Behind the scenes at an Unleashed meeting

October 29, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Other Stuff

What’s it like at an Unleashed meeting?

Take a look.

Here are some photos from the first Unleashed meeting of the new year, taken Sept. 16, 2009, by Kateri Town, a senior at La Salle High School and a veteran photographer on the Unleashed team.

The captions are listed in the order the photos appear.

Bob Crider speaks to the 2009-2010 Unleashed team.

Bob Crider speaks to the 2009-2010 Unleashed team.

Yakima Herald-Republic editor Bob Crider addresses the 2009-2010 Unleashed team.

David Goehner talks to the new Unleashed team.

David Goehner talks to the new Unleashed team.

David Goehner from Educational Service District 105 talks to the team.

Colleen Fontana, left, and Mia Walsh, listen to David Goehner.

Colleen Fontana, left, and Mia Walsh, listen to David Goehner.

Colleen Fontana and Mia Walsh, seniors at Davis High School and veteran Unleashed writers, listen to David Goehner from ESD 105 talk to students during the first meeting of the new year.

Lindsay Burns

Lindsay Burns

West Valley Junior High ninth-grader Lindsay Burns shares a laugh with her new Unleashed team mates.

Hannah and Amanda

Hannah and Amanda

Hannah Naughton, a senior at Davis, and Amanda Marquez, a freshman at Grandview, compare answers during the first Unleashed meeting.

We will not let you down

October 1, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Mia Walsh

Mia Walsh

I walked steadily to the table, trying to look as natural as possible.
My head was pounding and my hands felt clammy. I slowly looked down and — with a shaking hand — turned over the pages; there it was.
A grin crept onto my face as I took in the newspaper font, the enormous photograph and the freshly printed newspaper smell of my first first-person feature story.
It was more than a column about my eighth-grade Outward Bound summer adventure; it was my voice speaking to the entire Yakima Valley.
It was a Tuesday in the middle of August in 2006. And it’s a day that I won’t forget because it was the day I realized I can make a difference. I can make heard hidden voices in my community. I can tell stories that have never been told.
From that story forward, I loved every moment of reporting — from nail-biting interviews to the many hours I would sit in front of my computer writing articles. I often met wonderful and interesting people while doing interviews for Unleashed assignments and — in the process — learned so much about my community.
Last February, when I found out Unleashed was going to be cut in the middle of my junior year of high school, I was devastated. Even acknowledging the downturn in the economy, it was too difficult to understand. Why would anyone cut off teenagers’ voices?
How could anyone eliminate a 10-year-old, award-winning youth program? Was it really possible that other local teenagers would never experience the same feeling I did when I saw my story about Outward Bound published in the newspaper?
For three months after Unleashed ended, every student reporter, photographer and artist on the team had to learn to let go of their once amazing opportunity to share their ideas with the community.
Then, on July 10, our former Unleashed coordinator and editor, Adriana Janovich, sent an email to the old Unleashed team telling us to look out for some “exciting news concerning Unleashed coming out in the paper in the next day or two.”
And lo and behold, two days later, there was an article in the Yakima Herald-Republic reporting Unleashed was being revived, thanks to a new partnership between the newspaper, Educational Service District 105 and local school districts and high schools.
Speaking for the members of the new Unleashed team, I would like to thank every teacher, parent and community member that understood the importance of Unleashed and called or wrote a letter begging the newspaper to change its mind. It made a difference.
And thank you to the schools and school districts for coming together and providing the funds so local teenagers can be heard again.
You have given us back an opportunity we were — and now are again — so fortunate to have. You have put the smile on the face of that 14-year-old girl opening the newspaper and seeing her first first-person feature story in print.
Thank you. We will not let you down.

— Mia Walsh attends Davis High School.

