By Amanda Tennant, staff writer
After two years, 10 issues, 37 articles, three different staff positions, and numerous laughs and jokes, it is time for me, Amanda Tennant, as editor-in-chief, to say goodbye to The Pulse.
As I write this farewell article, please know that this is a struggle for me to say goodbye to this paper, staff, and readership. However, it must be done and I will try not make this article into a sappy goodbye sentiment, but instead a heartfelt tribute about what The Pulse means to me.
I joined The Pulse at a critical point in my life. At the time, I was adjusting to many new changes. My sister had just left for college, I was juggling with my Advanced Placement class work, and overall, I was trying to discover who I was as a person. So in the face of these challenges, somehow I found myself in the newsroom of The Pulse. I admit, me joining The Pulse wasn’t exactly planned. I decided to join The Pulse on impulse after my sister convinced me that I needed to participate in a writing intensive class to improve my writing skills.
So, on the first day of newspaper I showed up as a little General Studies junior in a room full of Communication Academy seniors and I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing since I had never taken journalism. However, despite my lack of knowledge, I was still welcomed into the staff and rushed into the world of journalism. Soon, I was learning how to set up interviews, utilizing Associated Press style, and trying to figure out the overly complicated program known as InDesign. Plus, my writing was improving. I no longer was anxious if everything I wrote down wasn’t perfect the first time and instead learned how to draft and structure and to just enjoy writing. By the end of 2015, I had an entire year of newspaper under my belt and was ready to show my stuff in senior year. And we have accomplished a lot this year. We have produced all five issues, brought back a comic page, improved the website, and have even pioneered an Indian Trail radio segment show for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside radio station. Also, this year I have produced my best work. I am extremely proud of my writing this year and I am looking towards expanding my skills by learning photography and radio production.
However, everyone who has had the pleasure of interning at The Pulse knows that we are more than just a school newspaper: We are a family. I have never been around such welcoming and friendly people in my life, let alone having the opportunity to work with them. For every hardship, every deadline, every laugh, every cry, the entire staff is there for each other and ready to help someone up after they fall. I have never became so close to my classmates as I have in The Pulse. I don’t have to be afraid to by myself or ask for help. I can laugh and joke around, but still get work done and accomplish many things.
However, even our rag-tag staff of punk kid journalists would not exist without one person: Jane Rider. Rider (or newspaper mom as we affectionately call her) is the most amazing teacher I have ever known. She is so passionate about journalism and she inspires us to go out there and get the story. She motivates us to think of the paper as our own and to take pride in our endeavors. But she isn’t just a fearless journalist- turned-teacher, she is also a wonderful person. Every time something goes wrong, she is there to listen to us and to give us advice. She has created a safe haven for us to be who we are. Whether we are just trying to get on the boat or attempting to spell the word timpani, she is always there to support us and laugh with us and help us become better journalists and people.
Lastly, without you the reader, The Pulse wouldn’t be where it is today. Thank you for buying our coffee and reading our issues and giving us feedback. Your readership is what makes this paper worthwhile.
In the end, I am happy that I made that impulsive decision that day to join The Pulse. This newspaper has been incredible for me the past two years and I am so thankful to have been apart of it.
So, even though I will closing out for the last time, I will never forget how good The Pulse was to me and I will take the lessons I have learned from this newspaper and keep them with me for the rest of my life.