May 29, 2026 officially marks my last day as a writer and the editor-in-chief of The Tower newspaper. My two years writing for John Adam’s beloved newspaper infrequently felt like a standard class. Instead of new units and homework, staff have the responsibility of finding their own topics and researching independently alongside a consistent two-week deadline. For me, the newspaper became the place where I could pour my passion into my writing without having to adhere to specific prompts. While creative freedom is my favorite aspect of writing, structure is equally, if not more important (Thank you, Mrs. Taylor-Serrano)! Structure elevates ideas and writing into digestable, informative and thought-provoking articles. Knowing the steps to writing well in order to appeal to and educate your audience influences your own knowledge and critical thinking skills.
The highlights of my time writing for The Tower revolve around my creative expression. If I had to name three of my favorite articles, I would choose, “Sinners…,” “The Importance of Physical Media,” and, “The Importance of Superheroes for Children.” I cherish these articles because of the research process, which is rooted in my passion for anthropology. Even though most of my articles explore my favorite media, writing about the films, series and music I like, easily gets repetitive and begins to look like I’m just talking about cool stuff. Therefore, I have an expectation as a writer to structure my interests (in writing) around real world problems such as history, current major events/crises and social life.
Another one of my favorite aspects of being a part of The Tower is seeing the perspectives of each of my classmates through their writing. As an editor, being able to help a writer improve while continuing to hear their voice and thought process in their writing is so special.
An expectation that comes with school-associated journalism is knowing your audience, and in doing so, it is important to spotlight current events that affect your community while communicating it in a way that is understandable and informative. For example, writing about a major event occurring within the government that will affect most Americans should be delivered with language that is understandable to a younger audience. Whether it is on a city level or a worldwide level, it is important to share accurate and in-depth information.
For underclassmen (with or without an interest in newspaper), high school should be the opportunity to develop a skill of any kind that will stick with you throughout adulthood, whether it is social, artistic, writing or even based in math. Writing in school can seem like another graded expectation that does not serve much purpose in the real world, but it is important to understand that writing is greatly influenced by reading comprehension. It is incredibly easy to be taken advantage of because of an inability to understand something in writing, like legal documents and contracts.
Spending time writing in school, especially in a class like newspaper, fosters important skills such as critical thinking skills in both reading and writing, but also self expression, creativity and communication. Developing such skills greatly benefits and protects you in life! To any underclassmen looking for an outlet to express creativity, improve reading comprehension beyond a required English course, or light a fire under their passion for informing the community, I greatly recommend taking up newspaper!
It is important to remember that participating in a class does not have to have a similar impact for everyone. You can take a class for a variety of reasons unrelated to your interests, or maybe your passions lie in a totally different area. When speaking for myself, I can say that as I graduate, writing for The Tower fostered a sense of community and joy in self-expression and educating, which influences my passion for my life and future career, but also accentuates my gratefulness for my friends, educators, peers and anyone who has read and supported my work!
