For the past couple of years, I have wished to someday be writing this article, certainly not because it would be my last for The Current, but because authoring this would mean I would have had the honor of being Editor-in-Chief of Ossining High School’s student-run paper. Now that “someday” has become “today,” my feelings have gone from hopeful to sentimental. I must admit being the Editor-in-Chief of Ossining’s first online paper presented its challenges, and I’ll probably be italicizing in my sleep next year, but I am also very proud to have been a leader and hopefully a teacher to those who make up The Current’s staff, and to have learned under the fabulous editors that came before me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to elevator music and not think of spending time in the library for layout or in 207 listing ideas for our next issue.

Now, enough of the inside jokes. In the future I’d like to see the paper grow, not just in size or popularity, but in passion and interest as well. I hope there is always a group of kids at OHS who have a passion for writing as well as for communicating their ideas. I don’t think many people know just how empowering being a student journalist can be. Being an editor has allowed me to attend district communications task-force meetings and even ask the New York State Commissioner of Education questions, the answers to which affect my life directly. In 10 years, I hope The Current will still be offering students a laugh and still be making them feel special when they are featured as athlete of the month, for their success in science research, or for whatever achievement their passions have led them to accomplish. I hope it remains a fun and accessible environment, where students can express themselves, but mostly just be heard.

The Current will always be special to me. It was my first introduction to what I hope to pursue as my career, and it has provided me with an invaluable creative outlet. To my staff and all those to come, always remember: be brave, be nimble, and when in doubt, use thesaurus.com.