By Jordan Thompson
Staff Writer

As every new and returning member of The Sidekick, I am so relieved/excited/motivated to be back to work.

My summer was great, but what makes me content with leaving it behind is that I have one more year to do what I love-find stories, share stories, and keep them alive. And, what makes this year ahead even more promising, is that my team is full of writers, photographers, and graphic designers who feel the exact same way as I do and not only enjoy upholding the school paper but dedicate themselves to it. This year, the sidekick staff has been flooded with individuals who are passionate about journalism and many of them will be even after they graduate high school.

A school paper that has been as decorated as ours is the product of students who are not only talented but driven. Every year, a number of those students graduated, and the responsibility to maintain The Sidekick is willingly passed down to newcomers who are expected to be as fervent throughout the year as emerging news itself. Naturally, some of us get scared. Nobody wants to see the sidekick fall or even slightly sink below expectations. But when I look around this classroom, I sigh in complete relief. I relax a little. I don’t one still set of hands.
The think about being a staff writer is that when it comes down to it, everything really is up to you. A story will not be justified until the journalist takes it under their wing and spends the times needed to put the pieces together. Staff members can walk into class and sit back if they want to-as long as they turn in their stories by deadline it doesn’t matter when they get them done. To see each staff member typing away even on the very first day back to school when, honestly, there really isn’t much to do, satisfies me and then some.

I don’t even feel like I am expected to lead; in fact I just hope I can keep up. Regardless, readers this year will not be let down.