It is difficult to put into words how much of an impact Clarion has had on me during my four years of high school. What was once an unfamiliar classroom filled with faces I’d never seen and an eccentric teacher became a second home. Through editorial discussions, food Fridays, and hectic layout seasons, I owe the person I am today to the experiences I have had in room 151. With each passing year, it has been a privilege to grow alongside my Clarion peers, including saying goodbye to those graduating and welcoming new, eager staff reporters.
To Mr. Helgeson, thank you for being a mentor to me. Your dedication to teaching, as well as the numerous other positions you hold, is nothing short of extraordinary. You have created a learning environment where students are not scared to ask questions, take risks, or be unsuccessful at first. Every devil’s advocate question you have posed and every suggestion you have offered has shaped me to be a critical thinker, and for that I will be forever grateful.
To Alyssa and Lila, there are no other people I would entrust the next year of Clarion to. Alyssa, your dedication to maintaining the structure and organization of Clarion is outstanding. I have no doubt that Clarion will run smoothly next year in your hands. Lila, the creative perspectives you offer bring life to Clarion and depth to our productions. I know your impact will continue to improve Clarion.
And finally, to Quinn, Chloe, and Izzie. Other than Mr. Helgeson, you three have been my constant in this class, as well as outside. It truly feels like it was yesterday when the four of us nervously walked into the room and awkwardly sat at the same table on our first day of freshman year. Now, 1372 days later, you have become some of my greatest friends, alongside whom I have created countless memories. Quinn, your dedication to everything you do, despite calling most days a “do nothing day,” is amazing, and I know you will carry that quiet determination wherever you go. Chloe, your innate leadership personality is inspirational. You know how to get things done while considering others’ worth, which is a trait that will bring you far. Izzie, your innate ability to connect with others makes you one of the most personable people I know. Your empathy and spark are powerful assets, and I know you will continue to share them. The three of you have been the best part of my time in Clarion. Through problems and issues, I always knew I can count on you to continue moving forward.
I look forward to joining the Yale Daily News as I continue my academic journey at Yale University. Clarion will always hold a place in my heart, and I hope to bring the lessons I’ve learned here to every collaborative environment I enter.
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See you at distribution,
Aryan Hernandez
High school has been filled with changes, between the people I surround myself with, the classes I take, the extracurricular activities I involve myself in, and truly everything. The one constant, though, has been Clarion.
I have been a member of the Clarion staff all four years of high school. My summer before freshman year, I was sifting through the many options RB has to offer for electives and classes. Clarion immediately stood out to me. I remember looking through the Clarion Instagram and thinking it looked like such a fun and welcoming place to be. I could not have been more right.
Starting out my freshman year as a staff reporter, I quickly formed connections with others that ended up lasting throughout all of my years of high school. My table of Aryan, Quinn, Izzie, and me became known as “the freshmen,” a nickname that ended up lasting us through our freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. As soon as my first year in Clarion ended, I was excited for the next.
Each year, I loved the class more and more, feeding into my ambition to keep growing, expand my leadership skills, and further enjoy the class. Sophomore year, I was granted the role of features editor. Junior year, I moved up to managing editor. Finally, this year I ended Clarion as the general managing editor. Each role brought new challenges and things to learn. I loved every minute of my growth in the classroom, but I especially enjoy looking back at how Clarion also allowed me to grow outside of the classroom as well.
Clarion has stayed as a consistently positive and safe environment for many people, and I can definitely speak to that. This class has truly been the place for me to grow, and it has seen me in every stage of my high school career, which is something unique about Clarion: it is a space for everyone and anyone. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in Clarion the past four years and am so excited to take all I’ve learned into my next chapter of life. Thank you, Clarion!
It’s hard to even put into words what Clarion has meant to me over the past four years. Somehow it has become so much more than just a class.
The summer before freshman year, I changed my schedule at the last minute. I was never even supposed to take Clarion, and I still think about how different my high school experience would’ve been if Chloe hadn’t convinced me to join. One random decision ended up shaping the next four years of my life in ways I never expected.
From the beginning, Clarion became my constant. High school isn’t always easy. People change, schedules shift, and life is overall pretty unpredictable. But no matter what was happening outside that room, Clarion was always there for me. Room 151 became a place that felt familiar and safe, and a huge part of that was the people in it. I genuinely can’t imagine high school without Quinn, Chloe, and Aryan, or without all the memories tied to food Fridays followed by a Slate News Quiz, long days doing layout, and laughing together over things that probably weren’t even funny. Growing up with these amazing individuals has been such a gift.
