Before I even stepped into the Trapeze room, I was warned against it by a former teammate. When I sent her my schedule the summer before sophomore year, she said everything looked great but I should absolutely drop Trapeze. She said it was too much work and the people were unwelcoming. After three years of being involved in Trapeze, I can confidently say that ignoring her was the best decision I’ve made in my entire high school career.
Trapeze, without a doubt, has been the best part of my high school experience.
As a staffer my sophomore year, I learned how to interview administrators, students and faculty. Soon, the halls of Oak Park and River Forest High School became filled with familiar (masked) faces. More importantly, I learned to be confident in myself and how to be polite but firm. I was taught to write well by getting the chance to write poorly and be edited.
As the News and Opinion Editor my junior year, I learned how to ask tough questions. It made me more resilient. After getting yelled at by an angry parent upset that I wanted to interview her after she stormed out of a board meeting, I cried in my car. But then I finished the story and continued to ask questions even if I knew I could get shut down.
As editor-in-chief my senior year, I learned how to pass down my Trapeze spirit to my team of editors and staffers. I tried to instill the same seriousness but passion that my first editor-in-chief, Calvin Roe, instilled in me.
Trapeze has been around since 1912. In those 112 years, countless traditions and knowledge have been passed down orally from generation to generation of Trappers. After digging through old editions, I’ve gained inspiration from the past teams of editors but mainly an appreciation for the long legacy Trapeze has a responsibility to maintain.
In our current world, student journalism is undervalued yet essential. With the recent pro-Palestine encampments at college campuses across the country, student journalists are in a unique position; they are the only ones who can truly cover the story.
While outside journalists may have access to the facts and even interviews with students, they lack the context and relationships that student journalists inherently have with their peers. The renowned Pulitzer Prize Board released a statement on May 1 recognizing “the tireless efforts of student journalists across our nation’s college campuses, who are covering protests and unrest in the face of great personal and academic risk.”
They acknowledged the bravery it takes to cover these events, with some Daily Bruin journalists at UCLA being assaulted by counter-protesters, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Student journalism has been and always will be an essential part of a school’s culture and community. We highlight the impressive work that students do on the field, in the classroom or on stage as seen through our “Athlete in Focus” and “Leadership Spotlight,” segments that run every edition. However, we also report on the administration and changes in staff or policy that students otherwise would have no idea about.
This year, Trapeze participated in the IHSA Journalism competition for the first time and sent six members to state. Our very own Sophia Lynn took home first place in headline writing and fifth in review writing.
As the last few weeks of senior year pass me by, I’m lucky to say there are a lot of positive memories to reflect back on; however, none are quite as impactful as those linked with Trapeze.
I pass out the papers every month; I know a common student sentiment is to dread distribution days where over-eager students force newspapers into the hands of the unwilling. But I would produce the newspaper even if we only had one reader. Student journalism is that important.
