Journalistic Drive

This is big.

Those were the words I uttered when Mr. Conner announced that there was talk of adding a journalism elective to Mason Middle School.

We had already spoken as a staff earlier in the year about revamping the middle school's newspaper--Mason in the Middle. We intend on helping them publishing two print editions this year and having them sell ads to raise revenue.

I remember last year, my first time as a staff writer for The Chronicle, having the first edition come out. I held the crisp, inky paper in my hand and read my name and my story. It was not only a proud moment, but a thrilling one. It gave me the journalistic drive that I carry to this day.

So the idea that middle school students will get that same tingling thrill I possess, is special to me.

The earlier that we expose journalism to these students, the more likely they are to latch on and find passion in the field. The Chronicle has gotten some of our own writers from Mason in the Middle: Eric Miller, Arnav Damodhar, and Asia Porter. These writers came into the high school knowing the basics of story writing and photography.

I care a lot about the Chronicle. I care that the CSPN stays updated, that '#TweetToTheEditor' goes well, and that stories are given my best effort. That means I also care about the future of The Chronicle. Even though I graduate in 2017, I want the Chronicle to remain a respected and dignified news outlet at Mason High School.

A journalism elective could not be a better use of the middle school's money and time. We will surely reap the rewards. The seventh grader who falls in love with journalism could be the next Chronicle editor-in-chief, or even the next New York Times editor-in-chief.