Attending school at LCHS has been an interesting four years. It’s hard to even imagine that I once was a freshman who was so quiet and reserved that I barely talked to anyone in my class. Even though I’m not the most extroverted or communicative person, I do feel that I’ve grown a bit more to speak on my thoughts that I feel are needed to be seen. My freshman year was filled with moments of finding new things for myself like my focus elective. I was confused about so many things and what I wanted to do for my future.

As the beginning of my sophomore year in high school approached. I had signed myself up for Digital Arts 2. I hoped that I could learn more about graphic design and Photoshop. Although I wasn’t too sure what elective focus I wanted,  I felt that Digital Arts was a right fit for me. As I entered my first class of that semester in Digital Arts, I realized it wasn’t what I had expected. Turns out my teacher, Mrs. Wallace had changed my class to Journalism. Once I realized this, I was honestly mad about the switch-up. There wasn’t anything wrong with the class or classmates, but my expectation of Journalism was that I would have to write so much. 

Even though this idea was somewhat true, Journalism was a class far beyond the articles written or the photography in yearbooks. Many memories were made in just one classroom. Seats filled with multiple people that I never knew would soon be close to me as years passed. We would spend numerous days and months together in one classroom trying to create something more than we could ever imagine. Each year we were set with a different theme for the yearbook. We build around this one topic and design a book compiled with numerous memories. By the end of the year, we showcase it to our peers as a gift to demonstrate the things they’ve accomplished in one school year.

It’s extremely insane when you realize the vast amount of people there are in LCHS. I didn’t even realize we had so many students until I joined Journalism. Talking with a different person every day to get quotes and hearing stories of their lives, motivated me to continue staying in Journalism for three years. Even if some quotes weren’t the best or the person was not the most polite, Journalism made me come out of my comfort zone to try communicating with people that have different backgrounds and beliefs.

Throughout each year of high school, I’ve gotten closer and happier with the people around me in LCHS. I’ve made close friends and talked to many people I’ve never met before. I still can’t comprehend how much time has flown by. So much has changed from friends, my personality, my interests, etc. Even with COVID happening in the mix of it all, I still had a blast finding new opportunities and getting to know my classmates.

Now being a senior, I feel accomplished that I tried my best to live the school year the way I wanted. I was lucky enough to go on a trip to New York during Spring break. It was a moment in my life that I’m immensely grateful for. Site-seeing famous landmarks in NYC was fun, especially with classmates close to me. Going on a trip to a destination I’ve always wanted to travel to was a memory I could never forget.

For that reason, I am so thankful for every person from Journalism that puts their full efforts into creating a yearbook for our school. Our yearbook editors, Emma Cubberley, and Brooke Ion, have done such an amazing job in displaying the hard work our Journalism class does for our school. In addition, I’m thankful for our newspaper editors Hadley Kembel, and McKenzie Powell. They’ve read so many articles, that I can’t even think of how they manage their time with so much reading. Furthermore, I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made along the way each school year, they’ve always supported me and made me laugh when I was feeling down.

Overall, I’m so thankful for Mrs. Wallace because even though I was extremely quiet when I first had her class, she’s always made me feel comfortable in Journalism. Not only has she made it possible for me to be more open in talking to many students, but I’ve also learned so much about writing, time management, photography, and editing. I feel like she’s guided me into knowing what I truly want to do in the future. Therefore, although I was mad at first, I’m extremely happy now that Mrs. Wallace switched my class.

– Rebecca Herrera