This past year I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with a team of student writers to create a very special newspaper. Many looking from the outside might not identify our newspaper as “exceptional,” but behind the scenes one can see the many gears of the process fitting together ever so perfectly to create a well-oiled machine. Between the gears is really where all the magic happens. None of us (including myself) are expert writers, but by working together and bouncing off each other, we can really find a cohesive union of ideas through a collaboration of various perspectives from bright individuals.

Our process may seem tedious at times, but its productivity is derived from its innate checks and balances. Each week the editing team decides from story pitches what stories we would like to see in the next edition. We, as students, are the real target market of the newspaper (there are also other niches we take into consideration, such as parents and teachers) so we can really pick out intriguing and clever stories that would appeal to us. Then we delegate out all of the stories to writers who feel passionate about a certain subject or event, and assign them specific editors to oversee the story (feature, news, in-depth etc.).

After the writers get about two weeks to research and write their stories, they give it to their respective editors. The job of our editors is to really delve into the subject and dig deeper by asking why? and how? This is the part where we unfortunately have to cut a lot of what we call fluff. Our editors operate with the mindset of each word must be necessary to the story. After that stage our Copy Editors, Kenzie Weller and Brady Becco, use a fine-tooth comb to check each story for grammatically parallel writing. Luckily we have a great team of editors so my job, as managing editor, is quite easy— I occasionally ask for an additional statistic or quote to implement into the story.

I can personally attest to the fact that my entire staff has improved their writing and editing skills. Not only have they shown a tremendous amount of growth but also they have really changed their perspectives to be more open minded. Criticism, for example, is one of the keystone pieces of our journalistic work and at the beginning, many of us had difficulty allowing our peers to openly criticize our writings. Now, I am able to see a respectful exchange and collaboration of ideas to formulate the best possible stories. I could not be more proud with the group I was blessed with conducting. From the abilities they have demonstrated to me, I know each and every one of them will be committed to achievement, rigorous in their analysis, and passionate about their projects, which are zealous qualities that they will carry throughout their careers.

Writing is a really unique thing and at times it can be quite hard to voice your opinion, but even more so when your writings will be online forever. If you know any of the journalists in this newspaper, please congratulate and acknowledge their work. I will personally attest to all of the hard work put in behind the scenes. To all of our viewers: Don’t cry, even though this is my last edition of the Jetstream it certainly will not be its last. We know we have created something special and hope to see our choppy beginnings morph into an iconic legacy.