Oct. 4, 2009: Unleashed returns

October 1, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Colleen Fontana

Colleen Fontana

Important events happen on Oct. 4.
On that date in 1535, the first complete English Bible was printed. And on that date in 1777, the Battle of Germantown — a blow to American forces during the Revolutionary War — took place outside Philadelphia.
Mexico became a federal republic Oct. 4, 1824. And American baseball player Kurt Suzuki was born Oct. 4, 1983.
Oct. 4 is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. It’s also the first day of World Space Week.
And today — Oct. 4, 2009 — is the day Unleashed returned to the pages of the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Three years ago, I timidly descended the stairs to the basement of the newspaper building and walked into a room full of teenagers, newspapers and pizza boxes.
“Welcome to Unleashed” was scrawled across the white board next to that evening’s agenda.
I chose a seat among the few people I knew, careful not to be too close to the front of the room. I didn’t get pizza even though I was hungry; I didn’t want to have food in my teeth, as though I thought poor personal hygiene would get me kicked off the team.
Soon, these team meetings became a high point of my month. I looked forward to descending the stairs into the familiar conference room, grabbing a few slices of pizza and a pop, scanning the room for an open seat in the front, and chatting with anyone and everyone.
I’m far from the timid girl I was three years ago. And Unleashed helped change me.
With interviews and deadlines, I learned to embrace the stories people told me rather than shy away from them. Homework, sports, church and piano left me with little time for writing, but by learning to manage my time, I made it work. With a full plate, you need to learn to pick and choose the things that are important to you. For me, Unleashed was on the top of that list.
Last fall, as we slowly began to get fewer stories in the paper, I became less motivated to write. What’s the use if no one reads?
But read they did.
I have received numerous letters and emails — from friends and strangers alike — about my articles and columns, inspiring me to keep writing.
I’m ecstatic for this year.
As a senior at Davis High School, this will be my last year on Unleashed, and I want to make the most of it. I want to write about things I have never written about before. I want to interview people I never dreamed I would talk to. And I want to continue to grow as a person and a writer.
I also want to thank all of the readers who expressed support for Unleashed when the newspaper canceled the program last February. And I want to thank the Herald-Republic, Educational Service District 105 and the participating school districts and their superintendents for helping to make the 2009-2010 Unleashed team possible.
You won’t regret it.

— Colleen Fontana attends Davis High School.

A second chance

October 1, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Kateri Town

Kateri Town

When it was announced last February that Unleashed was ending, I was sad knowing that I wouldn’t be able to be part of the program during my last year of high school.
I had been on the team as a photographer for three years, and Unleashed had played a big role in my life. Through Unleashed, I had become a better photographer as well as more involved in the Yakima community.
When the program ended, I had been looking forward to using my new camera on assignments and writing my senior year goodbye column.
It didn’t seem fair.
Now, Unleashed is being given a second chance. And I am so excited to represent Unleashed, as well as La Salle High School.
I plan to continue doing photography. But I’m also looking forward to developing my writing skills in the coming year. Through Unleashed, I have learned important skills for a career in journalism, like time management and the ability to talk to strangers.
Some of my experiences with Unleashed so far have included hunting ghosts in the Capitol Theatre, interacting with amazing kids, watching firefighters drill, photographing members of two local bands, visiting the humane society, and feeding the homeless.
With Unleashed as a starting point, I have done things I never imagined myself doing as a high school student.
Unleashed has also inspired me to apply for and attend high school journalism workshops in Seattle and Albuquerque.
At the 2007 Journalism Summer Workshop at Seattle University, I dropped into a tunnel wearing a hardhat and vest to photograph a road construction project. I also photographed the Seattle Pride Parade and — my personal favorite — a Mariners’ game from the photo pit at Safeco Field.
That summer, I had my photos published in the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
This summer, I participated in Project Phoenix, sponsored by the Native American Journalists Association and hosted by the University of New Mexico. I worked on our student publication, “Rising Voices,” and found myself telling other kids about journalism ethics, things like why it’s not OK to interview your cousin for a news story, things that I had learned from working on Unleashed.
When I joined Unleashed, I was a 14-year-old girl who enjoyed taking pictures.
Today, I start my fourth and final year of Unleashed confident in my future as a photojournalist.
I never realized the places Unleashed would take me until Unleashed was taken away from me. Through Unleashed, I have figured out my goals for the future as well as started developing the tools necessary to succeed in journalism.
Every person I’ve met through the program has had a story that I have been able to share. It is a privilege, and it is also extremely fun.
I am very thankful for the chance to finish my senior year in Unleashed.

— Kateri Town attends La Salle High School.

