L: Well, I suppose it was bound to happen: we have no idea what to write about. After an entire year of constant bickering and annoying each other (all thanks to Cecilia) we have run out of things to argue about, and, classic us, of course we waited until the last possible moment to write this article so you, our dear reader, are stuck reading an article about nothing. In an unconventional twist of events, this, an April Fool’s article, is our last Paws for Thoughts as EICs of The Churchill Observer and yet we are fresh out of ideas. So instead, we are going to make this as heart wrenchingly emotional as we possibly can.
C: Wow, I mean, I don’t even really know how I should start this. My first thoughts are that I want to be funny and really capture the April Fool’s spirit, but then I remember this is the last article I’m going to write with you, Leah. It has been a crazy, exhausting and most of all, absolutely amazing four years writing for this paper. I’m not going to get too heartfelt because we still have the Senior Issue (go read it in May!!), so contrary to Leah, I’m going to treat this like a normal, satirical April Fool’s article. So without further ado, Leah, why does the chicken cross the road?
L: Because sometimes, the road isn’t just a road—it’s a goodbye. Just like this article, it’s more than just a joke; it’s the end of a chapter. Cecilia, we should treat this article seriously, just like every other article we’ve written for the paper. Or at least all the other articles I’VE written for the paper. Think about it: we made it through J1 together (with all those long Radical Writes), suffered through Honors Precalculus together, played an ungodly amount of Crazy 8 together when we really should have been doing work, made it through a rough junior year together and screen-shared on FaceTime to open the new staff list to find out we were co-EICs together. Now, we’ve gotten to run the paper for an entire year together. Sue me for being a little sad.
C: How many times can I beat you in these arguments before you finally give up? Even in this special edition of our paper, laughter will always beat sadness. Thinking back on it, there have been sooooooooo many embarrassing Leah moments that our readers have never been able to hear about. Example A: A barbell falling on your head, splitting your head open and giving you 13 stitches. Example B: Running into you crying after the AP Spanish exam because you thought you forgot to put your name on one of the pages; come to find out you still got a 5 on the exam (L: Because I’m a Spanish MASTER). Example C: You announcing to our WHOLE journalism class that you’re a sore loser. Do I need to continue? You know what though? I will take this moment to be sad. After all, the Observer will be losing the most important, beautiful, smart, kind and caring member of the staff: me!! So now, I understand that you’re not grieving the paper, you’re grieving the loss of me!
L: Okay, first of all I never said I was a sore loser. The quote is, “If you’re not a sore loser, you’re just a loser” -Leah Kreisler, 2023 (see poster in the Journalism lab). Look who’s being a sore loser now! I know that beneath your aloof demeanor you’re devastated. You won’t get to see my beautiful face everyday anymore or receive my frantic editing or production texts. But never fear! You’ll still receive random texts and calls from me and I’ll be expecting many visits. Think about all the amazing things we’ve experienced over the years: Spending three days in NYC together (when we got cut out of the group picture at the Empire State building), the Nats game where you wore a full Orioles fit, that time we met with Superintendent Taylor and you had to wear a yellow “I am a student” sticker and so much more. Senior year is the culmination of a 12 year journey but it is also a culmination of the amazing experiences we’ve had on the Observer together.
C: No Leah, those memories will completely disappear from my memory the second I walk across that stage and collect my diploma. I will certainly forget the time that all the folders got deleted and we were both crashing out for days. Or the time the double truck got sized completely wrong and we spent hours fixing it. And I will almost definitely not remember sneaking into Mr. Clark’s class multiple times at the end of junior year. Wow Leah, honestly, we have had so many memories together in the span of just four years. I always hate to admit when you’re right but maybe… this time you are? I never thought that as a nervous freshman I would meet one of my best friends in this class but here we are. Our friendship has stretched even outside the Observer and I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. Running this paper with you has been such an amazing experience and I’m grateful for all the time and memories we have had together. I guess maybe I’ll miss you just a little bit.
L: Awwww that’s so sweet that I’m going to let you get away without an “I told you so!” Wow, what a bittersweet moment: our last full issue on the staff of The Churchill Observer. I know that wherever life takes us, we are both going to accomplish amazing things and go on amazing adventures but I know that I can always call my great friend and co-EIC Cecilia (C: Alright, enough with the corny stuff). To our staff, whose blood, sweat and tears have gone into the production of each and every issue, we are beyond grateful! Thank you for putting up with our annoying banter, unfunny jokes, timely untimeliness and out of the box ideas. To Ms. Zitnik, thank you so much for being the best advisor we could ever ask for. Expect many visits! We are eternally thankful to all the teachers, parents, family members and friends in our lives who have helped us reach this moment. And now, without further ado…
L + C: Enjoy the April Fools issue of the 2024-2025 Observer!
