A: Max always said that “we are so going under”, but that couldn’t be more wrong! For this issue and the next school year, Zafina and I (Alexandra) plan to tackle The Observer head on. We will be eradicating hunger by ensuring snacks at every production, becoming one organism with our matching Observer T-shirts (designed by me btw ;)) and getting the InDesign gods on our side.
Z: Woah Alexandra, that’s a little much isn’t it?!?! But I agree, this year we won’t be going “under”, instead, we will 100% be going over!! Take that, Max! In all seriousness, Alexandra and I (Zafina) are incredibly grateful to be the new EICs. We are looking forward to a fresh start and a fun year! That is…if we are still in-person next year 😭😭. Alexandra, have you heard about the “hantavirus?”
A: I unfortunately have…and I didn’t believe it at first. Covid part 2 only about 3 years later? That’s insane. Zafina, we will be seniors next year. I really don’t want another “online learning” situation. Missing our 5th grade graduation, Outdoor Ed, and what should be so many other memories was so disappointing. I can’t imagine missing all of the milestones we have waiting for us senior year. Can you imagine a virtual senior prom, graduation, or senior assassin?
Z: Yeah, missing a major graduation twice is kinda insane… though I won’t lie I kind of liked online school. Getting to eat food fresh off of the stove, watching anime all day and attending class from the comfort of my own bed – it was a fun time for me. But then again, I realize that we were around twelve years old and didn’t take things as seriously then. I hope everyone stays safe.
A: I truly hope so too. With the way there are suspected hantavirus cases now in Maryland, the possibility of returning to life as a forehead on zoom isn’t nonzero. You’re right that online school wasn’t all bad, but it definitely made learning more difficult. Even now, students are still recovering from catching up with their missed learning and the return to rigor. Younger students also experienced troubles socializing since the crucial stage of their life where they began socializing was disrupted.
Z: That’s a valid point you bring up. People of all ages are definitely going to experience effects in different ways from the virus if it becomes a pandemic on a larger scale. One thing that I’m curious about is if there will be any cultural shifts as there was with the Covid-19 pandemic. Remember when everyone started making whipped coffee? Or when baggy jeans became in-fashion again? Or when synth-pop and retro-pop became trendy again? There’s so many unknowns….
A: I remember! Everyone started trauma-bonding through social media since that was really the only way we could all interact. During covid, we got to witness the rise of TikTok and short-form content in general first-hand. In a way, TikTok “infected” every platform with shortform content from reels to shorts. Even though we made it out of Covid, it seems many of the changes became our “new normal.”
Z: Now that you’ve pointed that out, I can’t unsee it. Assuming that everything stays according to plan, the 26-27 year is going to be great for The Observer! I hope that we don’t have to publish everything online, interviews will be hard to get! If that were the case, we wouldn’t be able to chase people down…. Setting that aside, please enjoy the June issue by our amazing staff!!!
A: Zafina, I think we have truly reached flow state with this article! I’m so happy we get to be Co-EIC together. Although we will miss our old staff, we are also really looking forward to working with our new staff! This might seem crazy, but since journalism is two periods, we haven’t met half of the new staff yet. So, the hantavirus better stay away before our chance to even meet our new staff disappears! Of course, none of this would be possible without you, our dear readers. So to our readers, we hope to catch you later for our next issue!