A step toward my dream

October 1, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Alyssa Wickenhagen

Alyssa Wickenhagen

I’ve been following Unleashed since I was in sixth grade and always wanted to write for it.
I could only imagine how it must feel to see my work published for anyone and everyone to see.
So when I applied for this year’s newly-revived team, I crossed my fingers every day that I would be picked. When I got home one day last month and saw the envelope from the Yakima Herald-Republic on my table, my heart skipped a beat.
My dad had already opened it. But he didn’t let on.
I ran to my room, tore the letter out of the envelope and read that I had been chosen. The first team meeting was in a week. I told everyone I was so happy!
I applied for Unleashed because I love to write. In my future, I would love to be a journalist or an author. I would love to write for the New York Times and live in New York City.
Unleashed seems like a step closer to becoming what I want to be when I grow up.
By the end of our first meeting, I felt I had already learned so much; it was surreal. And when I walked through the newsroom, it looked like the kind of place I imagine myself working someday. I saw this guy printing out a page for the next day’s newspaper, and I thought it was very cool.
That night, I met a group of other young people who love the same thing I love, and it felt really good to be around people like that.
Unleashed has been life-changing for students who have gone through the program in the past, and I think it will be for me, too. My hopes for this year are write good stories, learn from my mistakes, and just become a better writer.
I’m looking forward to seeing this piece published in the newspaper. And I can’t wait to work on many others.

— Alyssa Wickenhagen attends Highland High School.

Better than ever

October 1, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Jasmine Okbinoglu

Jasmine Okbinoglu

Each new year of high school was a little bit different.
My friends changed. My classes and teachers varied. My locker moved. I started wearing contacts. I started driving, and I felt so cool. My priorities changed.
Looking back now, I’m startled how different I am and how diverse my high school experience has been up to my senior year.
Most shocking of all, I realized Unleashed has been the one consistent thing. As I write this, I can’t believe it.
Unleashed has been a part of my life through so many changes. And I am so happy that it will be with me during the changes that will undoubtedly occur throughout my senior year of high school.
Unleashed was cut in February. Today, it’s making its comeback. But throughout the last six months or so, it seemed to me like Unleashed was simply on a hiatus.
I felt this way because at times I had the mindset that I was still a reporter. I would see or hear something that would trigger a story idea. I would get the “I-should-tell-Adriana-the-Unleashed-coordinator-this-would-make-a-great-story” impulse.
Now, it makes me really happy that, if I have that impulse, I can actually tell Adriana and do something about it.
Unleashed is such a great and important program. It’s not just important for Yakima but the entire nation. It’s one of the few programs left that give teens a voice in the real world. It lets us shed light on the workings of the teenage mind.
Therefore, I am so grateful to Educational Service District 105 and the schools and school districts that sponsored Unleashed back to life. Without their support Unleashed would still be the memory of a great opportunity instead of something that teens can still actively be involved in.
I believe Unleashed is so important to our community because it covers a broader spectrum of news for teens. It’s not just about the car accident on 16th Street or the state of the economy. It goes beyond that.
It talks about actual life on a personal level. People who would usually not make it into the regular sections of the newspaper can be found in Unleashed.
Subjects that are usually hushed but that need to be discussed — like sex and drugs — are found in Unleashed. It goes beneath the surface.
Unleashed is a breath of fresh air and a pleasant distraction. Among all that is occurring in the world, there is still a bright spot. Unleashed adds color to the newspaper. It’s like a dab of pink neon or electric blue that catches the reader’s eye.
I love Unleashed. It has given me so much — and not just in writing. It has given me confidence to go up to people and talk to them. It has given me the responsibility of an adult. It has shown me what I say or think can make a difference.
So let another year of Unleashed begin. I have a feeling it’s going to be better than ever.

— Jasmine Okbinoglu attends Eisenhower High School.

Editor & Publisher article spotlights Unleashed

September 4, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Other Stuff

By Cynthia Mitchell
As Teen Sections Get Axed, One Returns in Washington

The following article, written by Central Washington University journalism professor Cynthia Mitchell, was published Sept. 2, 2009, by Editor & Publisher, a journal covering the newspaper industry in North America. It spotlights the return of Unleashed — through a partnership between the Yakima Herald-Republic and Educational Service District 105 — this fall. Visit Editor & Publisher for more information.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. The Yakima Herald-Republic’s award-winning teen section, which like several other such sections around the country was killed earlier this year for economic reasons, is coming back this fall thanks to a cooperative arrangement with schools and school districts in Central Washington.

The schools will provide $11,500 a year to pay a part-time coordinator and to pay student contributors and related expenses. The reincarnated “Unleashed” will publish on the front of the “Life in the Northwest” section every other Sunday, with pieces also carried elsewhere and on other days, according to Publisher Michael Shepard.

