Leadership and team building and the cornerstone of a solid newspaper. Regardless of the size of a newspaper's staff, it is imperative that a monthly newspaper be released monthly. There are no exceptions when there are deadlines, which is why, in the 2015-2016 school year, I led a team of ten writers to meet monthly deadlines and become a nationally recognized newspaper.

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Starting out in Introduction to Journalism during my freshman year, I knew that I wanted to someday be Editor-in-Chief. I never dreamed that I could be promoted as early as April of my sophomore year, so when I was given the opportunity to be Copy Editor during September of my sophomore year, I was thrilled. I accepted the position and took it on with tenacity; every month I scoured the proof for every little mistake that I could fix. And I fixed it. 

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When my adviser asked me if I would be willing to take on the responsibilities of being Editor-in-Chief alongside two seniors that same April, I was floored, but beyond excited. I was ready. Once again, I accepted the position without hesitation and proved myself to be a willing and able editor, happy to help students edit their work and offered my opinion on the layout of the newspaper. 

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Junior year, it was finally my turn to be in charge of the layout, I worked hard learning the ins-and-outs of Adobe InDesign. Two months after leading a minuscule staff of eleven writers, I recognized that it was too big a job to handle on my own. Rather than try to be the sole editor and have the newspaper struggle because of it, I requested with my adviser that Delaney Cavanaugh, a journalism student in my grade that I knew I would work well with, be promoted to Editor-in-Chief as well. Today, we co-run The Lion's Roar, humbly working together and accepting each other's- and other students'- ideas for how the newspaper should look and what the most efficient manner is to get it done in the time we have. Together, we have offered insight to our adviser on the best ways to organize the editorial board and manage our staff, whether it is comprised of twelve students, like the staff of the 2015-2016 school year, or thirty-two students, like the staff of the 2016-2017 school year. 

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As Editor-in-Chief, I have done more than facilitate the production of The Lion's Roar. I have worked tirelessly to recruit new writers, which is reflected in the jump in numbers that our staff list saw in 2016. I have also represented the entirety of the Lincoln High School Journalism Academy at school committee meetings, updating the school committee and the superintendent on the academy's undertakings. In December 2016, I was asked to lead a project to produce a Kindergarten open house video, and produced the video in a timely and efficient manner, overcoming obstacles such as poor scheduling. 

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Overall, I feel that I have exceeded the responsibilities associated with the role of Editor-in-Chief, which speaks to my commitment to the academy and journalism as a whole. I have truly put my heart and soul into leading my team, and it will be truly heartbreaking to let go of The Lion's Roar when I graduate in June.

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