By Faith Gonia
As June rapidly approaches, us senior Shield authors have encountered a devastating fact: we only get to create two more issues of our newspaper. Issue 8 arrives in April; Issue 9, May. On June 6, we walk the stage and say goodbye to the lovely publication.
But what if we didn’t have to?
Deeply saddened by the end of this chapter, I have a proposal—Issue 10 of The Shield, Summer Edition! Also known as my dream field trip, creating Issue 10 would take place on the way to, and at Yosemite National Park in the middle of July.
The journey begins at Westmont High School, as the yellow school bus sits idle for all 36 of us to board. Once we step inside, we see rolling chairs and desks identical to the “Work Bus” episode of The Office. Planning Issue 10 during the 3 hour drive will be a breeze! The doors close and we begin our journey.
Thanks to Kendall Albrecht’s powerful leadership skills, we finalize our storylist just 45 minutes into the road trip. In the remaining time, Kendall also finishes designing three pages, all with such expertise, you have trouble believing she accomplished the work in such a short time. But she did!
With free time to write articles and create pages, we all work while singing and dancing to music. Halfway into the drive, I hear the intro of “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton. Looking up, I see Cat Kemp singing along, not missing a single word. I join her, but upon the mentioning of Alexander Hamilton’s name, I remember that we have an AP Government exam on Federalist #78 next period! Uh oh!
My panic only lasts a moment, because I remember that Anjali Nayak is on the bus. With an expo marker in hand, Anjali draws a diagram of the federal court system on the bus windows. As she explains Article III of the Constitution to Marina Halbert, Keira De Vita, and me, my worries float away.
Suddenly, through Anjali’s frantic handwriting, I see the beautiful views out of the window. We have arrived! Since we can’t wait to stretch our legs, we head straight to the base of Half Dome. I have no doubt that during the sixteen miles and 4800 feet elevation, we will finish all of our stories and sections.
Owen Andersen and I stick together for most of the hike; we have no problem talking for hours on end. Discussing something deeply philosophical, we delve into societal issues and brainstorm new Op/Ed ideas as we go. All the conversation makes me thirsty, so I drink from my trusty water bottle. (Do not worry, Anna Genna—the water has ice in it.)
Up ahead, Adam Sarsfield carries a speaker and adds songs to the Spotify queue. He smiles as “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson plays, and everyone suddenly feels happier. It’s pretty hard to be unhappy while listening to Jack Johnson.
Several hours in, we take a quick lunch break. Diego Mantelli, “self-proclaimed foodie,” made us all chili—no beans of course. As we eat, Rina Weaver tells Matthew Etzel and me about her newest Sports article idea: “Top Ten Hottest Hikers.” We both can’t wait to read it.
The hours fly by as we talk, eat, sing, and write. After most of us finish our work, Andy Evans tells us the craziest, most entertaining story we have ever heard. We listen in awe to his captivating tale, and before we know it, we have reached the top of Half Dome!
Us editors make final edits and publish Issue 10. Toasting with paper cups of apple cider, we laugh, cry, and celebrate our final issue ever. Even though I want to savor the moment, I rush to climb back down the cables—I’m terrified of heights.