A Falcon Farewell

Emily:

As a senior graduating in a world that is still grappling with the ramifications of Covid-19, my memory of high school is eroding. When I think back to my time at Ferguson, I’ll remember it as it once was: chaotic, diverse, and at times congested.

There are parts of high school life that feel planets away––existing only in memory. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to shimmy through the crowded hallways to get to my fourth period. There are other parts that I wish I could forget, like the red-hot embarrassment I felt when the lunch lady sang me happy birthday in the cafeteria over the loudspeaker. 

When I went back to campus recently to take my AP exams, what I found was a place that I no longer recognize. The school has successfully undergone a beautification project that has resulted in freshly painted buildings, new benches, and signage. A Silver Knight banner with my face on it that sits on the front fence, slouching towards 56th Street. I was physically at school yet completely disconnected from its social landscape. 

Online school and the changes brought on by the pandemic have tested the way I retell and remember my high school experience. As graduation approaches next week, I feel grateful for my time on The Talon and for the teachers who have unconditionally supported me. I’m incredibly fortunate to have gotten to know all of the staffers who have made the past four years unforgettable.

Kelly:

Producing a newspaper during a pandemic is no easy task. The journalism department at John A. Ferguson deserves a thank you for all they have done. From the newspaper staff delivering interesting and fresh stories to light, to the yearbook staff building a beautiful book virtually. 

Our newspaper staff has had to accommodate new routines like coming up with article ideas and giving feedback remotely. The editors for student life, entertainment, sports, general news, and other areas have done a wonderful job of maintaining a strong relationship with the editor-in-chief and the managing editor, interchanging unique articles to write and helping our writers improve their skills.

The staff writers have done an incredible job of adapting to the changes and preserving through it despite the difficulty. This year has been incredibly difficult when it comes to teaching new writers how to create story ideas or draft a proper article but our writers have taken what they have learned and turned it into gold.

A grand thank you to our editors and staff writers for taking the problems this school year has thrown their way and transforming it into lessons they will take with them forever. Without their dedication and work ethic, The Talon would not be the same. It is their modern ideas and original points of view that have allowed us to work together in maintaining the high quality we are used to producing. Publishing their articles during a pandemic is an unusual experience none of us have gone through, but this experience has brought us closer than before.

Being managing editor of the school newspaper this remote school year has been a unique experience. Neither of us would have expected overseeing The Talon our senior year from home but we did and we could not have done it without the help of our editors and writers. Crafting new ways of operating the newspaper from home and teaching next year’s editor-in-chief and managing editor how to run The Talon has been wild and we are proud to pass the role of editor-in-chief to Amanda Hernandez and the role of managing editor to Anthony Cruz. We know they will handle the newspaper with much care and elevate it to the next level. 

There will also be a podcast coming next year that will be managed by Aidan Linares. The podcast will feature interviews and stories told by those in our Ferguson community. Be sure to be on the lookout for the newest addition to the Ferguson journalism department.  

The Talon newspaper congratulates John A. Ferguson’s Class of 2021 for graduating during a year of isolation and new changes. Through these trying times, 2021 seniors will have learned from these challenges, causing them to be smarter and stronger along the way to adulthood.