With the first semester coming to a close we remember the young journalists who have built a legacy in just a short time in this class.  As many come and go, some stand out more than the rest. This year the journalism class was blessed with immense talent, such as Lucas Downey, Sam Otten, Zach Lyons and Nino Salamone. Each journalist brought different attributes to the table to put this class to where it needed to be.

We will start off with Lucas “Walnuts” Downey. There wasn’t anything this man couldn’t write. Sports, politics, opinion pieces you name it.  Not only could he dish out a wide variety of articles, but people adored these articles. Twitter loved this guy’s Purple Quill pieces along with Mr. Rogers. He stepped into one of the most important positions that this journalism class has to offer as well, Head of team morale. Lucas kept the sprits high throughout the semester which boosted everyone’s enthusiasm which resulted in stellar stories. Downey will be missed and The Purple Quill is going to take a hit losing one of the most important pieces to the puzzle.

Second on the list is Sammy “I’m never wrong” Otten. He wasn’t a huge fan of the four articles that were due each month but he got them in some way or another, on time or not. The things he wrote about are what made him so special. He had great ideas that people enjoy reading instead of the stuff Tyler Schutte spews out.  Mr. Rogers wasn’t a huge fan of his late articles but he made sure not to be phased by this. This creative genius is going to be missed and The Quill is going to have a hard time bouncing back from his departure.

Next up, Zachary “my head’s huge” Lyons. You could tell from the start that Zach was only taking this class for the second semester study hall but he developed a real knack for writing. He busted out some surprisingly great articles that viewers enjoyed reading. He was fun to have in the classroom as he was always tagging along in the festivities that took place. Just like everyone else he liked to give Schutte his fair share of crap. His energy is going to be one that we remember as we dive head first into the second semester.

Last but not least, Nino “too much ego” Salamone. Although all Nino wrote about were video games he will also not be forgotten when he is gone. His articles struggled with “real” views unless someone accidentally clicked it while looking for one of my articles on The Purple Quill website. He has been known to sit there for hours refreshing his articles over and over to come into class the next day and brag about the amount of fake views he received. His humor is what stood out most as he was able to make anyone crack a smile at any time throughout the class. He tended to keep the class worried as he looked like a malnourished kid due to wrestling. The class and I are sure going to miss being able to rip on Nino for the whole 52 minutes of class. Salamone has a bright future outside of journalism and I’m sure he and his ego will do just fine.

It’s one of those “don’t cry because it’s over but smile because it happened” moments as these four and the rest of the fellas that are leaving the class say their final goodbyes. Such a bittersweet moment from them and everyone around them. But life goes on and the second semester is about to get underway. It’s going to be tough to replace this first semester class but I’m very excited to see the talent that’s going to be arriving for the second semester.