I wrote my first Chariot “article” in seventh grade as a part of Chariot Junior. It was never published; its final form was a Google Doc that had a few pictures scattered throughout it. I barely remember what it was about, but I do remember leaving the Chariot right after and figuring I would never write for the newspaper again. Fast forward to tenth grade, where Rachel John Jacob convinces me to attend a distribution so that we could cowrite an article together. I was not entirely convinced I would enjoy it—I was more of a fiction writer than anything—but if you know Rachel, you know that she can convince you to do just about anything. 

Now I am writing my final Chariot article, and surprisingly, I am not cowriting it! You would think that as Editor-in-Chief I would do a lot of independent writing, but my other responsibilities often make it such that I do everything but write. Alas, today I can pay a tribute to all of the wonderful people that help make The Chariot possible. So, let’s get started! 

Zahra Mazkur: Thank you so much for all of your hard work! As a writer and cartoonist, you bring so much to The Chariot and I am grateful for all that you do. I know you are going to continue to deliver, and I wish you luck in your future endeavors. 

Janice: We can never have enough photographers, and I know it is no easy feat to capture moments of any kind. You have always done a splendid job doing so, so thank you for that.

Lindsay: I will forever be grateful to the only art staffer that made it to our annual art staff meeting. You are so talented: you run, you photograph and you draw! I remember being especially impressed by your art for the South Korean martial law article. Your art does justice to each article it is attached to. 

Anna: I know this was your first (and last) year on Chariot staff, and I am so grateful for all of the amazing pieces you have produced for us! Making art for a publication senior year is no easy task, and you certainly rose up to the challenge. 

Nowra: Another first and last time cartoonist for The Chariot! I swear, every time I look at your art I am in awe. Your works are visually stunning and I constantly hear compliments about them! As someone who struggles to draw stick figures, you are truly an inspiration. 

Suha: I am going to paraphrase Ms. Mannle here, but the number of awards you have won for your art speaks for itself (yes, even that one of Ice Spice). You are a great cartoonist and all of the art you produce is amazing; you are definitely going off to do incredible things.

Evelyn: Thank you for always blowing up my messages. Kidding! Not to get too sappy, but I am glad that you care enough about what you do to always ask for help. You should keep reaching out and caring about these things, and I hope you continue photographing (and possibly writing) for The Chariot in the future. I have to admit my favorite photo of yours is the one of my dad. 

Helai: Thank you for your writing for every issue! I appreciate your readiness and your consistency, and keep up the great work.

Obed: I sincerely appreciate it when I see your name on the sheets, and I am so grateful for all of your hard work. I hope you continue to write for The Chariot in the future! 

Zahra Nuha: Your writing is fantastic and I get so excited every time I open one of the articles you wrote. You have a true knack for journalism and I know you are only going to get better from here. (I also forgot you weren’t on staff, but I feel like you deserve the shoutout nonetheless!)

Fatima & Jisha: I am going to group the two of you together because you cowrite so often. You have both contributed so many articles to our publication, and with each one, you both improve. 

Janvi: You are always willing to write whatever we need, whenever we need. You are the best. Your writing is top tier, and I am never disappointed by you. It is an honor to be your peer and I wish you the best of luck for the future. 

Rebecca: Another fantastic writer. Your writing voice is incredibly powerful, and you are always, always here with me and Ms. Mannle—even if the room is empty. I admire you and your work so much! Thank you for everything.

Arjit & Dylan: Sports flies completely over my head. I have no clue how any of the lingo plays out, and I am grateful that both of you can handle all of the. . . I cannot even think of examples. Anyway, thank you for writing and editing for our sports section. I am not sure it would exist without you two!

Carmela: Editing for the first time is definitely a lot to take in—and you took it with stride. Your personality is bright, your comments are witty and you bring so much to our table. You always get your work done on time, and more importantly, it is always done well. I know next year you will be even better, and it was an honor to have you on staff this year.

Jacob: As a first time editor, and as a News Editor, you certainly had a lot to handle when you joined The Chariot staff. News always has triple the amount of articles of the other sections, and it truly takes incredible perseverance and strength to work through that issue. You always do so with a smile on your face, and you bring an energy to the room that everyone appreciates. You are only in 10th grade (crazy!) so you have many years ahead of you, so keep working hard. 

