SpicyTricks

Although fall is well underway and the school year will soon be almost halfway over, the motif of this year was obvious to me almost immediately. New. New beginnings, new changes, new responsibilities. While perhaps unoriginal, it is without a doubt the best representation of my experiences so far this school year.

Clearly, a change that impacted all Orange County students was the implementation of the 1:1 Initiative program. The program not only allowed students and teachers to use laptops for the school year, but it also allowed for the expansion of ideas, both technological and otherwise. This initiative is progressing towards the future which is exactly what we as a student body are doing.

This is evident in our shift to an online newspaper. Den Echoes, the official newspaper of Orange High School, in print since 1964. We understand that the digital age is here to stay and we want to keep with the times (and not just the New York Times). This new beginning for our newspaper has been exciting as we’ve marveled at the infinite possibilities that we have to make our small town paper become something much more.

We also have experienced a shift in leadership. Longtime Editor-in-Chief Timothy Sheridan graduated last year, bringing with him to college the many experiences and lessons gained from this position. Now, it is my turn to be the voice of Orange High School. Mr. Sheridan’s shoes are quite large to fill, not only because he is so tall, but because he was outstanding at editorship. However, I hope to bring a fresh, new voice to the public as we move forward and cover what matters most to you, the students and faculty.

As I write this, I find myself wondering what next year will be like. As a student who has been desperately trying to get her college applications done, I am well aware that change is inevitable. Change is new and exciting, and, as we have seen already from this year, it happens regardless of expectations. With that being said, I hope that you all are carpeing that diem and exploring all of the opportunities offered. Just as we have done with our paper, we want you to live your life with no regrets and take control of the new.

Amongst all of these changes, perhaps now is the perfect time.