When The Warrior Wire made its debut at North Atlanta it was only an online publication. It existed but it wasn’t very widely read. Among the student body there were few who even knew of the paper’s existence. Today, four years later, our paper continues with its robust online presence. But that online presence is significantly bolstered by a monthly edition that is widely read in our school and surrounding community.

In a short period of time, and within our shared high school years, the Wire has seen a noteworthy transformation that we’ve been proud of be a part of. More coverage. More stories. More prominence. All of this has been possible thanks to the admirable input of many hard-working Wire staffers, along with contributions from North Atlanta students and faculty.

When the three of us entered the newspaper program, we had no idea that we’d be a part of such an exciting chapter of growth. Unlike some journalism classes at North Atlanta – specifically the audio-visual classes – the newspaper program was comparatively recently established. We made it our business to jump-start matters and during the spring of our sophomore year we achieved a milestone when we printed the first-ever print edition of the Wire. This milestone could not have been achieved had it not been for groundbreaking design work by Monique Smith, our first print editor. She heroically acted in that role for two years. Because of class scheduling conflicts, she could not continue on in that role this year. Fortunately her post was capably filled by our current print editor, Anna Day. She has more than proven herself in this capacity. After building on Monique’s vision, Anna put her own design stamp on our print publication with this year’s paper redesign.

All through our time here, we’ve worked very hard to make the Wire relevant to our readers. There’s been a non-stop torrent of student profiles and the ongoing championing of the student body’s voice. Every edition features a lively spread section where we solicit student opinion. Popular spreads have included “Love Grams” for February and “Senior Last Will and Testament” which you can read in the current senior edition in its print form.

We want to take a moment to thank Vice Principal Meredith Kaltman who has assisted so greatly with her monthly input and editorial contributions to our print editions. We want to thank our staff – all of our writers – for pushing themselves so hard to write stories. (This year marked a record the number of Wire stories written.) We want to thank Jack Stenger, our faculty adviser, for the time and effort he has put into our paper. And we want to thank our readers, to those around the school and beyond. A paper means nothing without those who read it.

For the three of us it’s been a meaningful and unforgettable run. We’re leaving now and it’s for others to build on what’s happened during our time. No matter where life takes us, we know the Wire will always be a part of who we are. And we know this, and we will always remember: “If it’s happening at North Atlanta, it’s on the Wire.”