September 9, 2016|page 7
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|DESK
Personal pride means more than EDITOR’S external recognition DESK from the
Andrea Lirio Managing Editor
This summer, I spent about a week with 50 other Free Spirit Journalism Scholars. During that time, we explored Washington D.C., attended conferences led by professionals and bonded over allyou-can-eat meals. Created in honor of Al Neuharth, the founder of USA TODAY, and partnered with the Newseum, the Free Spirit conference was created to unite the country's best young journalists (one from every state and the District of Columbia) and educate them about pursuing careers in journalism. In those five days, I had the opportunity to meet a high school journalist representing each state and the District of Columbia. At first, I wanted to write my required reflection about how the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference was completely life-changing and revamped my view of the world, but if I’m being honest, it didn’t. I left feeling like the same young high school journalist that I was when I arrived. The one thing that stood out to me during the trip, however, was the pride and confidence that every scholar had when presenting their own publication. A normal introduction with a Free
Spirit Scholar would go a little something like this: “Hi. My name is ____. I am from ____ and I’m the Editor-in-Chief of my publication, ____." No matter who you asked, he or she had the same introduction. For some reason, the Editors-in-Chief (from whichever state or district) thought that it was important for us to know what position they held. Whenever the Editors-in-Chief asked a question during the conference, they would always introduce themselves
publications. They thought that their content was groundbreaking and publications superior. Why was that? They were just other high school publications, after all, and anything they published would have no effect on me. I reflected on my own publication, The Lion’s Roar, and why we believe ours is any different. We are a small, print publication in Newton, Massachusetts. We produce our paper for 1,800 students, 150 teachers and a handful of subscribers. None of the 50 scholars knew where Newton was or
What was the point in investing so much time in a publication that didn't impact people outside of our small community? the same way, as if they were expecting people to be impressed with their huge accomplishment. For me, however, their position meant nothing. They were from a small town and a small school that I had never heard of before. Why were they under the impression that they were special when there were 49 other Editors-in-Chief who were exactly the same? At one point, I spent time looking around the room and observing. The Editors-in-Chief were so proud of their
what The Roar was. So, why did I hold this much pride in a publication that held no importance to people outside of our small town? What was the point in investing so much time in a publication that didn’t impact people outside of our small community? Why is my position any different? What drives us to continue producing papers? Why is The Roar special? Being Senior Staff of The Roar, I was obviously different from all of the other scholars. I don't hold the same “Editor-in-Chief ” title
that they do, but I harbor the same pride. I am proud of the work we produce. When holding a position, it’s our responsibility to teach newbies, but it doesn’t mean we stop learning. We continue to produce papers almost every month because we are interested in improving our own skill sets. Every issue brings its own surprises and requires hard work. We work hard to create and edit what we print in the paper and that is why The Roar holds a great importance in my own life. I am proud of The Roar as a publication because I know how hard all of the staff works to create something that is above our own expectations. Although The Roar does not hold a significant importance for any of the other 50 scholars, the hard work is what makes the job meaningful. I am grateful for the chance to go to the Free Spirit Conference and be one of the 51 scholars. While I can’t say it was completely life changing, it gave me the opportunity to befriend people from other states with different experiences, meet professionals and reflect on my own dedication to a small school publication. So, I’m not saying Free Spirit meant nothing to me, because I learned something that the sessions didn’t necessarily teach: With good work comes pride. With pride comes good work.
Volume XXXIII The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com
Editor-in-Chief Mona Baloch
Managing Editors Andrea Lirio
Carina Ramos
Noah Shelton
Editors Features
Celine Yung
Centerfold Emily Belt Sophie Lu
Opinions
Copy Editor Aidan Bassett
Cassandra Luca Clare Martin
News
Sports
Michelle Cheng Jake Rong Kimia Tabatabaei Rachel Gu
Catherine Granfield Cam Miller Thomas Patti
Business Managers Distribution Manager Nikolas Lazar Timmy Leong
Suzie Na
Graphics Managers
Faculty Advisers
Karina Aguilar Josh Finkel Eunice Kim
Ashley Elpern Ryan Normandin
Webmaster Katie Collins
Photo Managers Bailey Kroner Kiana Lee