A senior farewell… Where do I even begin to express my gratitude for the Communications and Journalism Program?? How can I wrap up my four years of experiences in one single article?? Words can not express how nervous and excited I am for the next chapter of my life to begin because we all know college is a new and different experience unlike anything else. Though I am ready to say goodbye to high school and accept the change of college, one thing will keep me missing Manchester. That is the Journalism Program. I am saddened to be leaving the At-Cave. I remember just walking into Intro. To Journalism my freshman year, which feels like it was just yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time… Is that even possible?? I had Intro. to Journalism second semester meaning it started in February of 2020. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at first because most of our projects in the class either revolved around writing, photography, or yearbook… My freshman brain had no idea what I wanted to do in the class or even what I was good at. But one thing I knew for certain; I felt like I belonged in the class. I just had this gut instinct that I had to take journalism because it was for me. I had no clue what my calling would be for the course but I knew I had to try it out. And let me say, I had no idea what was in store… Because the entire world went on lockdown not even a month after my class started, I was virtual for the next year and a half. So, my journalism career started at my house, through a screen. One of my first assignments sophomore year was to write an article on a topic of my choice. At that time I had no interest in writing, for other classes it always felt like pulling teeth with me. But when I sat down to write about something I wanted, I found out that I actually enjoyed writing for pleasure. I published my first article in October of 2020 about what’s streaming on Disney+ and the rest is history… It’s crazy to think about how isolated I was in a program that was centered around communication. The sudden switch from remote to in-person school to me was difficult to say the least. But one thing helped me keep my head held high and that was the anticipation of going to period 3 everyday. Now over 200 articles later, I put my heart and soul into each and every article I write, edit, and publish. 

At first, publishing articles made me feel a bit vulnerable… Putting my work out there, for not just the school or Manchester, but the world. That’s one of my many loves about journalism, it’s one of the only classes where your work is seen and viewed and critiqued by so many even outside of our community. But growing as a writer also came with the extra confidence with releasing every new article. So, no, journalism is not just about yearbooks or writing. It is so much more. It means so much more to me. The extra support you have in the At-Cave are bonds people search for their entire lives. Finding such, in unexpected places, especially at Manchester, would be nothing without the heart of the program.

The unbreakable chain of the class is just the foundation of the program. Each yearbook we produce or article we publish adds to the legacy the program is sure to hold for years to come. 

So I’m writing this as a farewell from the 2021-2023 Editor. Though I’m leaving Manchester, one thing I’ll be sure will stick around is my legacy in the At-Cave.

I would like to humbly dedicate my entire high school career to the Communications and Journalism Program. Journalism and The Talon have helped me find my voice through my writings. Even though I have received many accomplishments with my time in journalism between receiving the title of Editor-in-Chief for my junior and senior year, being inducted into Quill and Scroll, publishing the final printed edition of The Talon, working my hardest to help redesign and revamp The Talon website, as well as being featured on the cover of the Manchester Times. All of these achievements can never add up to the connections and friendships I made because of the program. I found my passion in writing, learned life lessons with leadership skills as Editor, and made lifelong bonds with all the contributors in the program. Though leaving the At-Cave is bittersweet and the future is uncertain, I cannot express my excessive gratitude to Mrs. Ocone as she helped me find my niche. Leaving my legacy in the At-Cave, writing and editing for The Talon has helped me be the best version of myself I can possibly be. All of this could never have been done if it weren’t for my biggest motivator, Mrs. Ocone. 

So I guess it’s time to say goodbye to journalism and The Talon but we did have a pretty good run together… 

So as my final article of my high school career, let me leave you with just these few words; “Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!!”