22 May 10, 2024

OPINION
Lessons from the
end of the road
Andrew Little | Editor-in-Chief
As the clock ticks down on my high school
experience, I am amazed by the countless
opportunities I have been blessed with at Mason.
From my role as Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle
to broadcasting countless high-profile athletic
events, my time as a Comet has been full of
memorable experiences. An unofficial title I still
have not gotten used to at Mason High School is
that of “sports guy.” My experience with student
media at Mason has given me a platform to share
Mason athletics with my classmates and the
community as a broadcaster and a writer.
While covering Mason athletics, I had the honor
of sharing the stories of many great teams and
athletes. However, with my final column as a high
school journalist, I find it fitting to share a lesson
I learned during my career as a Comet athlete that
has been very helpful in shaping my perspective
throughout high school.
I ran four years of cross country and three
years of track, as well as two years on the swim
team. Although I was not a particularly talented
runner or swimmer, I can reflect on my Mason
athletic career fondly. I had the privilege of being
part of some incredibly talented and successful
teams, including cheering on my cross country
teammates as they brought home back-to-back state
championships in 2022 and 2023.
Running and swimming are two sports defined
by racing seemingly as individuals, but they
have taught me some critical lessons about
teamwork. Even though runners and swimmers
are not competing together in the same sense as a
football or basketball team, they are still working
towards the same goal. I may have been racing
my teammates along with our competitors, but
our goal was to run or swim as well as possible to
help the team win. It was never about beating my
friends, even if we pushed each other in a healthy
competition.
My rankings, times and scores do not define my
athletic career. If they did, my time as a Mason
athlete would amount to very little from an outside
view. Instead, I found purpose in the daily grind
of working to improve myself and my team and
building lasting bonds with my teammates. My
placement at my last cross-country meet was
forgotten shortly after I stepped across the finish
line, but the lessons I learned in perseverance
and teamwork have stuck with me, as have the
memories I made with teammates.
That message may make sense when applied to
Staff Editorial
athletics, but many ignore it
regarding academics. Now
that I have reached the
“finish line” of high school,
I can confidently say the Looking to the past for the
last four years were nothing
like a race. Unfortunately, future
I have witnessed too many
With the 2024 school year coming to an end, the halls are
of my peers fall into the
buzzing with excitement and nostalgia. This year has been
trap of turning high school
filled with unique memorable moments, challenges and
into a race or competition
achievements. Yet, one thing remains constant: change.
with their classmates. I have also been guilty of
This year, we will bid farewell to many familiar faces; not
comparing my ACT score or GPA to others. I have
only the graduating class of 2024, but our principal too. Bobby
felt judged for the number of AP classes I took,
Dodd’s guidance and leadership will forever leave a mark on our
just as I have judged others for their class load. At
school. Our new principal, whoever they may be, will be faced
a school as large and academically competitive as
with the impossible task of both living up to and upholding
Mason, it is easy to lose sight of perspective and
Dodd’s legacy, while also setting precedents of their own to
look at others as an opponent in a race rather than
better our school.
a teammate in your high school experience. The
Without a doubt, the past students and staff of MHS have
point of a race is to finish first, and your time in
defined the halls of our school. Between Dodd’s support of the
high school is meant to be spent making memories,
Hope Squad program and the constant leadership of this year’s
not rushing by. People always say these four years
graduating seniors, it is undeniable that they will be missed. It’s
go by fast, and while that is true, some of it can be
always hard to see our friends and mentors leave, and for the
of our own doing.
When focusing on the rat race of high school, rising seniors, it feels scarier than ever to step into the class of
it can be easy to sink into a crowd of more than 2024’s shoes. But amidst these goodbyes, we must look forward
3,000 students. There are countless clubs and with hope and anticipation.
opportunities inside and outside of our building The class of 2028 will soon join the high school, bringing
to pursue whatever your passion may be. More with them fresh perspectives, talents and dreams. Current
importantly, with a large student body, there are freshmen, sophomores and juniors will step into the roles of
other people to share your interests with. Through those that they have previously looked up to. They will have the
The Chronicle, Mason Sports Radio, my athletic opportunity to step into the leadership roles they have always
teams and youth groups outside of school, I have wanted, create and leave the legacies they have hoped to leave
built amazing networks of friends and supporters to and fulfill the dreams they have always had.
help make my high school experience memorable. As some of the influential figures that have defined the last
few years of our lives depart for bigger and better things, it is up
It may take time to discover your passions, but your
to us to create our own legacies. Our own reason that we will be
people are out there and worth pursuing.
missed.
Through The Chronicle, I have worked to
While we will never be exactly the same as the class or
emphasize our coverage of people and their stories
principal before us, there are always ways to keep improving.
rather than searching for accomplishments. Our
While it might be scary being the new face of the school or the
student body has many outstanding achievements
new senior class, these opportunities push us toward the future
and accolades, but the humanity behind each of the
and open the door to continued growth. It is not the goal to
awards or experiences is what is worth exploring.
outdo or replicate the achievements of those who have come
Whether a student has a passion for bass fishing or
before us, but rather to continue the progress they have made.
is among the nation’s best chess players, my goal
is that our stories make a large school feel a little As the incoming senior class prepares to enter the final stage
smaller and help people better see and understand of their high school career, we face the absence of our peers that
the kids they share the halls with. we used to look up to. Whether it be through our classes, sports
I hope you have enjoyed reading The Chronicle or extracurriculars, our 2024 seniors have given us an exciting
a fraction as much as I have enjoyed producing it foundation for the incoming school year.
with an amazing group of people. This paper has It is easy to become overwhelmed, as finals and graduation
never been about me or our staff members, it is approach rapidly, and the thought of a new school year may
about the amazing people inside this school and cloud the summer, but it is important to encourage one another
community. It has been an honor sharing your to look to our future. Each student at MHS has the opportunity
stories for the past three years. to grow and learn from one another, especially amidst change.
I am proud to be a lifelong Comet, and although In the newsroom, our advisor always encourages us to “leave
it is sad to close out this chapter of my life, I know it better than you found it,” and whether that is cleaning up
the lessons I learned during my time here have your lunch table, starting a new club, or fighting for large-scale
more than prepared me for my future. change, this mantra seems to apply far outside the classrooms of
My final message to Comet Country is a simple MHS.
one. Embrace the opportunities and the people you Change can be bittersweet; marking the end of one chapter,
have around you in Mason, because there is more to but the beginning of another. Yes, the seniors are leaving soon,
experience, not just in the number of students, than but soon the halls will be repopulated, as we all continue on,
you can imagine. embarking on our own journeys.

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