The second year of the Falcon Press met and exceeded expectations at every turn. We produced a wider variety of stories and reviews, had several writers published locally, obtained an interview with an actual State Representative, and hit multiple impressive milestones. 

Unfortunately, with those positives comes the hard reality that graduation brings several key departures that will be deeply missed and hard to replace. 

Isabel Gustavson, like all of her senior peers, joined during her junior year when we were busy rebuilding the Falcon Press. Immediately, she became a vital contributor, both willing to collaborate and also come up with unique ideas for news stories and features. Isabel worked hard to adapt to newswriting, and it showed in her efforts. Even when unable to attend meetings due to her work schedule, she came through as a willing participant, taking on stories and submitting them outside of meetings, an act which often filled many gaps during the busier months of the year. Her feature story on Fitch High School’s namesake, Robert E. Fitch, remains the most-read story in the history of the Falcon Press online, oftentimes earning the top spot for any given month more than a year after it was published. Next year, Isabel will be attending Quinnipiac University and majoring in Film, TV, and Media Arts in the 3+1 program.

Zerek Laghari joined with a passionate interest in news reporting, eventually becoming one of the most prolific writers on our staff. His portfolio contains a wide array of topics, including stories on class activities and events, sports, theater, and more. Behind the scenes, Zerek became the king of the quick turnaround, with articles on the 2024 cyberattack on Groton Public Schools and the northern lights being submitted within less than 24 hours of each respective event. His opinion piece on gun control was also published in The Day. Over his senior year, his opinions became more layered and nuanced, finding his true voice in a way that was refreshing. He opened up the floodgates for others on staff to take on more complex issues. Next year, Zerek will be attending Wesleyan University and majoring in Government.

Naman Patel came to the Falcon Press eager to offer up his thoughts in the form of his energetic and passionate writing. Naman was quick to take on many news stories, but also offered up reviews and opinions where many others were far more hesitant. For a time, he was one of only two students who regularly contributed music reviews, and his take on recent hip-hop releases often went well beyond the music itself, looking at the culture and how it influenced the voices he loved listening to. His reporting also went well beyond conventional topics, looking at AI use in the classroom as well as Congress’s efforts to ban TikTok in 2024. He provided a depth of insight and research that students could learn from, and proved that writing about your passions makes for compelling content. Naman will be attending Northeastern University in the fall, majoring in Computer Science. 

Elias Slocum began his journey on staff as a part of my Journalism class during the spring semester of 2024. Though he was eager to write, he was not able to attend meetings at the time due to other commitments. However, his work in the class was strong enough to get published as a contributing writer, and he was soon bumped up to staff writer during his senior year. It was during this time that he was able to engage more in his love of music by providing thoughtful reviews of some of his favorite albums from years past. He brought maturity to his writing that perfectly captured his enthusiasm for music, and I often felt like I was reading the work of a seasoned writer for NME or CMJ. His love of reviews did not deter him from hard news or features, however, and he frequently branched out of his element to be a valuable member of the staff. In the fall, Elias will also be attending Quinnipiac, focusing on Liberal Arts.

On behalf of the staff, I would like to sincerely thank these students for their hard work and dedication. Their efforts have helped shape the Falcon Press into what it is now and provide a framework for future students to follow. Good luck in the future, both in college and beyond.

And to everyone who wrote or read our work, thank you, and enjoy your summer. We will see you in the Fall.