I remember on the first day of school I was so excited to see my new schedule and all the classes I would be taking as a senior.
But wait, there had to have been a mistake because why was Newspaper written down as one of my classes?
I had no knowledge of the news, didn’t know how to write articles, and dreaded walking into that class because I had no idea what to expect.
I was embarrassed at first because other classmates of mine were well-educated on news stories that were going on either in El Paso, the U.S., or even internationally, and I knew nothing.
Mrs. Lockhart was understanding, and instead of getting mad or making me feel bad about it, she showed us how entertaining the news could be and why it was so important to know what was going on around us.
I started following the news on social media and online, and soon enough, it became a daily habit of mine to want to know what was happening in the world.
I began looking forward to our class discussions about breaking news stories, and although it was not all good news, it kept me up to date on important situations.
I was able to carry on more conversations with people using my new knowledge of the world and gained new perspectives on society.
Mrs. Lockhart never put a time limit on how much time we spent talking about the news before class, so there was always something new to hear about and I looked forward to this the most out of my day.
Now, I’m going to be honest, I never liked writing articles, specifically about sports because it is not my area of interest.
However, learning how to write articles helped me in my overall writing for my other classes too.
I learned about how to distinguish between false and real news sources and how to prove my point in the best way possible without writing unnecessary details.
Looking back now, I realized how lucky I was to be able to take this class, regardless of the constant rigor and dedication.
The girls in my class always amazed me with their articles, and we worked together to offer each other praise and critique.
We grew together as a class; I loved seeing the progress from the first draft to the second draft and how everyone’s writing improved.
We all bonded and worked together because we were only a class of 7-8 girls, so we had to come together to complete 20+ articles for The Prax.
Sometimes I would get stressed out by the work we had to do, but each article brought me a better understanding of my surroundings, especially at Loretto.
In my 12 years of being a student here, I had never talked to more strangers than I did because of this class.
Interviewing different people for each news story allowed me to branch out and talk to people that I never had before, which made me feel more comfortable at Loretto.
Mrs. Lockhart taught me so much throughout this course, and I am so grateful for every subject that we covered.
From sports stories to political stories, we talked about it all, and I was able to gain a better understanding of how the world works and what will likely happen in the future.
This class taught me many important lessons, but one that will stick with me the most is to always tell the truth and stand up for what is right.
I gained a voice from this class and found topics that I am passionate about and that I hope to continue learning about in college.
I would easily say that Newspaper became my favorite class, and I am forever thankful for the opportunities it gave me.
Thank you to Mrs. Lockhart and my fellow classmates for an amazing year of growth, learning, and fun.