Dear readers,

I can say, with full confidence, that signing up for Newsmagazine Journalism at the end of my sophomore year has been one of the most important decisions I have made throughout my high school career. And now my time with The Lodge has come to an end.

If you don’t know me already, my name is Anna Schmiedicke and I’m one of The Lodge’s two co-editors-in-chief. I’m a senior who will be, at the time of this publication, graduating in less than a month.

Like the majority of seniors, I’ve been spending a lot of time recently reflecting on my high school experience, and I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t leave The Lodge without any acknowledgement.

To an onlooker, my position on the staff might seem a bit odd. I take as many STEM classes as my schedule allows and I plan to major in engineering in college, so how did I end up on the staff of a newsmagazine?

If I’m being honest, I couldn’t really tell you, but I do know that it’s made me a much more complete person.

This letter, more than anything, serves as a thank you to everyone who has read this far. Putting your work out in the world is a scary thing, but it’s a scary thing that I like to do now. In my time with The Lodge, I’ve learned to accept criticism and be okay with people not liking my work. But, more importantly, I’ve learned just how many people are thinking the same thing as me and staying silent.

That, to me, is the reason for this letter. Thank you all for giving me the platform to share what I’m thinking, whether it’s my favorite songs on Taylor Swift’s new album or my thoughts on the ethicality of standardized testing being factored into college admissions.

I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else with my last two years of high school. So, to all of the staff members and readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Signing off,
Anna Schmiedicke