Dear reader,

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this letter. This will be the last piece of writing I ever publish for The Saint Scroll, and that alone is meaningful to me. For the past two years, this newspaper has been such a significant part of my life. I spent those years brainstorming article ideas, conducting interviews, developing class friendships, and so much more. To me, the newspaper has meant friendship, introspection, and growth. And so, for my last article, here is my final letter to the readers who have graciously lent their time and attention to the writing I published here. This is a piece about what journalism means to me, what I believe it means for the world, and what The Saints Scroll has taught me.

Why does journalism matter? In 2025, the newspaper is generally considered a dying, if not already dead medium. Gen Z overwhelmingly receives most of their news from social media, and, as a graduating senior, I have seen myself and all my friends be encouraged by outsiders to pursue STEM degrees instead of anything relating to the humanities. There seems to be an overwhelming belief that the world doesn’t have a need for it anymore, that it is nearly impossible to pursue, or that you will be unsuccessful if you place your focus on writing or any form of self-expression. The truth is, as an 18 year old, I am not sure what I will do with my life. As a young person, it is so hard to know what your path should be, and how much you should factor in potential changes in the world. It is so scary.

But working on The Saints Scroll for the past two years has helped reassure me that journalistic writing really does matter. Actually going out and interviewing the people I was writing about, exploring the stories that I found interest in, and debating multiple perspectives has helped me open up. I genuinely feel like it has made me more social, and talking to the subjects of my articles has, in turn, improved my writing. I know I am not alone in this experience. Reading stories from my peers in this class, it is obvious that they, too, have found so much value in being encouraged to write about what interests them.

So I would like to extend my deepest and most sincere thanks to Mrs. Lehrmann, our journalism advisor. She believed in my abilities and granted me the privilege of being the Editor-in-Chief of San Dimas High School’s newspaper. She started this publication in 2017, and she has consistently poured so much hard work and love into the journalism program, shaping it into the fun and amazing elective it is today. She is truly an inspiring and passionate advisor, and I am honored that she trusted me with my position of leadership. I believe every journalism student would agree that she has created a welcoming, fun, collaborative environment, where we are all encouraged to write what we want. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Mrs. Lehrmann.

And, lastly, thank you to the readers. The journalism class worked hard every month to publish articles we would all be proud to put our names behind, but our readers are the ones who gave them life. By engaging with our opinions, observations, and every student’s unique style of writing, you have allowed all of us to fill the site with memories that will last.

If you enjoy reading this online newspaper, and if you value human creativity, my final message here on the Saints’ Scroll is to implore every single reader to engage with journalism and the arts in your everyday life. Support independent journalists. Watch and read the news, find local creatives to support, and create art yourself. The world needs creatives, critics, artists, writers, musicians, film makers, journalists, and every single type of human expression. Do not allow anyone to convince you that these are unnecessary. This is what makes us human.

Thank you,

Julia Elfahl, The Saints’ Scroll’s 2025 Editor In Chief