The wheels of Spokesman

Insanity-Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

I think that's a very good description of me tonight. Every year I set up the last issue of Spokesman to be done by the new staff. Every year I expect this night to improve. And tonight, I thought we were actually going to do it.

Then the clock struck 6 p.m. It seems the tech people thought everyone was done with deadlines, so they rebuilt the servers and set them to restart at 6 p.m. They didn't tell me about it. It took an hour to figure out what was going on and then to get the server running properly again. Now it is 7:42 p.m. and I am still waiting for three pages, well, kind of two page: centerspread and La Voz.

Okay, so I've vented. Now let's talk about some good stuff going on tonight. I have seen nine other pages. The new guys are doing pretty well. I've read some great stories about breakfast and Bob Ranieri. I've seen some great sports photos and pictures for the feature section. Headlines need some work, but when don't they.

The EIC and his assistants seem to be working pretty well. People are taking initiative, which really makes me happy. And for the most part, we seem to be getting along.

Okay, I think that is enough for now. I think I'll try to get some grading done while I wait for the last two/three pages.

So we did it. It's 9:02 p.m. and we have finished issue 9 of the 42nd volume. The seven seniors have finished their official roles on the 2005-06 staff. It's always a bittersweet moment. Tara, Jon, Adil, Amanda, Marie, Megan, Jake, Rachel and Fernando are still here. Most of them are sitting on the tables sharing funny stories about a entire gamit of topics: cartoons, old pasteups, silly things people say. It's fun to listen to them recant and relax.

But three weeks from now, it will be a different group of kids. They will tell similar stories, they will do similar work, but it won't be the same.

Tara's infectious laugh will be missing.
Jon's random sports trivia will be missing.
Amanda's quiet presence will be missing.
Adil's photography skills and ideas will be missing.
Megan's ability and willingness to do anything I ask will be missing.
Nazneen's mysterious appearances and disappearances on pasteup nights will be missing.
Marie's soccer and band things will be missing.

It's been a fun year. Now, it's time for senior supplement and prepping for Volume 43.

So it has been a while since I have posted anything on here. I apologize. I have been a little busy with competitions, field trips, 3-week issues, grad school and teaching.

So as I sit here thinking back on the last two months of Spokesman, I think about some pretty nice things:

IHSA Competition
16 Spokesman and Lair students competed in the first ever IHSA Sectional (April 22) and State (April 29) competitions this April. It was very exciting and frustrating being part of the "first" of something. However, they did an excellent job. Ten students made it on to State, and three brought home State medals. Many of the students brought home Sectional medals and the group earned a second place at the Sectional tournament. We came in second to the later State Champions, so that made us feel pretty good.

Making Deadlines and writing stories
It turns out that me micromanaging the staff was just what they needed to reach their potential. I think the scheduling this year made it difficult for them to do it all themselves. The stories have been so much better the last two issues. More people are making their deadlines with better information, editors are happy, I am happy, I think we all are happy. We've even received more compliments from readers the last couple of issues. Now that we are organizing next year's staff, I'm going to work hard to keep this momentum going by using what we have learned this year.

NISPA Fieldtrip
We went to NISPA the Friday before State, April 28. It was a pretty good day overall since we brought home another Golden Eagle. I love that getting that first feedback on this year's paper. The kids brought home a few Blue Ribbons and Honorable Mentions too, which is nice for the confidence.

Okay, I think that's a pretty good general catching up. I will try to write more now that the year is coming to a close. Publications night is next week, so maybe I'll gather these entries together for my seniors and write something nice as a cumulative sentiment. Hmmm... we'll see