Evelyn Kuzminski
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
I officially joined my sophomore year as a staff writer and became the layout editor that same year, so three years with layout editor, one year as editor-in-chief.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
The first distribution day this year. We worked so hard to get that paper out. Mrs. Egger was out, and it was Cat and I’s first quarter as editors. It kind of felt like we hadn’t started senior year until we got an issue out.
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
I really love the opportunity to tell other people’s stories in the school community. When we’re writing stories, we feature the sports teams and the teachers, and we get to tell a lot of people’s stories. What I love about doing layout is that I get to feature our newspaper staff’s work.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
There’s a lot more to newspaper than interviewing. Interviewing is not as scary as you think it is. There’s just so much more that goes on.
Where are you going to college?
I am going to the University of Virginia. I will be majoring in cognitive science.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
Don’t be scared off by the thought that you’ll have to interview people or if you’re a good writer or not, or “I hate English,” because it’s completely different from all of that. It’s nothing like writing in English. There’s things you can do rather than just writing. Writing for the newspaper will make you a stronger writer and a stronger student.
Cat Pizzarello
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
I have been writing for the County Chronicle for three years.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
There are many, many memories, like every single distribution day, although there is a very specific one from last year. I think it was our distribution for the April Fools Edition. Everyone was down at the athletic entrance and we were passing out papers and jamming out to the music. It was one of those moments where I was like “I have a little community.”
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
How much it’s changed me as a person. After the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t really know many people. It definitely helped to already have this group of people going in like all of the editors. It’s all different grade levels so you’re really getting to see the full student body and you wouldn’t get to see that.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
I’ve learned that words are powerful. I think that that’s something that everyone should know, whether you like writing or not, you can use your voice and your words have meaning. I’ve learned that I can get out of my comfort zone and speak up for change.
Where are you going to college?
I am going to Virginia Tech, and I will be majoring in multimedia journalism.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
Don’t be scared. There is nothing in this world that should scare you. Everything that you believe scares you is actually just something that’s going to make you stronger.
Brianna Martinez
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
I took Intro to Journalism my sophomore year, and then Newspaper Journalism my last two years. I have been on the staff for two years.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
It would be meeting Taylor and Karan this year. Last year, I didn’t really have that many friends in the class, and I kept very much to myself. When I met the people this year, that was a defining moment, and I felt so empowered and happy to be on the staff.
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
It would have to be generating ideas off of people and working with the staff as a team. Trying to cover topics that are important and that need to be covered has been my favorite part. I have liked writing articles that have answered the questions that people are asking.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
I’m now a lot more open to making mistakes. If I make a mistake or have to make a bunch of edits, I now know that it’s just part of the process. I have grown to go with it and to learn from it. Learning how to be more patient has been the best part for me.
Where are you going to college?
I’m going to Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and I will be majoring in Journalism.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
Use your resources, bounce ideas off of the people in the class, and be open to making mistakes and making edits.
Sophia Casciano
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
This is my first year writing.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
I really liked when, at the beginning of the school year, we all stood outside and held up our first newspaper issue. That really just made me feel like we were more of an actual friend group.
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
I like that it’s chill and you can choose whatever you like to do. Mrs. Egger is super helpful, and I like that we are a little community.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
Not everyone is going to want to give you an amazing quote, but you’ve got to persevere and keep going. I’ve also learned that I can do a lot more than I think. Switching from creative writing to writing for a newspaper made me feel really confident in my writing.
Where are you going to college?
I am going to Virginia Tech, and I will be majoring in English.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
Give yourself time and grace when joining the newspaper. It’s definitely a transition and you’re going to get the hang of it, and it’s so much fun once you do.
Karen Martinez-Melendez
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
I have been writing for two years.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
Probably receiving rewards like donuts and pizza when we print, but also working with the people.
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
I like that you can write using your own writing techniques and perspectives.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
It’s not the same as writing for English. It’s very different.
Where are you going to college?
I want to join the army.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
High school is way better than middle school. You get more opportunities in high school than you would in middle school, and it’s not as bad as people make it.
Vivian Lun
How long have you been writing for The County Chronicle?
I’ve been writing for 2 semesters.
What has been your favorite memory from the class?
My favorite memory was learning how newspapers were preserved from our guest from the library downtown. It was so cool to read newspapers from the Loudoun area that dated as far back as the 1800s.
What is your favorite aspect of working for the newspaper?
My favorite aspect of working for the newspaper is the people! Even though I was the only in the class for the last half of my senior year, everybody was so fun and welcoming.
What have you learned, writing for The County Chronicle?
I learned that even though it may seem trivial, every event we write about is extremely important as a window for future generations to have a glimpse of what life was like for us. Just like how I learned so much about our past from the old newspapers brought in from the library, the newspapers we write today are equally as important for posterity.
Where are you going to college?
I will be going to Carnegie Mellon University. I will be majoring in architecture and will most likely minor in computer science.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to future freshmen?
Plan out what you’d like to write about before conducting interviews! Use your angle to form your questions, as this will make it a lot easier to get good quotes from someone.