Another big part of what made Clarion so meaningful was Mr. Helgeson and the environment he created for all of us. Thank you for always making me feel heard and understood, even beyond academics. You have made Clarion feel like a place people genuinely love to be.
Over the past four years, Clarion has given me so much more than I ever expected going into it. It’s given me confidence in myself, friendships I will cherish forever, and memories that I’ll always look back on fondly. It still feels impossible to process that next year will be the first time in four years my schedule won’t have Clarion on it. After being such a constant part of my life for so long, I don’t think I’ll ever fully be ready to say goodbye to it. I’ll forever and always be grateful for everything Clarion became to me.
Writing a goodbye letter to Clarion is very difficult for me, in part because it’s hard to write serious things, but also because I can’t imagine my life without Clarion. It’s been a huge part of my life and shaped me to be who I am today. It’s hard to go out of my comfort zone, which is something I did when I signed up for a class that I didn’t even know if I’d enjoy. The funny thing is that each year I went more and more out of my comfort zone. I did things like interviewing people I’d never met before and helping share the responsibility of making sure every issue was perfect. Those lessons will carry with me to everything I do. However, what I’ll remember the most about Clarion is the people I was surrounded by every day. From day one, it was easy to sit at a table with people I knew from middle school, but little did I know they would become some of the closest friends I’ve ever had. I’m so thankful for Aryan, Chloe, and Izzie, people who always know what needs to be done in order to be productive while also leaving time to enjoy the fun parts of Clarion ( aka food Fridays, layout, and days where nothing in particular needs to be done). Mr. Helgeson has been an image of what it means to be professional, always taking care of whatever business needs to be done in whatever job he’s doing that day while also making Clarion so well organized and helping everyone in the class get advice for whatever they need. As I get deeper and deeper into this letter, it gets harder and harder to stay serious because I really like being happy, and it’s making me sad to write this letter as a goodbye. So that’s a sign I should probably wrap it up. Clarion has been an integral part of my life for the past four years, and I wouldn’t want it to be any other way.
Being a part of Clarion these past two years as a staff reporter and story editor has truly been one of the most enjoyable experiences, and I will always regret not doing it my freshman and sophomore years. I was hesitant about joining at first because I never imagined myself being a part of the school newspaper, but I am so grateful Mr. Helgeson persuaded me to. The classroom environment is like no other, and the collaborative effort that goes into writing, editing, or laying out articles is something that I am really going to miss. No one in this class has ever made one of my ideas feel unheard, and I have loved having the opportunity to write about things either I am passionate about or things happening around the school and community. My advice to any RB student is that it is never too late to try something new because joining Clarion as a junior was one of the best decisions I made during these past four years of high school.
I decided to take Clarion my junior year of high school at RB to express and share my love for writing. It all started because I have always loved my English honors classes and have really looked up to the teachers who taught them my freshman and sophomore years, increasing my desire to expand my writing abilities. Just being able to learn how to do that in a journalism setting was definitely different for me, but I loved it instantly. I liked how the class was different from my other classes, with it being student led, and how we would have food Fridays every week. I enjoyed this class my junior year, so I decided to take it my senior year, with the additional bonus of honors credit. Throughout both years, I have made friendships I did not expect making and talked to people I didn’t really know well before. I will forever be grateful for the skills I have learned and the connections I have made through Clarion. Although when I go to college I will be majoring in marketing and minoring in finance, going the business route, I will still continue my love for writing and apply the things that I have learned from Clarion. Thank you, Clarion!!!
I didn’t know if one year was enough to grow an attachment to a class, but in Clarion I really felt something special. Whether it was doing layout in the back and getting tips from senior editors or helping out fellow first year reporters, there was such an interconnected sense of community that I feel other classes lacked. Food Fridays were also another aspect I loved about this class. Getting to contribute a snack and drink and playing the weekly Slate News Quiz always gave me this little light to look forward to, and in general, the character of the room and the people within it made the class feel like a home and less like a chore or job. Getting to learn a program like Adobe InDesign will help me in my future endeavors as a graphic designer, so I am so thankful that Clarion was able to introduce me to the program. I would like to thank Mr. Helgeson for making me feel welcomed and incded in every aspect of the class, and most importantly, I’d like to thank my fellow seniors for making this such a great year-long class and experience for me. I had originally planned to take this class to use it just as another study hall or place to hangout with friends, but it evolved and developed into a larger piece of my life that I will treasure.