“Unleashed” had been published weekly since 1999 with the guidance of a Yakima Herald staffer, who supervised between 25 and 40 students from the region. Last fall, the newspaper opted to stop publishing the dedicated page on Tuesdays and instead started using the content throughout the paper and putting it online. But come late February, it was too expensive to continue at all, Shepard said. (Besides the coordinator’s time and newsprint costs, the paper was paying $10,000-$12,000 a year for the student staff and editors, he said.)

“The decision to curtail the program … wasn’t easy,” he said. “But because we were trimming staff, we didn’t feel as though we could devote a significant portion of someone’s time to that program, which was a chunk of money. We needed to recapture those dollars, in addition to being able to recapture a lot of that space.”

But the decision was met with a big response – not just from teens and “Unleashed” alums, but by area educators and readers of all ages, Shepard said. “It certainly wasn’t stunning, or news to us, that it was popular, but so many people took the time to write letters to the editor and to express concern and ask what they could do about it,” Shepard said. “It was more popular in the community than we had thought.”

Meanwhile, Ben Soria, then-superintendent of the Yakima School District, and Jane Gutting, superintendent of Educational Service District 105, a regional agency that provides services for school districts in Central Washington, decided to approach the paper about helping “Unleashed” return. Armed with a budget from Shepard, Gutting then got 11 school districts and two private high schools to agree to kick in money. Most are donating $500 each, with the intention that one of their students will be selected for the “Unleashed” staff. Two larger school districts are donating more money to fund more students.

Of the $11,500 pledged for this school year, $6,000 will go to pay the part-time coordinator. The rest will be used to buy food for the monthly meetings, to pay the student staff of 23 $15 for each story, photo or illustration that’s published, and to buy supplies and cover any other related training costs. Gutting’s agency is also applying for grants from local organizations to help underwrite the program, and the Herald-Republic has pledged to push for new advertising.

“The district superintendents were very open because they know it’s a great opportunity for students to connect with journalism staff and it was a very reasonable fee that we were charging for their participation,” Gutting said.

ESD 105 has set it up as a cooperative with a written contract, automatically renewable yearly, with a five-member executive committee, three of whom are picked by the participating schools, she said. The newspaper will make all publication and editorial decisions, and retains publication rights over the content. (Though students own their work and are free to have it published in non-competing markets.) The staff is recruited and selected by the coordinator in consultation with the paper and ESD105.

Gutting sees the potential for other newspapers and intermediate service agencies, which most states have in place to support school districts, to copy their model.

Adriana Janovich, a Herald-Republic reporter who’s advised “Unleashed” for the last six years, was contracted to be the coordinator. Unlike in the past, however, her “Unleashed” duties will be over and above her full-time Herald-Republic duties as education reporter.

“I am absolutely thrilled the program is being revived,” Janovich wrote in an e-mail, adding that the section “gives young people a voice. It gives them the chance to share their hopes and dreams and fears and concerns. It gives them an opportunity to be published, share their work, have a byline, and build their confidence…They get to experience freedom of the press. And they learn that with freedom comes responsibility…I believe ‘Unleashed’ changes lives.”

Teen sections around the country have been struggling, with several sections closing in the past year, according to Marina Hendricks, manager of the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, which supports teen sections with an annual conference, awards and training, among other things. (‘Unleashed’ took first place in Program Excellence for newspapers under 60,000 circulation in last year’s NAA Foundation youth competition, with student work taking first in the photograph, news and reviews competitions.)

The NAA Foundation doesn’t have any firm numbers about teen sections; it’s such a moving target that it wouldn’t be a good time to do a national survey, Hendricks said. But she said they know of several teen programs that have recently stopped publication. They include The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., the Tulsa World, The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., and the Missoulian in Missoula, Mont.

“These programs have been outstanding ones,” Hendricks said. “From our standpoint, they were doing all the right things.”

While the NAA hasn’t put out any kind of official proclamation, urging newspapers to try to keep the sections, they still believe it’s a good way to lure young readers and to train future journalists. “It’s not worth giving up on yet,” she said. “I think it just calls for being more creative and more patient and more willing to look at the long haul.”

Orlando Sentinel reporter Eloísa Ruano González says she’s so shy she doesn’t think she ever would have contemplated going to journalism school — much less pursuing a reporting career — had a high school teacher not pushed her to apply to “Unleashed” for her junior year in 2000-2001. Her parents, Mexican immigrants, had worked mostly menial-labor jobs, González said, so before “Unleashed” she’d never been around many professionals — except for her teachers.

