Hello Everyone!
I cannot believe that this is the last “Letter from the Editor” that I’ll be

writing for the Fourth Estate, and I cannot believe that this is the last issue that I will be working on for the newspaper. I’d like to begin by thanking everyone: the staff, Ms. McHale, my fellow senior editors, our readers, and the students who give us something to write about.

The three years I’ve spent working on this paper have meant so much to me, and everyone deserves some credit. I cannot begin to explain to you the way that the Fourth Estate has started to shape my life. I’ve realized that journalism and writing are my greatest passions, and I couldn’t be more thankful to any and all supporters of this publication for helping me discover that. And now it’s over. The countless hours after school, sleepy Sundays spent finishing articles, laying out double pages, squeezing one last quote out of an overworked student, or recreating some ridiculous scene to capture a last minute photo request. And even though I know next year’s staff will produce an incredible newspaper, I am so sad to be leaving. After 13 years at Laguna, my friends are family, my teachers are mentors, and these classrooms are in many ways my home. This campus has watched me evolve from a wide-eyed child, to an angst-y teen, to a college-bound 18- year-old already nostalgic for her “days back at Laguna.”

To next year’s staff: You definitely don’t need me to tell you that you’re ready to run this paper. To our readers: thank you for supporting us, your interest means everything to the people putting this all together. To my fellow editors and Ms. McHale: the six of us share some strange con- nection I’ve again and again failed to explain to others. Some unspoken love for not only journalism, but the struggling industry of hard copy news, great photography, a good original layout and, of course, each other. I’ll miss you to the moon and back.

In an attempt to best leave our mark; this issue is the longest issue of the Fourth Estate to date. With an entire regular edition and senior issue pull out inside. Our readership will include the entire Laguna alumni. We hope you’re impressed, or at least pleased with our efforts to inform you about all the wonderful things that come with the Laguna community.

Enjoy! Goodbye,