During my first year on Newspaper staff, I saw the people sitting at desks at the front of the room as a sign that a staff member was someone important: someone intimidating and worthy of respect.

Now, one of those desks belongs to me. But, I don’t quite feel as important as I remember them appearing.

As this year’s Managing Editor, I’m so excited to see where this year takes us, but I can’t help but feel overwhelmed, like most of the class of 2022. I’m making decisions that will help determine the path that The Bell, and my future, will take for years to come, and as exciting as that is, it’s a lot of pressure.

I want to use this year to produce a newspaper that the school cares about and one that students see themselves represented with. That’s been such a big priority for The Bell for years, and I want to make sure we’re really living that out in the next year’s worth of issues.

Going into my senior year feels overwhelming, and I don’t really know how to combat that, but I’m going into my last year of high school just looking to have fun and enjoy being in high school.

I still don’t feel like the Managing Editor. I still feel like the reporter, taking Newspaper her sophomore year because she loved to write. I’m still the scared little freshman, walking through the doors of the school on her very first day. But I’m excited to step into this new role and see how I can grow The Bell and grow as a person over the next year, like all of the seniors of LHS stepping into their new roles.