When stepping into the Co-Editor in Chief roles this year, Maddy Lewis and I could not have been more thrilled. We had been dreaming of being Co-Editors since our freshman year. Together we had climbed the ladder of leadership, with roles such as Sports Beat Leader and Head Copy Editor. Being a part of the leadership team for Etched in Stone has been the most rewarding part of our high school careers. But now, our time is almost up, and we are excited to announce the 2021-2022 leadership team. 

The Editor in Chief position carries a legacy. Over the years, we have witnessed the leadership of so many incredible people—leaders who have changed our lives, and impacted us for the better. Because of past editors, we are proud to have room N123 be a safe space to so many, and our newspaper has always come with a sense of pride. With that being said, the next Co-Editor in Chiefs will be Caroline Sears and Melissa May. 

Sears and May are more than ready to take on this position. Both have written for Etched in Stone their entire high school careers. Sears did an outstanding job as News Director this year, and May was a great resource as Head Copy Editor. Throughout the school year, the two have demonstrated immense growth and potential. They both have strong work ethics, are very welcoming, and they will be great examples for all staff members. We are looking forward to seeing how they work together to run both Journalism II and the newspaper; we know they will move mountains.

After a year of experience in copy editing, we have selected Kelly Colanto to take the position of Head Copy Editor. In this role she will be doing the majority of article editing, delegating work to other copy editors, and training new copy editors to help out. Every article published on Etched in Stone must be edited first by a trained copy editor, so this is a very important job. Through her love of encouraging others and her upbeat personality, Colanto will be a great role model for new staffers. 

Joining the leadership team for the first time is Lizzy Camp, who will be taking over the position of News Director. This year was Camp’s first year on the Etched in Stone staff, and she has excelled beyond all expectations. Camp is one of our best writers, and comes to class daily with tons of enthusiasm. Because of this, we believe Camp is perfect for searching out new stories for the staff and delegating work. Camp is passionate about creating strong relationships with each staff member, so she will for sure excel with helping staffers find new things to cover.

A new position Lewis and I have created for next year’s leadership team is Sports Director. Covering sports is a big job, and it takes a lot of organization and planning to make sure as many events are covered as possible. The Sports Director will also work closely with the Sports Broadcasting class, so broadcasting and journalistic coverage will be on the same page. Addy Ehleiter will be taking on this role. Lewis has worked closely with Ehleiter this year, teaching her about sports articles and photography, which Ehleiter is very passionate about. Although she has a quiet spirit, Ehleiter has lots of great ideas to unite the broadcasting and journalism programs. Her organizational skills and lead-by-example style have given Ehleiter great potential as a leader, and we cannot wait to watch her grow.

Jordan Brownhill will be taking over Colanto’s previous role of the Social Chair. Over the course of her first year on staff, Brownhill has loved the laid-back, stress-free environment in the journalism room. She wants to brighten other people’s days, which makes her perfect for Social Chair. Brownhill will be running staff bonding activities and games. Since Fridays are typically not as busy in the newsroom, the staff enjoys taking a break to enjoy some social time together and some fun. Brownhill will be planning, organizing, and running these activities. Staff bonding has always been an important part of Etched in Stone’s staff culture, and Brownhill will do great with bringing new staff members in, and making them feel at home.

Up next, we have another brand-new position which will be filled by Yang Zhang. She will be our new Webmaster. This year, we have seen so much growth from Zhang. She has stepped into her journalistic voice, and learned to use her passion for art to contribute things like editorial cartoons. Zhang comes to class every day ready to work, and so eager to help in any way she can. These qualities will serve Zhang well as Webmaster, as she will be taking over website maintenance and design. She will be doing things such as updating polls, moderating comments, updating the design of web pages, and keeping Etched in Stone up-to-date.

Over the years, Etched in Stone’s social media usage has been very inconsistent. People have worked to take up our Instagram and Twitter accounts, but not having a designated role for this job means that our accounts often get neglected. Assuming the role of Social Media Manager, Cameren Torres will get to resurrect Etched in Stone’s social media presence. Torres has experience across many social media platforms, and is willing to learn more. In class, Torres has a super energetic and captivating presence. We hope that he will bring this presence into our platforms, to make them interesting and engaging to Fossil Ridge High School students. 

In these last few weeks of school, Lewis and I will be training these new leaders and preparing them for our departure. We will pass on all that we have learned, with the hopes that Etched in Stone will carry on with strength, years after we are gone. The feeling is bittersweet, as we are excited to give these young journalists opportunities to grow, but we also have to let go. However, we feel a lot more secure leaving our paper now that we know it is in great hands. 

Sears, May, Colanto, Camp, Ehleiter, Brownhill, Zhang, and Torres are the future of Etched in Stone. They, alongside so many other wonderful staff members, will be continuing to inform the Fossil community through truthful and engaging reporting. Lewis and I cannot wait to watch them thrive while we partake in the next chapter of our lives. We believe this team is something special, and we could not be more proud.