Introducing Our Newest Writers

This week our paper looks a little different because we have a few new writers — high school students!

Two weeks ago, middbeat posted a video made by an English class at Middlebury Union High. Although the video was made a few years ago, it is still relevant and highlighted an issue we, as the College community, don’t talk about very often — town-College relations. As an editor for the local section, I wanted to find a positive way to explore town-College relations through The Campus. Rather than an article, we decided on a different method — The Campus has partnered with Middlebury Union High School’s journalism class to bring you this issue and insight into Middlebury Union High.

The partnership, which we hope will be ongoing, is mutually beneficial — the high schoolers will give our readers valuable insights they don’t normally have the privilege to see about the town we live in. We can give them by-lines (good for college applications!) and insight into our lives. I imagine only good can come from something like this, right? In the end, my goal is selfish — I want to learn from these students and see what their lives are like since, in the end, I don’t know very much about the town and people that have generously hosted me for the past four years.

My mom’s side of the family has lived on the same piece of land for nearly a century, so my sense of home and belonging is strong. As a super senior feb, technically I’ve lived in Vermont for four years, but I would never say that — somehow that feels false, especially when I think about my personal feelings regarding my home and my family. Even after being the local section editor on and off for several semesters and making every effort to pop the Middlebury bubble, I got swept up in school, lost touch with Vermont and began obsessively counting the days, hours and minutes before I could go home.

Looking back on my four years here, I’m saddened by this disconnect and by the fact that, by the end of the year I was too frazzled and homesick to stay in Vermont. Hopefully, in my last month and a half here, a little can be salvaged and my sense of place heightened. This is one attempt to do so.

Even though it can be difficult, it is important to make an effort to reach out. The town of Middlebury hosts each college student for four years and then most of us leave without a trace or an idea of this place. Ideally, I would love for this partnership between The Campus and Middlebury Union High School to continue while I’m gone, but it depends on the interest and free time of the high school students — they’re awesome but it’s hard to fit it all in!

Regardless, I hope the Middlebury Union High School students know that they always have a voice in our paper and advocates in our office. It is a small effort to make, but important to me and The Campus.