Some people have matching bracelets. We have five wooden boxes.
Our past year as editors-in-chief has been our third year together on the newspaper staff and our eighth year of friendship. Our story started in fifth grade at Catoctin Elementary. Cat was crying in the bathroom and Evelyn was sent to her aid, the start of an everlasting friendship.
Following the isolation of 2020, we were reunited by The County Chronicle, sharing our journalistic interest. We wrote our first article together in 2021, a feature on students’ Thanksgiving Day celebrations. In 2022, our collaborative repertoire expanded to include a piece on the new bell schedule and a continuation of our Thanksgiving writing by highlighting students’ holiday traditions.
Together, we reinstated the infamous crossword, something we believe has brought color to the paper. Our favorite tradition that we’ve established, however, takes place on distribution day. Every quarter, we guard the athletic entrance, eager to show off our hard work to often unenthused students. Passing out newspapers is a strategic endeavor; you have to both time and phrase your greeting precisely to maximize circulation.
Distribution day is by far our favorite day of the year. We begin with a breakfast and caffeine stop, usually in the form of iced chai lattes, and carpool to school with other members of the newspaper staff. After handing out papers in the morning, we spend our first block filling the newspaper boxes around the school.
Prior to our time serving as editors-in-chief, we had seen that the newspaper boxes were outdated and still bore the name of County’s old mascot. Furthermore, many of the boxes didn’t fit the newspapers well, limiting the amount we could offer at a time and diminishing their visual appeal. So we took it upon ourselves to take charge and remedy the issue. We were determined to leave having made a tangible difference to The County Chronicle.
After conferring with principal Michelle Luttrell, we picked out new boxes, put on our tool belts, and took to our renovation. Several of the old boxes proved difficult to unscrew, but after a little creative engineering and girl math, we were successful. Never had two teenagers been so excited to wield a screwdriver, or to see a piece of wood attached to a wall.
As we conclude our final year on the paper, we want to start one last tradition. Similar to the entire senior class leaving their mark with handprints on a wall, we decided to leave our fingerprints on a newspaper box in the main hallway. It felt like the most full-circle way we could end our time with The County Chronicle. As editors come and go, we hope they too will continue our little tradition and leave their mark.
During the course of our time on the paper, we have grown to love every aspect of news journalism. However, we wish others would feel the same about our craft. There is so much more to newspaper than meets the eye. It’s not just interviewing and writing. It’s brainstorming, researching, networking, editing, designing, problem solving, and marketing.
Reading your school newspaper is not just a way to support the journalists of The County Chronicle. It’s a way to support the artists, athletes, activists, and all the other students and faculty whose achievements we showcase. Sharing others’ stories has taught us that with our words we can bring our school community together. Help us by taking interest in what we have worked so hard on.
In our years on the newspaper staff, we have stepped out of our comfort zones. We have met new people, learned new things, and built relationships that will last a lifetime. Newspaper has brought us closer to our peers by allowing us to see more clearly into their lives. Whether through peer editing, moral support for interviews, or facing ad sale rejection together, we have had each other’s backs in so many ways.
And of course, we have to thank Valerie Egger, our amazing advisor without whom the newspaper couldn’t publish each quarter. She has provided us with endless support and mentorship over the past three years. She’s seen the best and worst of our writing (and our attention levels), and she has guided us to become the students, journalists, and people we are today.
The next chapter of our lives comes with many uncertainties, but we are sure of one thing. Our time on the newspaper will not be forgotten. The people we have met and lessons we have learned will stay with us as our stories continue.
Since the fifth grade, we have had periods of closeness and distance within our friendship. As our senior year comes to an end, however, we realize there is nothing that can come between us (not even a couple hundred miles and a Cavaliers vs Hokies rivalry), and The County Chronicle will always be a part of our lives.
Newspapers are about impact. They strive to make a difference in their communities, but it goes both ways. The County Chronicle has made an impact on us, but we also hope we have made an impact on it, and we hope it continues to make an impact on you, the reader.
