Since 2003, thousands of CHS students have devoted their high school years to making The Inkblot the paper it is today. The influence these students have had on the newspaper, the club and CHS journalism, in general, cannot be emphasized enough.
The Inkblot’s impact goes both ways, however. Being immersed in the many working parts of student journalism—from writing to photography has had an immeasurable effect on the students and staff of CHS.
Wayne Woolley, Inkblot advisor since 2018, reflects on what he has learned during his time in his role.
“CHS students are remarkable journalists,” Woolley said. “The newspaper is so much better and more vibrant than I expected it to be before I came here.”
Many of The Inkblot’s edit board members owe their introduction to journalism to Woolley.
“I probably wouldn’t have gotten into print journalism if Mr. Woolley didn’t encourage me to join [The Inkblot ] after his mass media class,”
said senior and features editor Julia Homza of Tinton Falls.
Jordan Juliano, junior of Long Branch and assistant news editor, emphasizes the enthusiasm for writing that the paper sparked for him.
“Being in Inkblot has definitely been an impactful moment in my high school career but also my life. It overall gave me a passion for something, which I didn’t really have before.”
This year’s Inkblot editors share the sentiment that working on the paper together has let them build bonds and given them an incomparable sense of school community.
Dara Fisher, junior and in-depth editor from Ocean Township, feels her involvement in the club has allowed her to meet new people at CHS, some that she would not have talked to before taking on her role. Homza feels the same.
“My favorite memory of being on the Inkblot editboard is becoming close friends with my assistant editor in features, Ori,” Homza said. “I think without Inkblot we probably would never have spoken.”
Although CHS’ room 107 was not always the production site of the school’s home-grown newspaper, today’s editors can attest that the time spent together in that room has fostered immense growth and created cherishable memories.
“I think the Inkblot’s work environment is something I’ve definitely benefited from, because you learn a lot with cooperation and team building skills,” said Ori Rosmarin, assistant features editor and sophomore of Ocean Township. “Yes, we have our own individual work, but everybody’s coming together to build a really cool product.”
Senior and co-news editor Kristen Gallagher of Middletown reflects on the memories she has made with the peers in her section.
“I loved laughing about stories afterwards, especially because we [news] do a lot about the school. We would say, ‘Remember so-and-so’s lip-sync battle’ or ‘I loved this grades’ performance in spirit week.’ It was fun looking back and recounting with Jordan and Henry,” Gallagher said.
Rosmarin speaks to the “true beauty of the Inkblot,” hoping that the articles continue to intrigue and interest CHS students the same way they have been for the past 20 years.
“I love opening the Inkblot, going to the arts section, seeing these cool story ideas and reading all these different opinions on these really dynamic topics,” she said. “I hope to really be able to become a storyteller and continue to tell stories accurately, keeping on the legacy.”
Juliano, who will be continuing his journey with The Inkblot as managing editor in his senior year, shares what he wants to see in the club’s future.
“I hope the Inkblot continues to be a prestigious newspaper, you know, winning all the awards. But I also hope it can expand to something bigger than itself. I’d love for other schools and people outside of communications high school to read it and be interested in it,” he said.
Principal James Gleason shares this opinion.
“I think you [the club] have a great foundation, and a winning newspaper that continues to breed success,” he said. “Start to incorporate articles that are beyond the walls of CHS and you [the club] can take it to the next level.”
Looking back on the last two decades, Gleason speaks to the vital role The Inkblot and journalism has had on CHS.
“You’re getting the word out about what’s going on and informing the student body of things they might not know because they might not be involved in leadership,” said Gleason. “I also think, from an Inkblot standpoint, you’re celebrating. You’re celebrating things that are happening around the school and capturing those important moments.”
