Over the past four years, my experience with the CHS RoundUp and Quill & Scroll has been transformative. What began as a small curiosity evolved into a defining part of my high school identity. It helped me shape my voice, sharpened my investigative and creative skills, and reignited my passion for storytelling. This will be my final story to be published on the RoundUp site, as it is my final year of writing and publishing on it.
Freshman Year
Coming from a middle school where the newspaper club was largely inactive and used by the Student Council, when I saw and heard that Clements had a newspaper class and club, I was eager to join it, as it was dynamic, somewhat active, and most importantly, it was a student-driven publication. At first, I needed to join the journalism class to truly begin to learn the foundations for it. While I was there, I learned about how to join the class for newspapers and the club Quill & Scroll. I found a platform where I could grow as a writer and contribute to a bigger and more meaningful form of media. Despite my initial doubts about my writing and creative abilities to craft stories, I was determined to improve and make my place in Journalism I, so much so that by the end of freshman year I got to meet my editor-in-chief of two years.
Sophomore Year
At the start, I was picking up on a rough personal start since I began to search for jobs to do on the side to earn money and job experience. This would also mark a huge turning point as I began to understand the nuances of journalistic writing like the four major ways of writing in this field, news, feature, editorial and column writing, as well as learning how to craft compelling stories. I was also delving into photography, since as a child I always had a fascination in that sort of aspect, so I began to sign myself up for sport events too. I began to learn how to balance writing for the newspaper and taking photos, and how they can tell a story in multiple forms and angles.
Junior Year
As sophomore year came to an end and junior year began, I realized that I had a clear passion for writing news and column pieces for the newspaper. I juggled my academic classes with my duties as part of the publication site. I tried to become more well-rounded by taking photos for many events, not just of sports but also dances and Senior Sunrise and Sunset for the Class of 2024, and by also writing more articles about major events. This period also solidified my commitment to not just writing in journalism, but it made me open up about my personal life, personal stories I wanted to tell for a while but never had the ability to do so, since prior to this point I did not have the confidence needed to really push myself. It made me appreciate the class and level of collaborative effort that went behind it all. I also began to know my fellow peers and form great memories with them that I will cherish forever.
Senior Year
Finally, as senior year began to unfold, I found myself really thinking about my future and gravitating towards my initial love for creative writing. This year, I ended up taking a step back from publishing my normal form of articles, and ended up writing more column and review stories for shows I have watched or places where I began to go out more often since my job kind of takes me everywhere. It also allowed me to express more of my perspectives more freely. This also made me realize how I began to write for my own personal stories. It reminded me of why I started this journey: to tell stories that resonate and reflect the world around me.
As graduation day comes closer and begins to expand my wings onto bigger horizons, I am beginning to realize that being a part of the CHS RoundUp and its club Quill & Scroll, has been an invaluable experience. It taught me the art and power of storytelling, the importance of perseverance, and the impact of a dedicated team. I now carry a powerful tool , not just a portfolio of photographs, articles and drawings, but a rekindled passion for the creative arts. I am grateful for all the stories I was able to tell, the memories I was able to form, and every lesson I learned along the way.
Thank you to the staff for all the years I have been in it, as well as all of my fellow peers who made the class for what it became, and a major thank you to Mr. Clayton for all the help that you have given me along the way!
