The Herald staff has worked extremely hard this year to produce articles, maintain multiple social media platforms, and craft podcasts. The class collaborates together to manage a student-led publication, providing information for the community. And every student is given a weekly role, whether this be writing articles, putting out content for social media, or reviewing peers’ work. 

Our digital editor, Samantha Brennan, creates digital designs via Canva to advertise articles and HHS events. Brennan, a graduating Senior, has worked in the class for two years, and plans to go to college for sports journalism. She said that “leaving the Herald class will be an extremely bittersweet moment. I was very happy to work with Patrick Sweeney, and moving forward I will take all the helpful tricks and tricks that Mr. Zorilla has taught me.” 

Our editor, Patrick Sweeney, looks over articles written by his peers and prepares them to be published. He has been in the class for 3 years, the Editor for 2, and plans to go to college for Communications. 

Sweeney reflected on his time with the newspaper, saying, ”I have immensely enjoyed my time as part of the Herald over the past three years. Working with students to edit articles has been amazing.” He has exemplified strong writing and leadership, earning his title as editor for two consecutive years. “I am a person who enjoys taking leadership roles and helping fellow classmates. Being able to use my love of writing to help others has been extremely gratifying.” 

This year, The Herald has been strongly supported by our new advisor, Mr Zorilla. He took on the class with strong knowledge of journalism and the writing process, passing it on to his students. Sweeney stated that ”Mr. Zorrilla’s editing assistance has strengthened my writing and taken it to new heights. Because of his mentorship, I have firmly cemented my love for journalism and hope to pursue that part of the communications field at HCC.”

Mr. Zorilla also weighed in on the year, saying, ”Being the advisor for The Herald has been a great way to showcase the many topics that are relevant to our school community. We believe in giving students a voice, and our team is dedicated to highlighting their interests, concerns, and initiatives.” 

“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such a motivated group of students who are committed to running a class that’s entirely student-led,” Zorrilla said. “We are excited to take our news team to the next level by expanding our reach across various social media platforms and participating in city-wide events. Together, we can make a real difference in our school and our community!” 

The Herald works hard to inform the students at HHS of important news events, whether worldwide, national, or local. The team advertises on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, our website, hhsherald.com, and in the school. The team enjoys navigating through news websites, and finding the most relevant stories to cover. 

The staff makes sure to stay caught up on school sports to keep students, faculty, and fans all caught up. At Holyoke High School, sports play a huge role in bringing people together. It creates community, and provides an environment for kids to come together and show school spirit. This year, The Herald covered numerous different sports teams and their accomplishments, as well as other important information.

The staff has had the opportunity to interview the Girls Indoor Track Team, filming it in Holyoke High’s media center. This opportunity gave us the chance to speak with students who are not in the Herald class but still make an impact on Holyoke High School as a whole. The Herald podcast can be found on Youtube and covers anything from local news to school events. It is also common to host guest speakers, such as Anthony Soto.  

As the longest running newspaper in Holyoke, the Herald team has worked hard to continue the legacy of the paper. In the coming years, they hope to promote the Herald brand, expand platforms, and make a difference in the community.