Photo courtesy of Mr. Maniglia
Graduation ceremony, 2019
Holly Spirit seniors sign off
The inaugural editorial staff of the (new) Holly Spirit takes time to reflect on who they have become and how they got there

“I don’t think I’m done”: Shea Smith, Editor in Chief
I’m not good with goodbyes like these, I never quite know what to say. Do I go inspirational, reminiscent, existential or philosophical? Do I urge readers to go out and change the world? Do I tell a sob story about learning and growth? I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that this is completely different than how I thought it would go, but that’s kind of obvious. Everything is so different than...

“The chance to be something more”: Hamilton Scudder, Editor in Chief
It’s almost over somehow. It feels like yesterday that it was Freshman Orientation 2017 and I was meeting some of my classmates and teachers for the first time. Freshman year was such an interesting experience, meeting new people on a school-wide scale for the first time in over nine years, and now I’ve met hundreds of amazing people in this building, some graduated, some soon to graduate, and some wit...

Opening “new pathways for others”: Alexandra Carr, Managing Editor
As graduation day slowly approaches, I start to think back on my time at RV. It seems like not that long ago I was a shy freshman that did not believe I could make even the slightest difference at RV. Through my four years at RV, my personality has flourished and I have had the opportunity to join the most amazing clubs. I knew from the moment I stepped through the sliding glass doors that I want...

“The thing that would drive me to stay”: Ashley Kaeser-Crowe, Managing Editor
Freshman year if someone asked me to join a newspaper I would’ve escaped that conversation with the quickest no thanks I could force out before continuing on my boring and angsty freshman day. Clubs just weren’t for me I had thought: extra work in addition to school work, no thank you. My anxious teen mind convinced myself ignoring clubs was a way to better my studies and reduce stress. Even as a...

“Structure in an imbalanced year”: Sara Terwilliger, News Editor
Okay so there’s no good ways to start, so I’ll start by saying goodbye! Adieu! And hopefully it’ll get gradually better as we go. I first joined the Holly Spirit by request of Sherm (Mrs. Sherman) as penance for not taking her recommendation of going into AP English senior year, especially after she tormented me for several days about it, though, don’t tell her, I was gonna join anyways. The...

“Settling into my space at RV”: Abigail Rodriguez, Arts & Culture Editor
I began at RV my sophomore year of high school and the transition was very hard for me, so much so that I only started joining clubs my junior year. I joined the Key club and Spanish club that year and began my involvement at RV. That being said, I spent the entirety of my junior year settling into my space at RV and was ready to take on even more my senior year. Once senior year rolled around I became the ...

“I have come a long way”: Tanner Cole, Sports Editor
I struggle to wrap my head around it. I have a single digit amount of remaining days left of high school, yet it feels like yesterday I was fast-walking up the hill to get into school and in between classes because I had a fear of being the last student in the classroom. Though, I have come a long way for turning assignments in. Freshman year, I would turn in assignments about a day before they...

“Step out of your comfort zone”: Madison Dutcher, Student Life Editor
I’ve sat here the past couple of days not knowing where to begin. How do I thank the people who shaped me into the person I am today? To start off with, I grew up in the small town of Hainesport graduating with the total class size of 67. I then went to RV graduating with the total class size of 476. Over the years, I’ve made lifelong friendships that I will never forget. As a freshman I ca...

When all “the work is worthwhile”: Brendan Collins, Social Media Editor
I remember being a very different person when I entered RV. I mean, it's not often one goes through some of their most formative years without much change, but regardless, I remember being the typical freshman: eyes wide with a sparkle in them and ready to take on whatever life threw at them. Even now, four long years later, I can still sense part of that sparkle remaining. RV helped to welcome...

“Moments that stand out”: Abigail Hoagland, Photo and Graphics Editor
If you had told me four years ago I would be writing this goodbye letter I would not have believed you one bit. I’ve never been one for clubs and even less for goodbyes but I have some things to say about the absolute diamond among coal The Holly Spirit is. First of all I cannot say how thankful I am to have not been assigned a writing position at the paper, photos and copyright laws are way mor...

“Take all opportunities”: Emily Paulin, Opinions writer
I am so grateful to have been part of the Holly Spirit this year. It gave me the opportunity to learn about journalism, write about topics I was interested in and meet new people. The all-staff meetings also never failed to entertain me. Thank you to Mrs. Sherman for being a fun, positive influence. To all the staff, thanks for being entertaining, fun, and encouraging. To my section, the Opinions sec...

“Rewarding and memorable”: Maham Zulfiqar, News writer
Throughout my four years here at RV, I joined and left many clubs. There were some clubs that I liked and some that I hated, but there weren’t any that I enjoyed being in more than the Holly Spirit. Working on the school newspaper taught me so many skills. I was able to step out of my comfort zone when interviewing people, improve my writing skills and found a new interest in journalism that ...

Laying “groundwork for the person I want to be”: Dana Taylor, Arts and Culture writer
Wow. I can’t believe it’s already over. Freshman year seemed like a month ago, but looking back, I’ve changed a helluva lot. I’ve gotten so much more outgoing and confident from my freshman shell. I’d like to think that I’ve been pretty steady, but I’d probably be annoyed by my younger self. Not to mention the array of haircuts that I went through throughout these four years… that was ...
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