Logan Skrzypek ‘27, Copy Editor
If you walk into Mrs. Emily Kane’s room on a random day of the week during the third hour, you would probably not anticipate how much work actually happens there. Someone is interviewing a teacher in the hallway, another student is struggling with writing a headline, and a few people procrastinate writing as they actually talk about their weekend. It is a class that somehow balances real deadlines with the kind of energy only high school students can produce. This year, that energy has been shaped almost entirely by the 15 seniors who run the place.
Writing for Publication (The Lions’ Roar Student Newspaper) is technically a class, but it feels more like a small community that happens to publish an entire newspaper each month. Each student writes two articles while juggling interviews, drafts, edits, and layout designs all-in-one. The process is cluttered in the same way that all creative work is messy. Draft week usually starts with confidence and ends with everyone typing faster than they probably should. Editing week is a pool of comments, suggestions and the occasional “do not forget this AP style rule!” By the time an article is finished, it has been passed around so many times that it almost feels like a group project.
The seniors are the ones who make that whole system work. Social Media Managers Bayleigh Mathews and Alexa Ford keep the paper visible on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Business and Ad Manager Allen McCallie handles the behind-the-scenes details that no one else fully understands but everyone depends on. Circulation manager Anderson Cerney is the reason the paper actually reaches classrooms instead of sitting in a stack in the commons. Senior photo editor Zoey Cunningham has saved more than a few articles with last-minute photos that somehow look like they were planned all along.
The senior section editors—Lilah Birdyshaw for news, Carter Scott for entertainment, Abby Laurie for student life, and Gavin Montijo for sports—shape the voice of the paper without ever making a big deal about it. Birdyshaw is steady yet energetic, Scott knows every piece of pop culture before it even exists, Laurie finds the stories hiding in everyday student life, and Montijo can recall sports stats and headlines that are more appealing than others. Copy editors Bre Swiech and Nathan VanSteenkiste quietly fix the mistakes the rest of us pretend we did not make. Layout designer Cooper Lewis turns all of our chaos into something that actually looks like a newspaper, and editors-in-chief Mady Furstenau and Sloan Jambor hold everything together, answering questions, solving problems, all whilst still writing their own stories.
For the sophomores, the seniors have been more than leaders. They have been the people who made the class feel welcoming, fun, and worth showing up to even on the days when nobody felt like writing. “I am grateful that I got to spend this much time with as many seniors in this class as possible,” sophomore and opinion section editor Harlow Bidwell said. “Even with the short period of time I was with them, they have impacted me as a person and a writer so much with their talented energy and bubbly personalities.”
Sophomore and photo editor Luke Rector said the seniors shaped the atmosphere of the class: “They bring a great vibe to the classroom.” He continued, “It would not be the same without them. They are super fun to be around, and I will definitely miss them when they leave high school.” Sophomore and feature editor Lily Jackson agreed, adding that the seniors set the tone for the year: “The seniors in this class never fail to put a smile on my face, when I’m not busy writing I love joking with them and having conversations I can’t have with anyone else.” She added, “One of my favorite memories was participating in ad day with Cerney and Lewis, they made me feel comfortable and helped introduce me into what writing in the newspaper would be like.”
As these seniors get ready to graduate, they leave behind more than articles and bylines. They leave behind a class that feels different because of them—a class that taught us how to write, how to edit, and how to work together even when everything felt last-minute. Next year’s staff may be smaller, but the lessons they have passed down will stay with us. The Lions’ Roar will look different without them, but it will still carry their influence in every issue. If you have ever wanted to write, interview people, or just be part of a class that pulls the writing, the designs, and friendships all together collectively, consider joining us next year. We could use a few new voices and characters that make the Lions’ Roar what it is.
Lyon Life 