A letter from the editor is a Voices tradition, giving graduating editors a chance to reflect and close their time on the paper. My name is Kyli Polychronis, I am a graduating Senior and I am the Editor-In-Chief of Voices of Roosevelt.
As a freshman, I joined the Voices of Roosevelt club. My sophomore year, after collecting my prerequisites, I joined the Voices of Roosevelt class, Publications, and I wrote my first ever article, “Students Protest Treatment of Teachers at Ockley Green Middle School”, investigating the aftermath of two Ockley teachers after they were placed on administrative leave which was featured in the local St. Johns Review newspaper, later leading to my student
writer internship. That same year our team of eight put out three printed issues in one year for the first time ever. We
focused on networking, visiting George Middle School and talking to their 8th grade classes about our newspaper as
well as speaking in Roosevelt classes which paid off as the next year we had 11 staff members and this year we have
19. Throughout my time on the paper I am most proud of my “Women in The Band Room: A Spotlight on Feminine
Musical Influence” article that I wrote this year. Covering something outside of sports, and a topic that is import-
ant to me was both enjoyable and very formative on my writing as a whole. It taught me that I have a passion for
writing stories that matter and sharing them with others. It was a privilege to highlight these amazing women and
for them to trust me to tell their stories.
This year, our team has such a diverse amount of interests and focuses. Since being a part of the newspaper
my freshman year it has been so fun to watch our team grow and our paper improve each year. This year we also
won 2nd in State in the Large School Newspaper Category at the OJEA fall conference, where we have never before
even placed. This was a huge accomplishment and a testament to how hard our layout team and writers work
each printed issue. Running a newspaper is not easy to do. I am thankful for our staff who have consistently raised
the bar, pumping out new articles and new photos each month. I am thankful for everyone who has trusted me to
cover their stories, Willie Williams and Kevin Locascio who have helped me and believed in me to bring a spotlight to
our student athletes as I developed our sports column. I am thankful for Ms. Tara who pushed me to grow as a writer
and a leader. I would not be where I am today without your support and encouragement.
But most of all, I am especially thankful for Voices because it brought me Eli and Nora who are some of my best friends to this day. I am so proud of my managing editors, they contribute so much to the paper and it would not be what it is today without them. I know that with their leadership next year, Voices can only get stronger and although I will miss working with them, I am so excited to see all that they accomplish. Saying goodbye to this paper will be one
of the hardest things I do leaving high school. All of the friends I have made and the opportunities I have had, the
after school editing sessions before a printed issue and long bus rides on trips to OJEA media days, this paper is truly
something special and joining it is the best decision I could have made.
I am very fortunate to have further explored my interest in Journalism and Communications throughout my time in
the paper. In the fall, I plan to attend University of Southern California and major in Communications with a Minor in Sports Media Studies, as well as join their university newspaper, The Daily Trojan.
