In my sophomore year here at John Adams High School, during English, Mr. Nowicki came into our room and pitched the idea of joining the school’s personal newspaper. At first, I was not sure if I was intrigued, but after thinking about it over the following weeks, I decided that it was what I wanted to do. 

On the first day of school the next year, after my initial introduction to the class, I knew that I had made the right choice. I decided to join this class with more than twenty others, which gave me many opportunities to see other student’s thought processes and interests. As a result of the wide variety of topics that I was discussing, I became more invested in what was happening, not only locally, but around the world. The newspaper gave me a chance to meet new friends, as well as deepen the bonds I had previously made with other friends. Additionally, I learned many new writing methods and tips that would help me in both my articles and other classes, which allowed me to better express my thoughts while writing. 

Despite the change in teachers during the summer between my junior and senior years, the class maintained its inclusive and relaxed work environment, which was one of my favorite aspects of it. I was allowed to write about anything that I found interesting, which for the most part, was sports. I wrote numerous articles about various NBA trades and offseason signings, but, with one of my friends in the class, created the esteemed Ari and Isaac’s Super Sporty Spotlight, in which we found underrated athletes across all sports, many of which had either announced or entered retirement, and described not only their impressive statistics throughout their careers, but also the work that they put into the community when they were off of their respective court or fields.

Although I am not planning on being a part of any newspapers during my four years at Indiana University Bloomington, I will use all of the skills that I have learned throughout my two years in The Tower. I hope that in the years following my graduation, our newspaper continues to grow and affect more students and parents across the South Bend community.