Well, we’re nearing that time of year again. Before you know it, teachers will start cramming in the few remaining lessons of their courses like crazy, students will start deciding what type of pen they’ll want to use for yearbook signing, and (possibly the saddest part of the end of the school year) our seniors will say their goodbyes and graduate from high school. With almost 15 seniors out of a 29-member staff graduating this year, it makes me wonder what Voice‘s staff will be like next year without them all around. If you haven’t done the math yet, that’s about half of our Voice staff members who won’t be returning for the 2007-08 school year.

The fact that all of our seniors will graduate entails a major change in Voice‘s leadership, personality, and life for next year. Our seniors filled all of the editor-in-chief, section editor and webmaster positions this year. Our seniors wrote the daily agenda on the board and conducted class discussions every day. Our seniors taught the rest of us the undying Voice traditions of “pen tossing” and the unique “Voice high-five.” Without the seniors to help lead the way, I’d hate to imagine what would have happened to us sophomores and juniors if we had been on our own.

Nevertheless, next year, we will be on our own, without this year’s seniors sitting right next to us and pointing us in the right directions. Granted the Voice staff will gain new members, and granted the editors-in-chief have already made decisions regarding who will fill the seniors’ leadership positions next year, but, as the saying goes, “nothing is better than the original.” As talented and hard working as our staff will be next year, there’s no way that our seniors’ empty spots will be perfectly replaced.

I still anticipate being a staff member next year and await working for Voice under a new set of leaders and seniors. Yet, all I can say for now is I hope that the rest of Voice‘s staff will do all of our graduating seniors justice and continue the tradition of an outstanding and distinguished Voice program next year.

-Gillian Lui