“’Unleashed’ opened up a door for me. … It was a huge stepping stone,” said González, who returned to the Herald-Republic as an intern after graduating, then was hired on and covered immigration issues until leaving for the Sentinel in December 2007.

“When you’re fragile and you’re in high school, you need a comfort zone. And that’s what Unleashed did — they provided a comfort zone, ironically, to help me get out of my comfort zone.

“The experience I gained that one year clearly stuck with me forever.”


Cynthia Mitchell (mitchelc@cwu.edu) is a former daily newspaper reporter and editor who is now an associate professor of journalism at Central Washington University, about 40 miles from Yakima. In 2006, she taught a story ideas workshop to the “Unleashed” staff and has twice written recommendations for “Unleashed” to earn awards. She can be reached at 509-963-1063, mitchelc@cwu.edu.

Educators help revive student-written Unleashed

August 3, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Other Stuff

YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
EDITORIAL

This editorial recently ran in the Yakima Herald-Republic.

For nearly 11 years, Tuesday’s edition of the newspaper had a different look to it. Published under a large logo that read “Unleashed,” stories ranged from interviews with foreign exchange students to the content of meals being served in high school cafeterias. Columns carried opinions about the value of friendships to the heartbreak of losing a parent.

The one thing they all had in common was they were written by teenagers.

Then “Unleashed” came to an end earlier this year, the result of severe budget cuts this newspaper had to make.

But the special section produced by teens did not go quietly. Letters and phone calls poured in, urging the newspaper to reverse its decision. The most vocal of those who wanted Unleashed saved were educators. They saw the value of getting high school students interested in interviewing different people from all walks of life and writing about topics that mattered most in their young lives.

So it comes with great satisfaction to see the Educational School District 105 and a number of school districts throughout Central Washington stepping forward and bringing Unleashed back into publication.

Here’s how the agreement will work: ESD 105, which provides support services to 25 public school districts and 23 private and tribal schools throughout Central Washington, will hire under contract a part-time Unleashed coordinator who will oversee the students’ news-gathering efforts. This newspaper will help out by absorbing the costs associated with publishing, every other Sunday, the stories, photographs and graphics produced by the Unleashed staff on the front cover of the Life in the Northwest section. Photos and stories may also appear occasionally throughout the week in the daily newspaper.

Approximately 24 students will be working on the Unleashed staff and will come from the participating school districts that are assisting in paying for the $12,000 cost of sustaining the Unleashed program. These districts are East Valley, Ellensburg, Grandview, Highland, Mabton, Mattawa, Selah, Toppenish, West Valley, White Swan and Yakima. Two private high schools, La Salle and Riverside Christian, have also chosen to participate.

So later this year, when flipping through the newspaper, take time to read what the Unleashed staff writers have to say about their world, and about ours. It will be well worth your time.

• Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.

Unleashed will be back in fall

August 3, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Other Stuff

By LEAH BETH WARD
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Unleashed, the popular journalism program for teens that fell victim to budget cuts at the Yakima Herald-Republic earlier this year, will return under a restructured format in the fall.

Educational Service District 105 in cooperation with area school districts will hire a part-time coordinator to oversee the program and supervise student news-gathering efforts for publication every other Sunday in the Life in the Northwest section of the Herald-Republic.

Additional content, including photos, will be published in the daily paper, according to Editor Bob Crider, who added that other details are being finalized.

“The educators in our schools agreed with the outpouring of community support for Unleashed following its loss,” Jane Gutting, ESD 105 superintendent, said in a Friday news release.

Each participating school district will fund at least one student for the first year. Additional money from grants will be sought to expand the program. Funding a bare-bones program for one year will cost about $12,000, according to ESD officials.

The Herald-Republic will make a new push for advertising support for the section and absorb other costs associated with publishing student-produced content, said Publisher Michael Shepard.

“Our readers told us just how important this content was to them and we are grateful the schools see the value of this journalistic effort as well,” he said.

Approximately 24 students will be able to work for Unleashed.

They will be supervised by the coordinator, who will be hired under contract with the ESD. A three-member committee representing ESD, the schools and the newspaper expects to select a coordinator soon.

