Student columnist gives thanks for all who helped with first year

Many of the pieces that I have written have led to opportunities I could have never dreamed of and have allowed me to do one thing I am most proud of, giving a voice to young people.

When I first started my job at The Paper, I wanted this part-time job to be beneficial not only to me but my fellow students at Freedom High School. The first column I wrote was about students who were in favor and against the “new” academic calendar that today is no longer new as it is the calendar being used.

Fast forward to today where I interviewed the county commissioners and asked them questions about how they will serve and address issues that young people face. My goal has always been and will continue to be to serve the young people of our town and give them a voice. 

I first heard about The Paper when my father, Ted Pedro, or Mr. Pedro as he is more commonly known, was interviewed by The Paper.

Seeing my dad on the front page gave me so much joy, especially when my 9-year-old cousin saw my dad on the front page and happily exclaimed, “It’s Tio Ted! It’s Tio Ted! He's famous!”

A couple of weeks went by and I was writing a “Letter to the Editor” about the “new” school board calendar that had recently been approved. I was not in favor at the time given that I had yet to hear back from NCSSM and was planning for my junior year at Freedom High School.

 My mom had mentioned that I should write for them, I didn't pay much attention because I figured that a newspaper was not somewhere teenagers wrote in. A couple of days passed and my mom's comment stayed with me and I remembered my dad's advice, “You’ll never know until you try.”

Taking his advice I decided to call and at least ask because I figured that the worst they could say was no. When I called, Allen VanNoppen, The Paper’s publisher, picked up the phone and with a nervous tone I told him about my idea and why I wanted to write for The Paper.

 VanNoppen enthusiastically said yes and directed me to Angela Copeland, at that time The Paper’s education reporter and now the managing editor, who would be my boss. After I published my first story I covered an array of student events and voices.

Some of my favorite stories were when I first started at Freedom High School. My all-time favorite however was my column on Book Banning. I interviewed two students on the issue and one quote I'll never forget is when one of the individuals made a statement on the protection of books in schools.

 “Back when I was in elementary school almost no one had a phone but now phones are everywhere. If parents are so concerned about protecting their children from certain topics would it not be better that they learn about those topics from educators and libraries than from the internet? And as we both know the internet is sometimes not the most reliable source.”

Since this column was published and since I started my job, numerous articles, letters to the editor, and opinion pieces have been written by individuals from across our county. Book banning has no easy solution, but regardless young people need to express their opinions about this topic and other topics that affect them, book banning being one of them.

My most recent column was when I talked with the county commissioners and individuals who were aspiring to the three seats open. It was an honor to talk to these candidates because it allowed me to interact with elected officials despite my young age.

The Paper has allowed me to talk to all sorts of people including school teachers, city officials, etc. Being able to do that and reflecting on it today has been a blessing in so many ways.

To close I would like to thank The Paper, my family and friends, but overall you! You, because without you this work I am doing would be pointless. Without you, the reader, students would not have a voice in their community.

Thank you! In the upcoming year, I plan to continue my coverage of NCSSM and the community to the best of my ability to accomplish my mission of giving the youth of our town a voice. 

Christopher Pedro is a junior at N.C. School of Science and Math – Morganton.