As most of St. Louis staff and students know, the class of 2021’s last day will be Wednesday, May 12, 2021. This includes Sharkscene’s unparalleled editors, Keegan Honig and Alexandra Pawlitz. Both Honig and Pawlitz were in the St. Louis High School’s top ten of the graduating class of 2021 and have tremendously enjoyed newspaper.

Honig is a senior at St. Louis High School and he has been a part of the St. Louis newspaper for all four years of his high school career. Honig has raised the bar for all future St. Louis Shark Scene writers with his specialties being in the sports and news categories. He has written some of the most prominent stories and has been featured in several himself. Some of his masterpieces from this school year include “Cade Pestrue leads Sharks with incredible senior season so far,” and “When will city limit’s state championship signs be updated?” Honig shared that a couple of his favorite articles he wrote throughout high school are “Cool Math Games mysteriously gets blocked” and “Frozen 2 enjoys instant success opening day.” He is excited to further his education in college, but he admits, “I will miss being a part of the Shark Scene staff tremendously.” 

The senior had to overcome some not-so-fun scheduling conflicts as a sophomore, but he is glad he stuck with it. He shared, “I am so glad that I stuck with the newspaper because it’s been my favorite class all of high school. I’ve learned so much about writing, and I’ve made so many great memories. I remember as a freshman having to write a story, get a picture, and format it all within one hour; it was hectic but exhilarating, and I was proud to have gotten it done.” Honig ends with one more word of advice, “Listen to Mr. Kuhn; he’s tough on the students in newspaper, but it’s because he wants to get the best out of you. He truly cares about every student in the class, and he appreciates hard work and — of course —  meeting deadlines.”

Alexandra Pawlitz is also a senior at St. Louis High School. She has been a part of the Newspaper staff for two years, and recently became an editor because of her ambitious attitude. Pawlitz has written several show-stopping articles including the feature on the Shark Scene’s very own —  Keegan Honig. The article is titled “Senior Keegan Honig signs for Cornerstone University.” Pawlitz has enjoyed being a part of the newspaper staff. She shared, “At first, being a part of the staff was intriguing and frightening. I was super nervous that I wasn’t ready to write all the stories that were going to be required. But as time went on, I fell in love with the class. This class has taught me to love writing, and I love all of the experience I’ve gained from it.” Pawlitz continued, “Working with the newspaper staff is absolutely amazing. They are basically my family, and I’ve grown to love every single one of them. I will miss everyone when I go to school, but I will never forget them. It has been an amazing two years on the newspaper staff, and I will make sure to come visit because they are a huge part of my life.” However, all good things come to an end, and that includes highschool. Pawlitz admits that she is sad to be leaving the newspaper staff. “I am extremely sad to be leaving the newspaper staff. It has been a huge part of my life for the past two years, and I’ve made so many friendships because of it. I absolutely loved every part of being a part of the SLHS newspaper staff, and I will forever miss it.”

The editors aren’t the only ones sad about their departure, though. Tyson Head is a devoted Shark Scene writer, and soon to be editor. Head is very devoted to newspaper, and is planning on spending all four years of his high school career in newspaper. While there is potential for growth in his future of newspaper staff now, he isn’t happy to see Honig or Pawlitz leave. “I think Keegan will definitely be a missed presence. Though I may be his successor, there is no way anyone could truly fill his role in the staff.”

Another staff member sad to see them leave the newspaper is Autumn Mann. Mann has been in newspaper for as long as Pawlitz and has always looked up to her. She shared, “When I first started newspaper, I sat close to Alex and I always looked up to her. I thought she was one of the best writers, and I’m so lucky to have known her even though we aren’t that close. I will miss her a lot. Saying goodbye to Alex and Keegan is sad, but I know both of them will do great in their future and I look forward to seeing their accomplishments.”