Hello fellow readers, students, parents, faculty, and staff. My name is Amin Shah and I am proud to be leading the Amityville ECHO this year as the Editor-in-Chief. I have been with the newspaper team since my freshman year and it feels bittersweet to say I’m the last of that group, but hopefully, this will be a year of growth, attainment, and legacy. This organization is my priority and one of the things that has kept me as motivated as I’ve been these past few years. Without the newspaper (and of course, the best advisor: Ms. Keenan), I can’t even imagine how much more boring these past few years would have been, so I’m grateful to be able to take the lead and drive this club to further success.
I will be in charge of overseeing and editing the articles that will be published as well as managing the variety of articles being made, attempting to encourage the creation of a wide variety of articles for readers of all interests to indulge in. I will be expanding my horizon of writing, as instead of simply limiting myself to mainly writing arts and entertainment articles (which we don’t need as much of, please) I will research and write articles about politics, recent news, school life, popular culture, and hopefully get some interviews in with a few guests that I already have in mind.
Pushing the podcast aspect of the newspaper is also a big goal of mine this year. Using Spotify’s podcasting app, members can create their own podcasts with the push of a button and simulate a phone conversation that can be edited and published on the ECHO website. I hope to see podcasts of all varieties this year: podcasts of movies, music, politics, school news, philosophical discourse, serial killer psychology, and the works. Yes, that isn’t fully realistic, but having the ability to do so should clamor for, as it isn’t often when the work you do entails being asked to give your opinion on something you are interested in. Hopefully, that will draw members in by the dozen.
Speaking of which, keeping the ECHO alive is my main goal this year. We are a club made up of purely senior members, it is great that we have strong writers with varied opinions and strong connections, but new blood is required. Juniors and sophomores are needed to carry the torch of the flickering club and keep the spirit of school journalism alive. I will personally be advertising the club to as many underclassmen as possible, so spreading the word that the ECHO wants members is a must. They will be the future of the club, trained and assisted by our current members and officers to continue to carry the heart of the ECHO with proper imperative. It’s scary to swim in a pool of sharks but if you don’t get eaten, what is there to fear any longer?
