As the year comes to an end and the seniors move on, I am grateful for the people who run this school. We’ve got some amazing teachers and administration, and this journalism program has some fantastic writers.

The support of Mr. Tapia has meant so much to this newspaper staff and to me personally. From the very beginning of the school year, I could tell he was in our corner because he put a link to the Red Ink’s website on the district homepage without any of us asking him to do so; we had not had this kind of support before. As student journalists, we usually rely on school administration for information, and he has always been more than willing to answer any questions we have. He has been supportive of every print issue this staff has put out this year, even when some of us had to write pieces on hard, emotionally draining topics. His support extends beyond newspaper into every other club and school activity. He can be found at every band and choir concert, FFA banquet, home game, and a million things in between. I think I speak for more than just the newspaper staff when I say we are grateful for his support and involvement.

Dr. Miller is also someone who has shown his support from the very beginning. He has been key in making me the writer and person I am today. I remember taking entire class periods to draft emails to him to get an interview when I was a scared little freshman. Now, interviewing him is the highlight of any story I write. If I had never sat down and talked with him throughout the years, I would probably still be the same nervous interviewer with every person I encountered. As a journalist, Dr. Miller has helped me grow. He has always explained difficult issues and hard policy concepts in simple terms that made sense to me and the other staff members who have had the privilege of interviewing him. It is clear that he genuinely cares about everything going on in this district, and with students like me on a personal level. His patience, extensive knowledge, and humor will all be things I will miss during my senior year at Red Ink.

I am also grateful for Red Ink’s advisor, Ms. Deirdre White. She has put in so many hours outside of class to help us make the print issues amazing. Every time I would come in with a few others on Saturday’s to meet deadlines, she was there. When it was just me and a couple staffers trying to get the paper done at 10:30 at night, she was there, hyping us up, buying us Domino’s, and pushing us to do our best work. She has helped immensely with my writing and wasn’t afraid to show me some tough love when the leads or stories I wrote sucked. I am thankful for her patience with me as I tried to figure out how to manage the staff this year.

Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for the people I work with in this journalism program. They have made this year so much fun, even though the class was first thing in the morning and I usually came to school in that morning haze.