A Final Thank You to Our Readers and Staff for the 2022-2023 School Year

Amanda:

As the school year has slowly drawn closer to the end, so has my time as a member of the amazing 2022-2023 journalism staff. Although this sounds solemn, given the deep connection I’ve nurtured for four years with my peers, I also say this on a celebratory note, for every end marks a new beginning. This beginning is something I have been anticipating for so long and it is a legacy I hope to see expanded as I enter a new chapter in my life.

For Kat Torres, our new Editor-in-Chief, and Amanda Perez, our managing editor, my belief in you two is immeasurable, and I know with every fiber of my being that you two will be amazing leaders. The fact that I’ve seen this in under 11 months is a testament to your potential. Likewise, with such an amazing team of new section editors on your side, I find it hard to imagine a path that would not lead you to success.

There are so many feelings that I have about this class that I wish I could clearly translate into words, but not even that can capture it all. This class, and by that, I mean both the newspaper and yearbook staff, has always been a constant in my life. No matter what new challenges I expected to be thrown my way at the start of each school year, there was one class that I knew I could always find comfort in, and it is my peers who have created this atmosphere for me.

I may have known a few since middle school, and I may have met some of them this year, but time is not as relevant as the experiences they’ve each given me. Most importantly, that includes Mr. Lage, and though he always emphasizes that the class revolves around us, it is because of his guidance and encouragement that many of us chose the paths we did and became more of a family because of it. I look forward to how this class, under its new leadership, can become this and more for future members.

I hope that our love for this publication has translated into our work in the newspaper, as I believe that there is no greater collection of works that reflects our styles and personalities. With that, the only way to go from here is up, and as with tradition, The Talon newspaper will become greater and better under the more than capable hands of Kat and Amanda. Thank you to everyone who was part of the journalism family at any point in the last four years. I will forever value how much I’ve grown alongside you all and likewise, how much I’ve enjoyed seeing you grow.

Good luck to my friends and future leaders, although I doubt you will truly need it. While my graduation may be a bittersweet occasion, that sweetness definitely derives from how many happy memories I’ve shared with The Talon. Anthony and I are passing on the torch to you guys, so sprint with it, and carry on the growing legacy of this publication. For the last time, on behalf of The Talon staff, this is goodbye! Have a wonderful summer, and I hope to see all of our future falcons prosper next year. Thank you for reading with us!

Anthony:

I said in my rose ceremony speech that doing the same thing everyday for a long time can have a greater impact on people than many think. Thanks to the level of continuity that this class provided me with, I have been able to get even closer to my best friend, make many new ones, and establish a clear career path that I am determined to pursue in the future.

This class gave me a purpose, and accepted me at best, worse and in between. I do not know how I would have survived high school without the strength that my peers gave me. It also gave me a family outside of my home because I made every possible mistake there was to make throughout my four years in this class, and yet everyone still believed in me and pushed me to pick myself up and improve.

They say that it is easy to romanticize the past and look back at it with rose-tinted glasses, but that does not apply in this case. I will always cherish the journey, including the moments of struggle that were filled with feelings of hopelessness along with the subsequent highs we reached together by accomplishing our goals or simply by enjoying each other’s presences.

To the staff that is following us, you know very well by now that we believe in you. All of you are equipped with the tools to succeed and take this publication to newer, unforeseen heights. It is on you now to let them shine, and that comes with hard work and genuine love for the work that you put out.

Me and Amanda will forever miss supporting each other in interviews when we felt nervous, writing articles together, camping out in the class when we felt drained from a long school day, and many other timeless memories that will stay in our hearts for a long time. This class was our home for four long years and I hope that it remains that same loving environment after we are gone.