By RYAN PETTIT and JACKIE TEMPERA
Editors-in-Chief
Ask either one of us to name what’s great about working for The Inkblot, and we’d point to the layout sessions and the craziness that it brings.
As Mrs. Mulshine blasts her eclectic iTunes library and reads through our work, the staff members sit, typing furiously at their computers, trying to design something that resembles a usable page.
Whether it is those nights where we pull out of the CHS parking lot later than 8 p.m. or some of the yelling, laughter or insanity that occurs in Room 107, it is something you never forget.
The most important thing is contributing to the legacy of The Inkblot, its world-class work, in-depth reporting and exciting nature.
These fond memories are ones that we cannot imagine reside only within us, the current staff. Those earlier staffers must have felt the same mojo.
Inkblotters were on the scene for presidential elections, the acceleration of social networking, political and natural disasters, popular culture and of course, the triumphs and tribulations that occurred within our walls.
The Inkblot always does its best to move with the times. The best example of this progression was the launching of theinkblotnews.com, along with a Twitter account and a Facebook page. This movement is credited the editorial board of the 2009-2010 school year, and though it got a rocky start, it’s moving in the right direction.
The publication holds fast to its beliefs to be independent and free of prior review. This ability is due wholly to the cooperation between The Inkblot and MCVSD administration and the staff’s unceasing passion in the rights and abilities handed to all publications, groups and people from the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. The importance of this right is immeasurable, and thus the seriousness with which The Inkblot also takes it really is a recurring theme worth commendation.
The Inkblot has managed to create 50 issues during its nine years of circulation. The distance from home to school for many is a hike, virtually all Inkblotters are spread thin with other extracurricular pursuits and coursework is no walk in the park, either. That being said, even now we both chuckle at the absolute nightmare it can sometimes be to put a paper to bed:
Assign stories, photography and art, receive stories, edit stories, resend for corrections, receive stories, re-edit stories, submit stories, receive art and photography, prep and finalize photography and art, layout, search for missing stories, photography and art, copy edit, check for layout mistakes, send to printer, die. Wait about two weeks and repeat.
We’re laughing, literally laughing right as we write that out.
Regardless, that age-old, trying process is one that we and all Inkblotters have loved. The times got tough, the heat intensified and the sweat and even sometimes tears emerged but in the end, we always managed to pull together and publish another successful issue.
We consider The Inkblot a staple in the student life of this school. Every press run is followed by hallways and a cafeteria of open Inkblots, every contest results in awards for our Wall Township school and, of course, no matter the day, event or ceremony, it is likely you’ll see a reporter and photographer working to tell the story. It’s a tradition nine years running, 50 issues strong and always one editorial board, exhausted and in happy little pieces.