Andrew McLaughlin

Six years ago, I submitted an article to the student newspaper at Carson Middle School. Fittingly, that first piece was an ambling retrospective of Walt Disney’s original plan for EPCOT. However, my teacher still enjoyed the article.

A few years later, I was in charge of distributing The Carson Chronicle, using a squeaky pushcart to deliver copies before school began. I started to find better footing in ninth grade, but my stories remained wordy and exceedingly dense, not a good trait for a journalist. But even so, I was beginning to discover my passions with stories such as a 2,000-word essay titled “History Right in Our Backyard.” (Admittedly, my final Uproar article was just as long and on a topic that is similarly niche, but I digress…)

When I joined the staff of The Uproar, I continued to hone my writing both as a journalist and as a historian. The best aspect of high school journalism is that it allows you to write about what you care about, important at a time when everyone is still discovering their passions in life. While I have covered news stories like a typical journalist, I have always returned to my documentary-style articles, taking my readers on kind of a never-ending western Pennsylvania road trip laced with touches of nostalgia. Even when I deviated to other topics, such as in my article on the race for Pennsylvania senator, my enthusiasm for the historic places of western Pennsylvania still shone through; it’s the trademark component of my writing.

Of everything in high school, I will miss journalism and orchestra most of all. Thanks to these classes, I have been granted an escape from the rest of the school day, but more importantly, I have also learned more about who I am as a person.

North Allegheny students, we are clear for dispatch. Have a great ride!