Letters from the Editors
Going into this school year as Co-Editors-in-Chief, we had many visions for our staff. Many of which were larger than life and many of which we have been fortunately able to achieve. This year, we reported at the GOP Presidential Debate where several of our staff members were able to interview influential politicians alongside professional publications. We successfully created and published seven issues, each full of quality content from our wonderful staff. We placed first in the American Scholastic Press Association competition, as well as placing top 10 in the state for an investigatory piece that was submitted to competition. It is safe to say that all of our expectations for this year were exceeded thanks to the hard and brilliant work of our Panther Prowler staff.
Cover story for this magazine is incredibly important to us as not only students but as student reporters. With countless universities protesting the current conflict with Israel and Palestine, police brutality towards students and administrators protesting the war have been more than apparent. Through journalistic investigation we have gathered that the chastisement from police is mostly baseless as various college protests have been peaceful; posing the question of whether our freedom of speech is truly protected. As seniors going into college next year, we are scared that our First Amendment rights are being stripped away from us. Therefore we feel that it is our duty as reporters to not only discuss the issue, but to acknowledge these concerns as young adults as it is our future that is at stake.
As a staff, we have covered several pressing issues that we could not have achieved without our amazing and endlessly passionate staff. From homelessness to Title IX, we have overcome many challenges as well as received overwhelming support from our community for highlighting while also revealing the truths of our community as a whole. With our current political climate, where our rights are being actively stripped away from us, our staff has demonstrated that our generation will not go down without a fight. It is not without bravery that we are able to report on controversial issues, and we are beyond grateful for our staff’s courage and resilience throughout the year.
After nine months of hard work, we are sad to see this amazing year come to an end. Yet, we cannot help but look back on our four years of being a part of the Prowler with love and appreciation. For the family we have gained. For the endless knowledge we have obtained and have had the privilege of sharing. We are so excited for the great things our graduating seniors (including ourselves) will achieve and we cannot wait to see what Ava and Isabella come up with as Editors-in-Chief. To our staff: thank you for trusting and allowing us to lead our paper this past year. Though the many achievements are amazing, we will always remember the singing, dancing and laughter most of all.
