“Finding a unique community”: Meadow Drapala, Social Media Editor

As cliché as it may sound, if you would have told me my freshman year that I would accomplish half of what I have accomplished throughout my four years at RV, I would have never believed you.

I came into high school reserved, and I remember feeling like I would never quite find my place in the RV halls. I’m not entirely sure when or how, but I became acclimated to RV and its community. As I look back on my time here, I realize that RV’s once daunting halls now feel like home. 

Without a doubt, the most integral parts of my high school experience were the extracurricular activities that I participated in. Despite being quiet, I still wished to get involved in high school. I went to a multitude of club meetings my freshman year. I stuck with the ones that I enjoyed and, by the end of the year, weeded out ones that did not interest me. Every following year, I found myself involved in more clubs and more activities, finding a unique community in each one. Now, every extracurricular that I participate in has significance to me. 

One of those extracurriculars is the one and only Holly Spirit. I joined The Holly Spirit after Mrs. Sherman announced to my junior English class that she was reviving the school newspaper after years of dormancy. Like many of my fellow staff members, I was never particularly interested in journalism prior, but I went out on a whim and joined anyway. I became one of the Social Media Editors, and I began to manage the paper’s social media platforms and took photographs for articles. 

This year, I was one of the Social Media Editors once again. Over the past two years, my position on the paper has been both incredibly rewarding and challenging. It has pushed me outside of my comfort zone by requiring me to interview and photograph people I have never met. It has challenged me to work efficiently by needing me to report things in real-time. It has taught me how to work in a team, balance my schedule and stay organized. But, most of all, it has taught me the importance of unity and the impact of passion. The Holly Spirit is a family. Though there are various desks and positions in the paper, everyone works together with the common goal of helping the paper run smoothly. Everyone supports everyone, and I love that about the paper. 

The Holly Spirit is just one of many tight-knit communities within the larger rich RV community, and I am beyond thankful to be a part of both communities and more. I am incredibly grateful for my time at RV and it feels surreal that my four years are coming to an end. Without all of the RV staff members and students that I’ve had the pleasure of encountering, I truly would not be the person that I am today. As I embark on a new journey, I look forward to taking the lessons and experiences that I’ve gained at RV into the rest of my life. Thank you, RV for a remarkable high school experience.