Pictured from left to right: co-editor in chief Sophie Yang, managing editor Katherine Dominek and co-editor in chief Dylan Carlson Sirvent. All are part of the graduating Class of 2019.
Alas, that time of year has come. Most of us are counting the days until summer—our deserved break from school. But for us seniors, we’re counting the days until the end of high school, becoming all the more excited and anxious as our futures loom over us. Whether that’s attending college or trade school, taking a gap year, starting a business, or something else, us seniors are entering a new stage in our lives.
And, to be honest, it’s scary. It seems to be that all our lives we’ve waited with excitement for high school graduation, but now that it’s really here, we’re nostalgic. What and who we took for granted for so many years now seems so precious—that shoddy classroom you secretly love or the secret hallway friend of yours. In this issue, we decided to look to both the past and future. For the Spotlight, 13 incredible seniors wrote about their high school experiences and reflected on their favorite memories and immediate futures. And with Senior Destinations, we see the emerging Upper Arlington diaspora, spreading to places as far as Hawai’i and Colorado and as near as Columbus and Dayton.
In “Bridging the Gap,” Sophie highlighted the stories of two seniors taking a gap year to study in China and Europe. On a more nostalgic note, senior Arlingtonian staff members discuss their favorite memories working on staff, from writing impactful stories to staying so late at school that they get kicked out of the LC. Additionally, we draw from our experiences to advise current underclassmen on how to get the most out of high school and the college process.
This year, the Arlingtonian has undergone a lot of changes: reducing our previous 9 issues a year to 5 for a greater online presence, traveling to Chicago for a Journalism Education Association conference, focusing on issues most pertinent to the student body. We have been so fortunate to have been part of this change and have heard all your feedback to our past 4 issues. The benefit has been mutual. Journalism has allowed us to tell your stories, but it also has exposed us to students that we never would have talked to otherwise, and it has given us memories to last through our lives.
So as we prepare to move on with our lives and leave UAHS behind, we hope you continue to realize the power of stories. To appreciate the now, to appreciate those around you—to pause take in all that’s happening around you. If we have learned anything from our three years on the Arlingtonian, it’s that each and every one of you has a story to tell, kindness to share and the power to effect change.
— Dylan Carlson Sirvent and Sophie Yang, Arlingtonian 2018-19 co-editors in Chief