Brandon Foy, Editor-in-Chief

    High School: a time to discover yourself and make lifelong memories. Little freshman Brandon came into high school having absolutely no idea what he was doing or who he was. As crazy as it is to admit, being on the Newspaper staff was one of the things that helped mold my personality and what I stand for. It taught me to be vocal with my opinions and to speak up for things that mattered, even if that meant writing a mediocre article about something affiliated with the school; it was more than that for me. It helped improve my writing skills immensely (along with the help of Jeff Belding). But most importantly, it taught me what it meant to be a leader. If you told my middle school self that one day I would be the Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper, I would probably laugh in your face. But somehow, here I am. I’m not exactly sure how I got to this point but all I know is that I am here now and I am extremely thankful for everything I have learned while being a part of News Staff. 

    There have been many (and let me just say, MANY) people/mentors who have helped me along the way and in one way or another, influenced my life. I would first like to give a huge thank you to Mrs. Avery. She was my journalism teacher freshman year, as well as my News Staff advisor for part of my sophomore year, and also the person who encouraged me to join News Staff in the first place. Thank you for pushing me and teaching me that my voice does matter! Thank you for getting me out of my comfort zone and for always encouraging me to voice my opinion about things that matter to me. I also would like to thank Mrs. Wolke. She was our new advisor, replacing Mrs. Avery, during my junior year and part of my senior year. Although we didn’t always agree on things, I appreciate how you encouraged me to not settle for mediocre work. Thank you for always having confidence in my ideas and for teaching me how to assume a leadership position of this magnitude. Hannah and John, thank you for your dedication to this newspaper in your years at GLHS. Many times this year, I found myself asking, “What would Hannah do?” Hannah, you were a difficult person to replace. I miss your charisma and your funny remarks in class. Thank you for making your mark on The Comets’ Tale – without you, we would be so lost.  The last advisor I would like to thank (see, many people!) is Mrs. Finkle (Fink). Fink was my long term sub in News Staff at the end of my sophomore year, and then again halfway through my senior year when our old advisor up and left our school. She has shown me what true dedication looks like, and I am so thankful I got to meet her. Thank you for always gossiping with me, and for putting your utmost trust in my abilities as a leader. I will miss you the most, and I hope you are able to (finally) take over room 113 for good this time! 

   I would like to dedicate this whole new paragraph to my Co-Editor, Kelly Morgan. What a trip this has been! We have endured SO much in this class, probably more than a News Staff should. I commend Kelly for her amazing work ethic and for her ability to take control. I don’t know how I would have stayed afloat this year with your help. From staying after school until almost 6 P.M. some days to finish pages, to stressing about advertisements and deadlines, I couldn’t have asked for a better right-hand man. I can’t wait to see what you do in the future!

    To Olivia and Rob – I know the circumstances are not ideal in assuming this big of a position, but I know you both will do a great job taking over this class. I will always be here if you ever need help next year. Thank you to Hannah and Nyah for reminding me to always have fun in class and for keeping the energy up. Thank you Matt for always sticking with this class and for buying your advertisements when you couldn’t sell an ad. Thank you Cam for your comedic relief in class, and also Harper, for always playing music even if sometimes it wasn’t my favorite.

    Next year, I will be attending DePaul University in Chicago to major in Elementary Education. I won’t lie, navigating this class has been one of the most challenging things I have done in high school, especially during a worldwide pandemic. But I wouldn’t trade any of my time in room 113 for anything. I highly recommend joining this class if you are given the opportunity. To the future of The Comets’ Tale, I wish you the best of luck, and remember to always, “Go for Gold!” 

Kelly Morgan, Editor-in-Chief

To be completely honest, in my very first year of News Staff, I was terrified. I had come in halfway through the year, had taken journalism long enough ago that I was a bit rusty, and had no idea what exactly I was supposed to do. I spent the first few days just looking around at everyone working and wondering what my job was and how to do it. However, the staff was nothing but supportive the entire time, and I quickly found my place among them. They welcomed me into their community and introduced me to the wonderful ways of the school newspaper.

I have learned so much during my time here. I have learned how to write on a deadline, to take pictures that are actually worth looking at, to make graphics, and to design a page that looks good. More than that, though, I have learned essential skills like being able to work in a team and organization, as well as dedication and leadership. I still cannot believe that I have had the opportunity to be one of the Editors-in-Chief; it is such an amazing opportunity that has taught me so much. And of course, thank you so much to Brandon, it has been so amazing working with you, and I am not sure what I would have done without you being the other editor! This year has been quite the journey, with many ups and downs. We have lost and gained many members of the staff, and we have had one adviser leave and another take their place, but I am so proud of how this team stuck together and still managed to create something amazing.

I would like to thank every member of this year’s Comets’ Tale staff. You guys have been amazing, and I am really sad we did not get to spend more time together. The editions this year have been stellar, and could not have been done without your talent, energy, and drive. A big thank you to last year’s staff as well– they supported me when I was just starting, and encouraged me to stick with it whenever things might have felt a bit rough. There were a lot of amazing people on that team, and I am privileged to call some of them some of my very dear friends. They began the process that shaped me into what I am today, and I will always be grateful. Good luck next year, everyone, and I hope to keep seeing the amazing work you all will do!

Hannah Perri, Photo/Graphic Editor

My time on Newspaper Staff was way too short! I joined the beginning of my senior year and right away became the photo and graphic editor because of my experience in the yearbook. I loved News Staff because it was always just such a fun class to look forward to and had the best people in it.  That class always made my day so much better. Next year I plan on attending Huntington University down in Indiana to study social work and hopefully pursue a career in child protection services!

Nyah Ganton, Ad Sales Manager/Staff Writer

News Staff was something I never thought I would be apart of. The environment of the class was everything I could ever ask for my senior year. I met some pretty amazing people and I am so thankful to have been apart of something so fun. Shoutout to The Comet Cast, even though we never actually made a podcast. Also shoutout to Cam, Max, and Hannah for all the debates we had in the back room. I hope to have a class as fun as this one during my college career, although I know it is irreplaceable. I will be attending Huntington University to major in youth ministry and minor in film and television. I leave you with, “Adios!”

Cameron Roberts, Sports Editor

My stummy hurt – Cam.

Matt Faccio, Staff Writer

“Goodbye”