Marco: I was so grateful to work with you as a Features editor last year, and to have you on staff this year as well. You come up with great headlines, and you come to Student Activities with even greater enthusiasm. People are always laughing when you are around, and you truly help to make The Chariot the family that it is. You are incredibly talented (as can be quantified by the number of your Chariot features) and I know you are going to go on to do great things. I cannot wait to see what you are going to do, and I hope the future is kind to you!

Darsh: I have no clue how you juggle it all. You have so many eggs, and most of them have hatched! I am very happy that you live so close to the school—and I can only imagine that it makes your life easier. You have never made me feel unwelcome, and you are one of the most dependable people I know. Though, I have to tell you now: sometimes, it is okay to take a rest. Take care of yourself! You are incredibly talented and capable, and you do not need any title or alma mater to prove it. 

Shohom: You are, hands down, one of the most intelligent people I know. Your opinion holds incredible weight to me because I know you put your 100% (even if it is last minute) in anything, and it reflects in both what you say and do. You have taught me the value of digging deeper into the world around us. Your editorials are always top-tier and full of passion, and remember that you never have to apologize for writing too much or making the atmosphere ‘uncomfortable.’ Do not hesitate to speak your truth, because I can guarantee you it will do the people around you a world of good. I really cannot ask you to do more than what you are doing right now. Thank you.

Zekthi: Our favorite honorary staff member (and news section editor and temp. EIC). You are surprisingly present at our meetings for someone who is not even in our GroupMes, and I am always grateful for your amazing writing. . . and you guessed it, your quotes. You are so informed on everything that you have saved an article more times than I can count. I thank you for allowing me to hold the title of EIC long enough for me to write this article. Truly, you are a generous soul.

Evyn: You have been an incredible partner. Whenever I am too overloaded, I know that you have my back, even if you have a million things going on yourself. You have such a good heart and it shows in the work you produce as well as the people you have collaborated with. If I need photos, I know who to call, and if I need a second opinion, I will text you right away. I have never had to doubt you or your abilities—you have always made The Chariot a priority, even though I know you have so many things to take care of. We have spent many a night together, and even if I was going crazy, it was fun to go crazy next to you. I wish you nothing but the best of luck to you.

Ms. Mannle: I could not have asked for a better mentor. It feels like forever ago that I stepped in your English classroom in seventh grade. I remember my first grade in your class, an 85, for an essay on The Outsiders that we had to read over the summer. I was a tiny bit devastated because the 80s were unknown to me—but I am not sure what I expected as I read that book in June and never picked it up again. Anyway, I got to do extra credit and get it up to a 90, so all is well. Another moment that is saved in my rapidly depleting harddrive of memories is our class reading of “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” and realizing that wait, the people are the monsters!  Afterwards, I went home and watched a few more episodes of “The Twilight Zone” with my father and brother because I was so fascinated by the topics touched upon in the show. I think this just shows how much of an impact your class had on me. Oh, and another legendary memory I can’t not mention: your chocolate chocolate chip cake! It was so good, and honestly a pivotal moment for middle school me. There were a few gap years, but we got to meet again in 2022, and I am so grateful we did. All of the stories and fun times that we have had together in The Chariot room (I am adamant about calling it that instead of Student Activities because, if we’re being honest, we own this room). I do not know what I would do without you. You have shaped me as a writer and as a human being, and I am going to miss you so much! 

Rachel John Jacob: I feel like there is so much—too much—for me to write here, so it is a good thing I got a lot of my thoughts out in your yearbook. You will always be my ultimate duo, whether it comes to writing, tennis-ing, or MUNing. You do so much for The Chariot as well—writing, editing, photographing and drawing. That is quite literally all that you could do for The Chariot, actually. You are such a hard worker (now I feel like I am paraphrasing my yearbook autograph) but it is true. If you don’t know how to do something, you learn how to do it, and you do it well. As I mentioned before, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, so really, thank you. All that I do for the school wouldn’t be half as fun if you weren’t by my side. I don’t know how I’m going to go to college without you. There are a million other things I could write about how grateful I am for you, but I’ll cut it short here. Just know that you have impacted me in ways that I could not possibly verbalize.