To the Poland Seminary High School,

These last three years in the Seminarian, our school newspaper, have been a very enjoyable experience for me. Reporting on the happenings of the community has led me to new experiences, meeting many interesting people, and learning a lot about the inner workings of the place we call home. As Editor in Chief, I grew very close to the family we built in the Staff room. Although I will be passing the torch to the next generation of writers/reporters, there’s no doubt that the newspaper will continue to flourish under their care. 

This coming fall, I will pack my bags and move to New Orleans, Louisiana. It is there I will be attending Tulane University. Enrolled in the ROTC program, my days will be spent training to become an officer in the Army post graduation, as well as working towards a degree in Digital Media and Business Management. After my term of military service, the film industry is where I hope to work as a director. 

Throughout high school, I have learned a few lessons. The first being to learn how to be adaptive and thrive under difficult circumstances. Plenty of things go wrong in life but adversity makes the man. My first year in the Seminarian was at the peak of Covid-19 where nothing was happening and most of our staff couldn’t even come into school. The room contained myself and only two other students, all of us in masks and in opposite corners of the room. In spite of this, the newspaper survived and managed to find future success. The second lesson is about being unordinary. In other words, don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zoom or something outside the box. Be original! The most memorable experiences of high school, whether it be joining the newspaper, making a movie, going ghost hunting, running a clothes drive, or making new friends, happened only because I decided to walk the road not taken. Too often we try to “fit into the mold” during high school, which is natural for our age! Even so, it is a frivolous pursuit because one day we learn to disregard the constant need for approval and acceptance from others. But by then, however, it is too late; we are left with a pit of dissatisfaction and realize we lived lacklusterly. So be extraordinary! No one ever makes history by maintaining the status quo. 

If you are considering joining the Seminarian, I would encourage you to do so! You will form a lot of fond memories and friendships. Additionally, it will look really good when applying for college! If you are a reader, thank you for supporting us even through the stressful years. Your viewership gives us the opportunity to share the stories our community needs to hear. Finally, I’d like to thank our teachers Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Kasten, this class’s moderators. They gave me a lot of interesting opportunities. Without them, I couldn’t have developed into the man I am today. Thanks for choosing me for the job!

Signing off,

Dennis McCully

Editor In Chief