By Eileen Wang
Dear Eastside News Family,
What an amazing journey it’s been with all of you! It’s incredible to me that the first club I joined in high school was newspaper club, and now I have the privilege to close off my high school experience with this letter to you, my fellow newspaper buddies. It’s a perfect full circle moment.
During the pandemic in 2020, I felt distant from my friends, classmates, and teachers, connected to them through only a screen. Making the transition from middle school to high school was already a difficult enough task in itself, but now with the exacerbated effects of the pandemic, my stress only increased. However, located in the center of a hurricane of endless Google Meets and homework was the eye of the storm — Eastside News — a calming, sunny presence. Mrs. Lanzone and Mr. Huber never failed to uplift us with their effervescent smiles and comforting words, and other members in upper grades were welcoming and supportive. Looking back, joining my first newspaper club meeting over Zoom was and still is one of the best decisions I’ve made in high school.
Eastside News continued to bring joy to my life the next three years after quarantine. Every Wednesday, I would look forward to newspaper club meetings, discussing new ideas for the next issue, and planning out Coffeehouses. And of course, I love talking to Mrs. Lanzone, Mr. Huber, and all of you! Honestly, we would all get above a 5 in AP Yap 🙂 That’s what makes our club truly special — the people and the memories. I still fondly remember the days where my fellow cream cheese thief and enthusiast, Amanda, and I would take half of the stick of cream cheese on bagel Wednesdays, my conversations with Mrs. Lanzone about gymnastics and our baking fails (especially that dreaded poke cake), and the 12 AM grind sessions I had with Pen in trying to design menus for Coffeehouses. Even the “stressful” times when we fell behind on orders at Coffeehouse didn’t feel so bad because I had full faith in our team that we would find a way to pull through together and regain our momentum. Our teamwork and the supportive community we’ve fostered throughout the years make me proud to be an Eastside News member.
Now, as I look forward to college, I want to leave you all with this final message. As an avid Titanic and Jack Dawson fan, I feel obligated to present you with one of my favorite quotes, “To make each day count.” Four years is a deceptively short amount of time. If you take each day for granted, your time in high school will fly by right before your eyes. I encourage you all to set aside some time each day to do things you love to do, reflect on the small, meaningful moments, and set goals for yourself.
I cannot wait to see our club continue to grow and shine in the upcoming years. I would say good luck to all of you, writers and editors alike, but I know you won’t need it because you all are capable of achieving so many wonderful things and will undoubtedly take newspaper club to new heights. Thank you everyone for being an integral part of my high school years, and I hope you all continue to write, make memories, and enjoy the ride!
