In the midst of a situation that has globally impacted everyone, I am not here to talk about COVID-19, quarantine, or the beginning of “normalcy” after losing many months being stuck inside our houses. However, me and everyone at The OCSA Ledger want to say one thing to the 2020 class, and the seniors graduating on staff: Congratulations. Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far. Though it is not what we expected, we are doing it–we are graduating.

We have been through trials and tribulations the last four years of high school; some, who have been at OCSA since sixth grade, have been here for seven years total. Now that the time has come for us to move on, many of us are probably not feeling the same excitement as we would have before the pandemic. You have the right to feel the way you do, whether that is mad, angry, sad, scared, or maybe even optimistic for what the future holds. But for now, I want to take this time to recognize the amazing staff on The OCSA Ledger who have produced incredible, unbiased articles that spewed reliable information to our community, campus, and the people of Osceola County for many years.

From the outside, we may make it seem like running a timely and productive school newspaper is easy. However, from the inside, we have a small staff of dedicated students who work extremely hard to ensure quality articles are written and published on a daily basis. Some of us seniors have been on staff since our sophomore year (the earliest you can join) and having to say goodbye to upperclassmen peers while welcoming newcomers along the way. Now, it’s our turn to say goodbye…and it’s a hard thing to come to terms with. We have put in hours of studying the art of news and journalism, while working to be the best reporters we can be. Training and working to develop skills that will benefit us in the long run, we have come a long way from the novice reporters we were before.

I want to thank Mr.Capley, our editors, previous editors, and peers that have pushed me to understand the importance of journalism and gave all of us an outlet to inspire others in our community. Through newspaper, we have found ourselves in the midst of deadlines, stress, pressure, and a little bit of friendly competition. We’ve learned that the best kind of news is the news that serves a purpose in building communities and supplying information to citizens in order to develop their own opinions. We’ve also learned that the best kinds of school newspapers are the ones surrounded by friends, crazy mentors, and the best laughs of your life.

I’m extremely blessed to have three amazing years of The OCSA Ledger under my belt. I’m proud of the senior staff and underclassmen who have put so much energy into making this newspaper one of the best. For those who follow in our footsteps, don’t take it for granted. Don’t walk too fast to class. Don’t skip out on that school event. Laugh a little longer with your friends at lunch. Create special bonds with your teachers. Find the good things in each day.

And to those rising up in their careers on newspaper staff, in the words of Mr.Capley and all the editors who’ve come and gone: turn in your articles. Congratulations class of 2020. Goodbye OCSA Ledger and hello to our future.