The 2024-2025 school year is coming to an end with the end being officially marked, for every student, on May 22. With this comes the graduation of the 2025 senior class. For the newspaper staff, this means four of their fellow staff members are graduating and continuing towards their futures. These four senior members include Reporter Aylen Garcia, Reporter Diego Ramirez Montoya, Reporter Emma Rodgers, and Editor-In-Chief Mac Davis-Patton. Each has extraordinarily grown their writing capabilities over the course of time they have been a part of the newspaper team and have influenced the lives of others around them.
As a final goodbye for each individual, they have all been asked a set of questions and have provided some advice for the future staff members of 2025-2026:
What is your favorite article on the website?
“My favorite article is probably either ‘Joshua Residents Talking’ by Vee Hewett or ‘Historic Eyes’ by Brian McCormick,” Garcia said. “Followed closely by Diego Ramirez Montoya’s ‘New Year, New News.’”
“I would have to say my favorite article on the newspaper website is the one about the Joshua Freemasons,” Ramirez Montoya said. “I really enjoyed co-writing it because I had so much fun learning about Joshua’s history, the impact the Caddo Grove Lodge has had on the community, and getting to meet and understand the local Freemasons. It was amazing to see the work they do, from their philanthropy efforts to the way they support each other and the community. The whole experience made the article feel really special to me.”
“My personal favorite article is mine from last school year titled, ‘To Serve, To Protect,’” Rodgers said. “It was the very first article I wrote for the newspaper and I love comparing it to my articles this year and seeing how much I’ve grown.”
“I think my favorite article on the website would be ‘Everyone has insecurities (and that’s okay)’ which is the first one I’ve written,” Davis-Patton said. “I think that article was very important to me because at the time it was a revolutionary topic for me.”
What is your favorite memory from Newspaper Staff?
“My favorite memory in Newspaper is probably when Diego and I went to a Freemason meeting and got to learn all about Joshua’s Caddo Grove Lodge,” Garcia said. “But I also really enjoyed it when we all had hot chocolate and had a Newspaper Christmas party.”
“It’s hard to pick just one favorite memory from newspaper staff because there were so many great moments shared,” Ramirez Montoya said. “If I had to choose, I would say the redline meetings were the most exciting and rewarding part of the experience. During those meetings, not only did I grow as a reporter through all the feedback and collaboration, but I also had a lot of fun getting to understand everyone and their thought process. You could really see each person’s perception of things, personal opinions, and the impression everyone had and were approached within each article. They also helped us connect on a deeper, more personal level, both as writers and classmates.”
“My favorite memory from being on the newspaper staff is probably going to Texas Tech for regionals this year,” Rodgers said.
“My first year of newspaper would have to be my favorite time of my high school experience,” Davis-Patton said. “I made my closest friends and made so many great memories throughout the year.”
Which staff member has been the most influential to you while you were on staff?
“The most influential staff member to me has most likely been Vee Hewett or Diego Ramirez Montoya,” Garcia said. “Vee Hewett has been so passionate with me in pursuing an investigative article about Lord Harrington and Joshua’s castle. Diego has made my time in newspaper so much fun and went with me to learn so much for our double by-line article.”
“The most influential person to me during my time in the newspaper staff was Laura Hapke, a past reporter and former foreign exchange student,” Ramirez Montoya said. “I remember sitting next to her every day and how she would always have a drink, usually a Coke, in hand while she worked on her articles. Through newspaper, we became close friends and even realized we had a few mutual friends outside of class. Laura would often talk about dance, women’s soccer, and music, and she always had her nose in her journal. She wrote many articles on both heavy and localized topics, and her work really inspired me. Laura has such a sweet spirit and an even greater sense of humor, and I’m truly grateful I got to meet her during her time in the U.S. during her exchange program.”
“The most influential member for me was Nick Smith,” Rodgers said. “He was so influential to me last year because he gave me so much advice and helped me improve my writing.”
“Ms. Zachry has had the greatest impact on me while on staff,” Davis-Patton said. “She makes newspaper a safe and comfortable environment for everyone and just walking into her classroom feels just like being at home.
Advice:
For this final section, each senior staff member has provided advice for 2025-2026’s incoming staff members.
“Be passionate and adventurous,” Garcia said. “My favorite stories to go after were the ones that I truly loved researching about and that I could go outside of school to learn more. I loved attending a Freemason meeting, interviewing the mayor, interviewing business owners, and pursuing an interview with Lord Harrington. And most importantly, enjoy the time you have in Newspaper because it goes by too fast.”
“Throughout my time on the high school newspaper staff, I’ve learned how important it is to truly enjoy every moment of being part of this class,” Ramirez Montoya said. “My biggest piece of advice for incoming reporters is to have fun, take pride in what you create, and embrace every opportunity that comes your way. I would encourage them to write about topics they are passionate about, but also to focus on stories that can make an impact, not just within the school, but in the broader community as well. Recently, I’ve found myself using time outside of school to cover stories for the newspaper, and those experiences have been some of the most rewarding. Stepping outside the classroom to create meaningful stories and connections with the community has helped me grow not only as a writer but as a person, and I hope future reporters take advantage of every chance to do the same.”
“You have to be willing and able to actually talk to people,” Rodgers said. “I missed out on writing many articles because I was too nervous to talk to people.”
“I think it’s important to write outside of your comfort zone,” Davis Patton said. “See what you enjoy writing vs what you don’t. Try new things and take every opportunity presented to you to get the most out of being in newspaper.”
