People hear you’re on the newspaper and ask why you’d willingly take another English credit. “It’s fun!” I always tell them, but they never believe me.

Ok. You want a real reason to join Tower?

Join because it looks good on college applications (come on, I couldn’t not say it).

Join because you don’t just write. You can design pages, edit stories, sell ads, take photos, draw graphics and so much more.

Join for the reporter’s notebook you got before writing your first real story that made you feel like a “real journalist”- whatever that means.

Join for the summer barbeque, the holiday party, the Valentine’s exchange and all the other little traditions.

Join for the dinners that you all eat together at deadlines, and for the way your heart gives a little squeeze every time someone calls it ‘family dinner’, even though it’s definitely very corny.

Join because after a year of Honors Journalism, you can finally kick the overwriting habit that’s plagued you since second grade.

Join for the two rounds of paper plate awards at the end of the year, because both your current and future editors wanted to do something special for you.

There are a million reasons to join Tower. Even if that’s an exaggeration, we really do have fun together. Over my past two years on staff, I’ve grown to love room 144 and all of the people who make Tower the special place that it is. In my time here, I’ve learned so much more about myself as a writer, leader and as a person overall. I’m absolutely thrilled to help guide them as Editor-in-Chief in the coming year, and I cannot wait to learn and grow with them as well.

For all the “right over left”s to come,

Madeline Kitchen