On my first day of junior year, I walked into room 143 and knew it was where I belonged. I knew journalism was for me. Nora Toscano and Mrs. Magnuson, the Editor-in-Chief at the time and advisor at the time, appointed me Sports Editor and I was a journalism machine from there on out.
Nora and Mrs. Magnuson nurtured my newfound love for journalism and encouraged me as a journalist until I realized this was what I was meant to do. Without my friend Nora and my mentor Mrs. Magnuson, I never would have realized this passion and decided to major in broadcast journalism and make a career out of what I love. I cannot thank Nora and Mrs. Magnuson enough for believing in me, I will be indebted to them forever. The work done on The Warrior this year would not have been possible without Mr. Rafferty. Mr. Rafferty jumped on to the journalism wagon ready to help us as much as he could while he himself learned the ropes. He always thanks us for helping him, but he has taught us just as much as we taught him. Everyday, Mr. Rafferty comes into our second period class with a smile on his face, ready to get to business. I also owe thanks to my co-editor Madeline and our staff, a fellow senior, AJ Bardi, and underclassmen Jayla, Bria, and Miles as well as our reporters including my little sister and best friend, Keira. Thank you all for all of your hard work this year. I can’t wait to see where the paper goes with you all at the reins.
Perhaps the person most deserving of my thanks is Mrs. Malafis. Mrs. Malafis has been by my side since freshman year guiding me through everything from bad grades to personal struggles to helping me find my dream college. When I was making my junior year schedule, Mrs. Malafis remembered my love for writing and reading and suggested I give journalism a try. Her dedication to knowing each and every student she has as a guidance counselor and her chance mentioning of the journalism program lead to the discovery of my passion. Similarly, Mrs. Malafis’ suggestion that I check out SUNY Oswego brought me to an acceptance to my dream college where I will be continuing my journalism career. Thank you Mrs. Malafis for all you have done for me. There is a special place in my heart reserved just for you.
Additionally, I want to thank every teacher I’ve had in highschool for being part of this wild ride, especially Mr. Hunter, Mrs. Cassidy and Mrs. Douglas. Mrs. Douglas has been teaching me art since I was a student at Wantagh Elementary. She taught me ROY G. BIV in kindergarten and photoshop in eighth grade and she stood next to me as I hit submit on my AP Photo portfolio as a junior. Mrs. Cassidy and Mr. Hunter have been significant figures in my life since freshman year, Cassidy as my choral director and Hunter as the Cinematic Society advisor. I owe Ms. Kelly Jones and the Fine and Performing Arts Department an unpayable debt. Furthermore, this farewell would not be complete without mentioning Mrs. Combs. Mrs. Combs has been one of the most positive influences on my life for the last seven years. When I became friends with Amanda, Arielle and Holly all the way back in fifth grade, I never imagined how important of a figure Mrs. Combs would become to me, but now that I’m graduating highschool and moving five hours away to a new school, new town and new people, I know one of the things I’ll miss most is getting to see Mrs. Combs’ warm smile everyday.
At the end of the day, none of what I have accomplished in high school could have been accomplished without my family and friends. My family kept me going through burnouts and low points. My parents and siblings, and every aunt, uncle and grandparent asking to read the paper made all of the stress worth it. My best friends, Ellie, Amanda and Sam let me rant about deadlines and proofread my work whenever I asked. They were the most comforting support system for four years in highschool and I can’t wait to see the four of us go through college chasing our dreams.
Writing for The Warrior has been the greatest honor of my life. Seeing my work be accepted by my peers and my teachers as I wrote about what I love for a program I love has been the most rewarding experience I ever could have imagined for myself. Every article I have written has brought the eventual existence of this one to mind. With the publication of my last paper as Editor-in-Chief of The Warrior, I say goodbye to the journalism program and the family I became a part of here. As I wrote this, I could hear the “Scott Street” outro music playing on loop in my mind. I am looking back on every article I’ve written, every paper I’ve edited, and every achievement we have accomplished together and I know my time has come to say goodbye to The Warrior. Thank you to every athlete I’ve interviewed, every student who has approached me about an article and every teacher who kept me going through my editing burn-out. You mean the world to me and I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I am ending this journey with an immeasurable amount of gratitude in my heart and an immense sadness to be saying goodbye.
Anyway, don’t be a stranger. Thank you all for reading.