In addition to Yakima, participating districts include high schools in East Valley, Ellensburg, Grandview, Highland, Mabton, Mattawa, Selah, Sunnyside, Toppenish, West Valley and White Swan. La Salle and Riverside Christian high schools are also participants.

The goal is to have at least one student from each participating high school.

Since its beginning in 1999, about 300 students have worked as Unleashed journalists. The program has received numerous national awards.

Students interested in working as journalists for Unleashed beginning in September can contact their local school district administrative office or David Goehner of ESD at davidg@esd105.wednet.edu or 509-454-3131.

Remembering Unleashed

March 3, 2009 by Adriana Janovich  
Filed under Columns

Andy Carroll

Andy Carroll

By ANDY CARROLL
UNLEASHED STAFF
May 1, 2009. This date was going to offer one of the toughest “goodbye” moments of my senior year: The due date of my final Unleashed column.
But now, with the ending of the Unleashed program, which was in its tenth year, May 1 is now a day I will spend simply on a school service immersion trip in New Orleans, with columns and deadlines no longer on my mind.
As was the case with many of my fellow teenage staffers, the announcement that Unleashed had been terminated came as a sudden and heartbreaking surprise.
Sure, we no longer had our Tuesday section, but I had always thought that the end, if it was to come this year, would be upon completion of the school year, not on a seemingly random and insignificant Friday in February.
Granted, this year was always bound to be the last one for me, as I am headed for college in the fall. But now, what would have been my senior column is no longer just a reflection on my three years as a reporter and columnist; it’s also partly an obituary for Unleashed, something I didn’t expect I would write.
Lately, there has been a lot said about the legacy of Unleashed. From a broad perspective, there’s no denying that this legacy involves bringing the words and opinions of local teenagers to the public, and offering young writers a look into the world of journalism.
But Unleashed isn’t confined to just one legacy; there are many, each one relating to the individual writer.
For me, Unleashed was a life-changing experience. I have come a long way from the shy and awkward freshman I was when I first joined the team nearly three years ago, and much of that is due to how this program helped me to find my voice, both inside and outside the many features, reviews and columns I wrote.
The first article I wrote for Unleashed was a feature on teen volunteer work, which took me months to complete. Though a neutral take without opinions is necessary in newspaper feature writing, there was still such an incredible anonymity to it; anyone could have written it.
Today, anonymity isn’t something that figures into my writing. As a columnist for the past two years, I got the chance to voice my opinions and present part of myself to readers — and in doing so, learned a lot about myself.
I’m no longer that shy kid who hides himself in anonymity. Thanks largely to the confidence and revelation of ability I’ve gained through my writing, I have found my voice as both a writer and a human being. I can’t even begin to speculate on how different the past three years would have been without Unleashed.
When I attended the final team meeting last month, it was perfectly clear that I wasn’t alone in this way of thinking. Though tears weren’t shed and the spirit was mostly upbeat, there was no doubt that this program would be sorely missed, even for those of us seniors who would have been out the door in a matter of months anyway.
In the entire time I was part of Unleashed, I always worked with a group of peers that was dedicated and passionate, about as far from that stereotype of disrespectful and disinterested teenagers as people can get. For all the writers past and present, this wasn’t just another fun, little afterschool activity; it was a chance to break that stereotype and show the community just what a group of talented and driven teenagers could do.
For the past 10 years, I’ve participated in Unleashed as both a young reader who aspired to be like the older high school students whose work was in the paper and as a staffer seeing my own work in print as well as the work of people I know and talk to.
The one perspective that, at least for now, I will not get to take is that of an older reader, removed from the program, reading the work of younger writers. The section has had so many breathtaking articles over the years that I don’t doubt that I would have continued to be amazed by the work of future staffers.
But as it is, Unleashed has reached its end. And in this end, I realize just how incredible an opportunity was available. This wasn’t some little school paper; it was the Big Leagues, “The Show.”
Unleashed’s ending comes amidst the continuing downward spiral of print journalism. The idea that I may be describing newspapers to my children as a relic of the past is no longer some absurd fantasy.
But the power of words will never die, nor will their ability to deeply move us.
I call on readers to remember all the young people who have worked on this program for this past decade, and to never forget the ways that journalism can move and change all of us.
And I address my final words as a columnist for the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team to any other young writers reading this: Don’t stop. Never stop.
I know that so long as there is but one more breath in my body, I never will.

• Andy Carroll is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team. He attends La Salle High School.

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