The end of the 2023-2024 school year is quickly coming to an end. There’s a sense of celebration — but also a mix of bittersweet feelings that come along with it. Leaving behind all you have ever known and having to learn to grow without the people you have been with since the first grade is something we, The Viking Views, truly commend the seniors for. Your last summer before leaving for college, the military, the workforce or a trade school is filled with so many milestones. One of the milestones we associate with the summer after high school is of course attending graduation and hosting a graduation party. Having a day to celebrate all that you have accomplished and how far we come helps motivate us when we need something to push us further through the school year. While awaiting our turn at senior year, we look forward to reminiscing on our high school days with our families while we plan and prepare for our grad parties. Having your own party is only half the fun though; the other half is attending those of your friends. Looking back at old photos of your friends and seeing all of their accomplishments laid out for you truly fills your heart with so much pride for the people who have stood by your side during high school.
Speaking of looking back as they prepare to move forward, our senior staff had an opportunity to reminisce on May 6 and 7. The staff calls those days “Senior Speeches,” a time when the printing press pauses and we just enjoy being a Viking Views family. Viking Views seniors reminisced on their time as a part of the staff and all of their accomplishments while being a part of the magazine, its website and social media platforms. Over and over, our seniors thanked our adviser Mrs. Ogilvie [or O, as we know her] for all she has done; she both held us together and helped us through. She has single-handedly built the confidence up of each and every one of our staffers. Thank you, O.
Newspaper is a favorite class of the seniors and something they all have thoroughly enjoyed, and now we, The Viking Views freshmen, sophomores and juniors, want to take this opportunity to thank the Viking Views Class of 2024. Our Editors-in-Chief Seyara Wanigarathne, Reese Henne, and Campbell Hollis have kept our paper running smoothly this year and have put in an immense amount of work to keep our paper at its wonderful quality. AnnaSophia Bates and Savannah Carroll, our Managing Editors, have also put in a tremendous amount of work as part of our staff, working on the website to announce breaking news, Hoover features, and the Viking Views’ Staff Playlist. Olivia Pfannenschmidt, our Chief Copy Editor, has ensured that our stories are flawless and written to their best abilities. The Viking Views would not be the same without the beautiful imagery in each and every one of our issues. Our PAI [Photography-Art-Infographics] editors have ensured the visual appeal of our papers is always good quality. Both Caroline Brogan and Arabella Keim have taken great pride in their creation of PAI, and all they have accomplished in doing so. Contributing fantastic photos was Zoe Yatras, whose photos reflect what it means to be a Viking. Lauren West and Grace Dannemiller, your wide range of writing will serve as a model for what it means to be a journalist.
Focus Editor Madi Vardavas, Entertainment Editor April St. Clair and Features Editor Sophia Mancini, your work on InDesign no doubt helped curate our page layouts to perfection. Taking The Views to another level, Natalie Kiraly is one of our Social Media Managers. She helped bring a Viking Views presence to Instagram, X, and TikTok. Under your leadership, this staff brought back the Ohio Scholastic Media Association ALL-OHIO award. We thank you!
After graduation, the next journey begins for these Views staffers and all of the Hoover Class of 2024. After graduation, do seniors keep in touch with their high school friends and acquaintances? For a shocking amount of seniors, the answer is no. Some say they are ready to leave their high school career behind and have a fresh start at a new life filled with new people; however, not all feel the same way when they graduate. Although most are ready to fill their lives with new people, they don’t necessarily want to forget about the ones that have been by their side for the past 12 years. They want to be able to act as a fly on the wall and see others’ life updates when they post every once in a while, and of course, keep in touch with their close friends. Despite the distance that will inevitably be put between us, as we will no longer be sitting in classes together or in the same school building for that matter, we intend to find a way to keep all of them a part of our lives.
Overall, there are so many things to look back on and remember about this part of your lives. It’s all so exciting, but nerve-wracking. That being said, it’s something you will always cherish — we know we will. There are many big steps we will take in life and this is just one of many. Change can sometimes be difficult, but looking ahead toward the future is thrilling. We will miss our seniors dearly, but we are excited and ready for the 2024-2025 school year and year 76 of this newspaper! We hope everyone enjoys their summer and we will see you next year. The Viking Views appreciates your support and we look forward to providing news for our community.
