People know about the Cougar Chronicle. They’ve seen the posters around the school in almost
every nook and cranny, showing off the shiny, fresh-faced staff and the various places that
students could go to see what they were up to. Now, at the end of the year, some of those staff members have
dropped the class, others are moving up a grade, and five lucky folk have finally reached
graduation.

The Journalism staff’s graduating seniors are Maria Skilling, Ariana Shindell, Jazmine Clewis, Victoria Steffee, and Aina Zabinski. These five have made it through the gauntlet, dealing with all the normal high school
disasters, while at the same time dedicating portions of their lives to reporting the events of the
school.

Maria Skilling is a dedicated contributor who has written about topics ranging from the dress
code to school shootings. She feels that journalism has helped her write better, as well as boosted
her confidence. She plans to attend community college for two years for her associates degree,
and from there she will either join the military or transfer to a four year university.

Ariana Shindell worked as both a contributor and the social media manager. She runs the Twitter
and Instagram accounts. Although she originally took the class simply for credits, she is
fascinated by the work that goes into the Cougar Chronicle. It has helped her organizational
skills and engagement with the school community at large.

“It was really cool that Mrs. [Katherine] Miller was so dedicated to it,” Shindell said. That hard
work inspires students to do their best. Shindell will attend cosmetology school, and plans to open up her own salon one day.

Jazmine Clewis is the staff’s equipment manager, maintaining the cameras and other materials
people needed in order to provide the highest quality stories. Her articles cover the things that
prop our school up. Her enrollment in the class was caused by a mistake, since she originally
thought she signed up for Intro to Journalism, but she stuck it out.

“I’ll miss the people in the class,” Clewis said. She isn’t sure about her future, but she is happy
with the skills she learned in the class.

Victoria Steffee* has been a part of the Journalism program for two years. She has covered a
variety of topics, and for the past year worked as the Assistant Editor. She has published 30 articles in
total, covering almost every aspect of school life. After graduation, she plans to attend the
University of Arkansas to major in Biology. Steffee hopes to continue working on the school
paper there, and maybe even beyond.

Aina Zabinski is the Editor-in-Chief for the paper, and an extremely dedicated writer. She took
Journalism as a way to expand her skills in a way the other English classes wouldn’t. She greatly
enjoyed the creative aspect of the class, as well as the leadership skills she learned while taking
it. After graduation, she says she will miss her peers and Miller. Zabinski will attend Western
Washington University as an English major, where she plans to earn certification to become a teacher.

Every senior has put in pieces of themselves into the Cougar Chronicle, and they will be missed.
Their work will always be here, for future generations to read.

*Victoria Steffee is the writer of this article