Dear Reader,

Welcome to The Paw Print, Mayfield’s brand new student run newspaper. You might wonder, what’s the purpose of this? We haven’t had a press in years, why bring it back now? To answer this and any subsequent questions, I remind of just one idea: the power of a voice. All of our voices, together.

So many powerful voices have come together to make this project possible. I have worked with an amazing staff for the past seven months. Without their dedication and passion, this newspaper could never have been a success.

Justine Winans, our entertainment writer, is relentlessly dedicated to the arts. Justine is not only a reviewer. She is an actress, a novelist, and above all, a profoundly self-driven person.

Joe DeNardo, our sports writer, has an unmatched personality. We are so lucky to have a person on staff that is not only a great writer but a genuinely fun-loving, hilarious sports dude. Just read his columns and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Andrey Boltyansky: always late to meetings but there every time. Let’s just say this…Andrey once read Dorian Gray and fell in love. He knows a sharp comment when he sees one.

Jeesoo Kim is always on top of the extracurricular life of Mayfield High School. She’s Key Club President for a reason, people. Jeesoo also drew the fabulous portrait of our dear advice columnist, Mister Wilde.

David Girbino has a sheer talent in writing and he is always eager to contribute and make this paper thrive. He may be going into Biomedical Engineering, but he is truly a poet.

Marissa Miller is always smiling and ready to help. It is rare to meet a person that radiates genuine excitement the way that Marissa does. We are lucky to have a person who embodies the spirit of The Paw Print so well.

Thank you to them, and thank you of course to every person that was not on staff but was eager enough to contribute their material. The addition of your work made the paper so much more fruitful. Thank you Amanda Spehar, Michael Cook, Allie Rus, Alivia Tabb, Charles El-Helou, Allison Ng, Raina Dano, Tatum Brandenburg, and Delaney Canfield. A huge shout out also goes out to every person that submitted to Whispers, the literary expressions branch of The Paw Print.

Our biggest thank you goes out to Mr. Somich and Mr. Legan. Thank you, Mr. Somich, for always believing in the entire staff and for making things fun. I know that it is your never ending enthusiasm for student press that will help this paper thrive for years to come. Thank you so much to Mr. Legan for giving us the best chance we’ve all been waiting for. We are so grateful for an open-minded administration. In other words, you brought the spirit back.

Lastly, thank YOU, reader. Your interest means everything to us. As you read through this collection of voices, take it as an open invitation to shout your own. Impressed by the success of the football team? We want to hear about it. Know a friend or a teacher that’s hiding an amazing personal story? Tell us that story. Give us your opinions, your poetry, your fashion advice, your club updates. Here at The Paw Print, we have room for it all.

Cheers to a new era of expression. Know that we’ll forever go down as the generation that didn’t allow our voices to be shunned. So what are you waiting for? Get to reading!

Kate Bakhtiyarova

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

@PPMHSkate