owe quite a few people a thank you for all the help they have provided me over the course of this year and years past.
First, I want to thank the amazing managing editors of the KO News: seniors Sasha Dausey, Lily Temkin, and Abbie Schiff. They were a godsend. I could always count on Sasha to have the news, sports, and investigative articles proofread ahead of time, and to help lay out pages when I was preoccupied; meanwhile, Lily and Abbie were always gracious enough to pick up an extra article or two whenever we were running short on writers or just needed someone to double up. We leaned on one another whenever a particular article was frustrating us, and we spent many a meeting coordinating article layout and jokingly complaining about the work we all loved to do. All three managing editors were highly competent writers and great communicators, and none of the amazing issues put out by the KO News over the course of the year could have been possible without them.
Next, I want to give English teacher and faculty advisor for the KO News Cathy Schieffelin her flowers for all the time, effort, and patience she puts into the paper every month. She was always there to pick up the slack when I was struggling, or on the many occasions in which I had to miss a meeting or simply forgot we had scheduled one. She was endlessly accommodating, and a joy to work with over the past three years of my time on the paper.
Of course, I can’t forget about the wonderful KO News staff. They put their time and passion into every issue; I really can’t thank them enough for their dedication, and for putting up with me when I stressed out about late articles via strongly-worded emails. I truly value every word they penned into the paper over the course of the last year, and I look forward to seeing what many of them write next..
Finally, I want to thank my parents. Every time an issue of the paper comes out, I always stuff two copies in my backpack—one for myself, and another for my dad, who carefully leafs through every article and provides his own commentary to me at the dinner table. I never used to hear a lot of praise from my dad (he was never one for sentiments), so his compliments always felt genuine and hard-earned on my part. Sincere support from my parents has helped fuel my passion for the paper over the years, and I have grown to realize just how much this paper means to me.
I love the KO News. I loved being an associate editor in the features department in my sophomore year, sitting down for interviews with faculty and students alike and receiving both helpful criticism and glowing praise from my managing editors. I loved being the managing editor for opinions and reviews as a junior—though I sometimes wanted to tear my hair over the newfound responsibility, I was always intrigued by my fellow journalists’ thoughts and I enjoyed reading their work. This year, I loved being editor-in-chief. I loved giving my late nights, tired eyes, and throbbing headaches to editing; I loved the wrinkle of a new issue of the paper in my hand, the gentle hands of my mother turning a flimsy, off-white page at the dinner table as she squinted to read the words I had typed out for an entire student body to see.
I leave the paper I have loved so dearly in the capable hands of juniors Jordan Cipriano and Juliana Chipelo, as well as the amazing group of head and associate editors that will make up the body of the paper. To close off and say goodbye KO News, I have one last thank you to give. Thank you, KO, for letting me write for you. Whether it be taking the time to peruse every last article, or simply flipping to ones featuring you or your friends, or just taking a quick glance out of boredom and curiosity, the support the paper receives brings all of us closer together as a community. I have no doubt that the KO News will continue to inspire people like my younger self to write, communicate, and learn to lead. I can’t wait to see where the paper goes next.
