Everyone has dreams and aspirations. From music to sports to education, we use our unflinching dedication to our dreams to climb our way onto what we believed to be the summit.

Our hope trembles as the truth reveales itself: There are still greater heights for us to achieve, but the path forward is unclear.

From here on out, where do we go now?

This was the question that I grappled with after learning that I had become one of the leadership members for our newspaper, The Bell.

Last school year was one of the best for our newspaper. Throughout all the challenges and difficulties COVID-19 brought about in relation to our roles as student journalists, we were able to create an award-winning newspaper.

Every year, the University of Missouri (MU) hosts a competition in which high school newspapers from all over Missouri are judged and scored. The Bell received an overall All-Missouri award; our newspaper finished in the top 10% out of 14 different high school publications.

Additionally, The Bell was judged and scored in an international competition, Quill and Scroll, where we received an International First Place Award.

Creating an award-winning newspaper was the peak we were striving for. The road was difficult, from A-B scheduling to having a small number of reporters, but we overcame those challenges to reach our summit.

With every peak, follows a descent. Much of our old staff have graduated or quit. Our leadership consists of only five, and all but one of our reporters are newcomers. I’m now expected to help lead this newspaper, but I can’t even see the light. If I don’t take my next step carefully, I could lead this newspaper off the path to the top.

But it’s all right. I found the light to not be simply in front of me, but surrounding me. All of our reporters, all of our leadership, they are my light. They radiate with pure and simple feelings: their passion for journalism and their pride as student journalists. Day by day, our passion and pride shines stronger and deeper.

With truth behind our backs, and the knowledge that we’re not alone on this journey, we can take our first, real step towards the new peak.

This year won’t be easier than years prior, but there’s no hardship we can’t cross. The sky presents itself majestically. Light will take us to the right place; we’ll keep going on the road. It will surely show us the way to go even higher.