I have always been an opinionated person. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had strong convictions that I was right about pretty much everything, and nothing brought me more glee than sharing my views with any available ears (mostly my mom, who was forced to listen). While Redwood lacked a speech and debate competition, it did have a rather thriving community of writers who voiced their opinions in the named section of the Redwood newspaper. That is what initially drew me into Bark.

Every day in my freshman English class, long before I knew what Nonfiction or Advanced Journalism even were, I would read every opinion that Bark had to offer. I read over 100 opinions, some dating back to 2011. I knew after those hours spent reading that the Bark was my Redwood outlet for opinions.

However, as soon as I joined Advanced Journalism, I found much more than just a place to articulate my political convictions -– I discovered a thriving community of passionate high school journalists all bent on one mission: to make a difference however they could. All of my desires to debate and argue left me at the door.

As Editor-in-Chief, I have had my fair share of struggles. From forgetting some of the lesson plans (thank you, Erin, for the help) to having to redesign a cover 15 minutes before we sent it to the printer, every day certainly brought a new challenge. And while I would like to say that I fostered a fantastic community of Barkies who grew and learned under my leadership, that wouldn’t really be the case. I have just been fortunate enough to collaborate with all of the fantastic people in seventh period, who are the reason I look forward to Bark every day.

To my other EICs, thank you for all the time we spent together, from each nightly FaceTime to our frantic story around Reading Terminal Market. I have loved every minute, and I look forward to seeing all the incredible things you two will do in the future.
As Bark and high school come to an end, I can’t help but reflect on how grateful I am to have experienced Redwood in the way that I did. Bark has taught me the importance of understanding, the value of discussion and the strength of a community. I am so thankful for every one of you, Barkies.

Love you guys,

Beckett