Issue #8

12 SENIOR FAREWELL
Wed., May 26, 2021
ALL ART CREATED BY RYAN LAM
FAREWELL SENIORS!
Departing members recount their time in The A-Blast
BY KHADIJA AHMED
Former Co-Editor in Chief
BY JAMILEH HAMADEH
Former Managing Editor
It’s hard to condense four years into a few
sentences, but I’ll try.
There were the Newseum field trips and
journalism conventions and conferences.
There were all those arguments about
whether A-Blast or yearbook was better (the
correct answer is A-Blast).
There were the countless lunch periods
spent in the Pub Lab, stealing my friends’
food.
There was that time I spent the whole
period putting up lights around the Pub Lab,
but in the end, it was worth it because it
looked cool.
There were all those late nights, stuck in
that room with everyone else, eating pizza and
working on the paper until I was sick of pizza
and sick of the newspaper, only to do it all over
again next month.
I can’t really give you one favorite memory
because it was everything all together that
made it so special. All I can say is that I will
always endlessly be proud of everything we
have accomplished here together.
I was part of The A-Blast for all four
years of high school and it was by far the best
decision I ever made.
I started off as a staff writer, then became
People Editor, then Health Editor and
eventually Managing Editor.
The A-Blast introduced me to my closest
friends and the coolest teacher and definitely
gave me a ton of memories to hold onto forever.
I’ll never forget all the late nights that we
spent in the Pub Lab during deadline weeks.
There would be no way we could have done
what we do without all of the amazing staff
that I got to work with for the past four years.
This class gave me an experience that I
couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
I got to work with The Washington Post and
be part of a staff that produced a newspaper
that was constantly top ranked in the country.
I am also so proud to say that I kept the
generation of Managing Editors going from
my childhood friends down to me, and I hope
to pass it down to my little sister eventually
as well.
BY ALEX BURITA
Former Sports Editor
BY THONNY ANWAR
Former Academics Editor
BY MIA ANTEZANA
Former Spanish Editor
BY MARAM IBRAHIM
Former Health Editor
Being a part of The A-Blast for the last
four years has meant so much to me. For
one, I have been part of a group that has
helped me to both become a better objective
writer and a better person.
Throughout my time spent in the Pub
Lab, I have fortunately been able to work
with a variety of amazing people on staff.
My favorite A-Blast memory by far over
the past four years has been the celebration
that we had after hearing the news of our
first place result at the annual journalism
convention held in Anaheim that year.
I’ve been in The A-Blast since 10th grade,
and it’s been an amazing experience. Before
I joined, I was pretty shy but being a part of
such a fun and free community changed me.
I have so many great memories while
being in The A-Blast like all the Fun Fridays
where I needed to prepare for screaming
matches, going to the Newseum and also
seeing everyone shudder with fear when
Weintraut threatened to make the person
who finished their page last clean the
disgusting microwave in the Pub Lab. (I was
never afraid because I like to believe I was
the best editor, but that’s just my opinion.)
Overall, my experience in The A-Blast
was a pretty great one.
I made many friends, have many good
memories and really felt challenged by
the responsibility that I had to take on,
especially once I became an editor.
Despite being an elective class, it felt like
the one class I really couldn’t fail or put off
because it wasn’t just about me; making the
newspaper is a team effort.
Even though it was stressful at times, I
think it taught me some very valuable life
skills that I will be able to take with me into
the real world.
I’ve been with The A-Blast for two years
now. Even though I was originally hesitant
to be a part of it, I did end up gaining
something from it. Joining The A-Blast has
allowed me to explore a new style of writing
that I wasn’t used to because we tend to
write in one style for school, and I think that
experimenting was something I needed.
As a writer, I think it is important to be
at least somewhat comfortable with various
styles of writing and that was something I
never really had the chance to have prior to
joining this class, so I’m grateful for that.
BY RYAN LAM
Former Webmaster, Social Media Manager
BY LEON ARCEO
Former Staff Writer
BY NAREG BOGHOSIAN
Former Staff Writer
BY EYOB DAGNACHEW
Former Staff Writer
I never imagined myself being in The
A-Blast, but I’m glad that I joined during
my final year. While I didn’t have the typical
experience with field trips and late nights,
I still nevertheless had the opportunity to
learn a lot about journalism.
Planning and finding sources for stories
definitely weren’t easy tasks, but it always
felt so satisfying to read and publish the
finished products. Even the last-minute
stories from my pal, Mim, felt fulfilling to
write. Honestly, writing for The A-Blast
really gave me a breath of fresh air from the
usual essays and commentaries.
I’ve always had a passion for writing and
I thought Mr. Weintraut was a cool guy, so I
decided to take journalism.
For my first writing, I became so
frustrated that I turned in this half-hearted
story. But, every time I wrote, it started to
feel more natural. I would just hear about
something and think, “hey, that would make
a cool story idea.”
Interviewing and writing before the
deadline gave me this adrenaline rush. I
tried to make each story better than the last.
Nothing felt better than grabbing a physical
copy and seeing my name in The A-Blast
bylines.
This has been my first year in The
A-Blast, and it has been very fun learning
more about journalism in the past year. My
favorite journalism memory was playing
Kahoot with the W8 class on Fun Friday. I
also enjoyed conducting interviews to learn
more about the students and faculty at AHS.
I learned about the effort it takes to fulfill
the role as a staff writer and saw the hard
work all the editors and staff put into the
paper I have been reading all during high
school. I would have enjoyed taking the
class in-person as being a part of a paper
takes a lot of social experiences with other
writers.
I joined The A-Blast three years ago and
ever since then, I’ve been increasingly glad
to have joined it. For a relatively quiet guy
like myself, it was a great place to get more
familiar with the students and staff of AHS
by being able to interview them multiple
times.
In addition, being able to work with
minimal teacher intervention let me feel
more pride over my accomplishments as a
journalist. Meeting new people and fostering
some friendships by working with them and
experiencing events like the Newseum trips
are probably the best parts of The A-Blast
and what I’ll miss most.
Not pictured: In-Depth Editors Henry Hoang and Erik Rivas, Health Editor Insaf Bouzana and Staff Writer Rudy Flores