I can confidently say that my short time writing for the Roaring Gazette made me genuinely look forward to going to class.
I’ve always said that I love to write and read, but for a couple years I didn’t get to be as creative in my English classes as I would have liked. I got bored of the same wordy assignments and lectures, and stopped trying as a result.
Before the stressors of high school, I had grown up reading and writing nearly every day. When I was a baby my mom would read to me for hours, she’s always said I was completely engaged in any story she told me. When I could read on my own, I would find and re-read every picture book my family owned until I basically had the stories memorized.
When I turned ten, my parents bought me blank paper booklets for me to write my own stories in. I think they still exist in some box deep in the garage, but from what I remember, they were filled with makeshift fairy tales and pictures I drew myself.
In a few of my high school classes, I’ve been assigned a project in which I had to write a short story with some sort of premise.
In astronomy I wrote about a planet killing asteroid that caused a woman and her dog to evaluate the good parts of life on earth’s last day.
In VA US history I hand-wrote a paper about a girl who time-traveled back to the Revolutionary War and saved an ancestor that henceforth changed the course of history.
In naming these stories I hope to explain that writing has always been a part of my life.
I feel like writing in a concise and eloquent way really helps me make sense of things I wouldn’t know how to express otherwise.
For the Roaring Gazette, I’ve written stories about the girls soccer team, the 2024 Oscars, how to manage stressors and schedules, and I’ve even written a review on Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album!
All these have been my ideas and interests, and I haven’t minded going the extra mile once.
That’s why journalism class has given me the chance to be completely creative in what I write, and is another reason why I’ve been able to become more engaged in school itself. My classmates in journalism and I have had to work together to publish multiple issues, delegate roles, and brainstorm ideas throughout the entire semester. It’s been so fun to put out stories that are personal to Tallwood, and at the same time feel like you’re contributing to something that will remain here even after you graduate.
With that being said, I graduate in less than two weeks on the day I publish this feature, and I’m so happy knowing a piece of me will remain here at Tallwood regardless of where I go.
