Lyndee McKay (Adviser): Wow. What a year. I think “unprecedented” is that word that keeps being tossed around… But guess what? You made it, which was certainly unprecedented! You made it through the hardest year of your school career, and I am so incredibly proud of the work you have done despite the circumstances. Sometimes it seems like the world is on fire, but your dedication to seeking the truth will help put out the flames. Stay informed. Take action. Be compassionate. And remember words matter.

Maggie Erekson (Editor-in-Chief): A lot of things in my life have been ending lately, with graduation and all, but I think the thing I’m going to miss the most when I leave high school is going to be the newspaper. Of course, there are the staff meetings and peer reviews and all that, but there’s also gossip and dance parties and just hanging out with such a cool group of people. Mrs. McKay, you’re just the greatest, and Emmie it’s been so much fun to wander the halls with you this year!  Goodbye Hillcrest and goodbye newspaper! This is Maggie Erekson signing off.

Emmie Manwaring (Copy Editor): Graduation. It’s finally here. Last day of class, that already happened. New friends-check. Memories-double check. Happiness-yup. Sadness-that’s happened too. Writing, my best friend. My voice. My passion. My stress relief. 

Journalism became an outlet for me. I learned to develop my writing skills and discover the power that comes from little black words typed up on a screen. I interviewed students, teachers, celebrities, and family. I’m glad sophomore Emmie decided to take Newspaper.

Find your passion and choose to be happy. Never stop writing and never stop learning.

I made one of my best friends in this class and I had a blast. I made so many new friends and saw many different personalities. Newspaper was an amazing experience!

Alaina Stonebraker (News Editor): I’ve never walked into such a deserted classroom, except when I took Secondary Math 2 over the summer, and that class only had 5 people. Newspaper this year was not much different. We started with a full class, and soon it dwindled down to only 10 fellow journalists to stare back at me when I walked in, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Our small class soon turned into a close-knit group of friends, and every class was filled with lively conversation and laughter. 

Although I never dreamed my high school experience would include solo motorcycle rides, a global pandemic, and small classrooms, I’m grateful for how much I’ve grown thanks to those unique circumstances. My senior year was a perfect storm; the perfect classes, the perfect schedule, and a perfect pick of teachers. Thanks to Mr. Hart, I learned my life’s purpose. Thanks to Mrs. Trelease, I honed my independence and appreciation for learning. Above all, thanks to McKay, I got the opportunity to learn that not all friendships are with students, but with teachers too. Make sure you value all those around you.

Newspaper was an amazing class, but it had an even better mentor. Thank you Newspaper, my friends, and thank you, McKay! Goodbye PawPrint! Alaina Stonebraker, signing off.

Amelya Scherschligt (Opinion Editor): I originally took this class so I would be able to have another year with the best teacher EVER, Mrs.McKay. I signed up for this class not even knowing we had a newspaper at Hillcrest. After a long and crazy year in this class, I met some new and amazing people. Even though during the last couple of months I have maybe been to class once because of golf, I will still miss this class so much! Thanks to everyone that has had to peer review my articles you guys are real ones. This class definitely made senior year more memorable! I will forever remember this class! Was a great year, peace out newspaper!! 

Kael McCleary (Sports Editor): Newspaper was a fun class that gave me a lot of time to work on my writing skills but also allowed me to talk to people that I might not normally talk to. I’ve gone through school with all of the seniors for four years now and have known who they are but not really anything about them. I’m grateful for the newspaper in challenging me to step outside of my comfort zone. Peace out, y’all.

Ella Walker: Though we most certainly weren’t the loudest staff the Paw Print could have had, I really am glad I decided to sign up for this class! I had fun and it was nice being able to count on a chill period at the end of the day to destress and clear my mind. I’ll miss all the seniors and their funny arguments and discussions, newspaper won’t be the same after they’re gone. It was a crazy Covid year, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Annie Healy: I can’t believe that this crazy school year is coming to an end. I think that it went by faster than normal, but it has also felt like the longest year. This year was very different from normal, but it was still awesome. I am really sad to see Hillcrest go, but I look forward to seeing what the future holds! I am so glad that I was able to learn so much about writing and myself as a writer in Newspaper this year. I was able to learn so much from writing my own articles to reading other people’s articles during peer reviews. I love how creative and fun this class is. I highly recommend taking Newspaper! Thanks, Mrs. Mckay!

Max Lepore: This year was freaking awesome! Seriously, the fact that we got a school year, had events going on, and had stuff to write about is such a blessing. Newspaper was such an awesome class to take because while it never caused me too much stress, I was always busy interviewing, writing, and overall just having a great time. I met a ton of new people, had a ton of great experiences, and learned a lot of amazing lessons. I’ll miss ranting to McKay about everything, but I’m super pumped for all of the awesome individuals who get to have a great time in Newspaper in the future. Cheers!