A Salute to Star Seniors

Leaders inspire.

The senior leaders of 2019-2020 staff of The Star have inspired not only their fellow reporters but their teacher as well.

Teaching journalism in Dominican’s Publications NP is a true joy of mine, and this year’s staff has reinforced that happiness. Leading this small but mighty cadre of reporters has been our two seniors: Morgan Muscarello and Gloria Thomas.

Gloria had brought her past experience in journalistic writing with her to the staff of The Star. She has also brought her kind spirit and loving heart.  Along with the warm and friendly tone she brings to her writing, Gloria has a keen nose for news.  More importantly, Gloria has never hesitated to share her ideas and gifts with her fellow reporters.  She has also taken the lead in class discussions, whether in person or online. 

In addition to her role as a reporter for The Star, Gloria has served Dominican in multiple capacities.  She is a member of student council, Retreat Team, and Students for Human Dignity and Diversity in Action. Her kind heart, faith, and dedication to her school community are impressions Gloria has left wherever she has gone.

Junior Isabelle Fitzmorris appreciates getting to know these seniors in the tightly-knit Publications classroom. “Morgan and Gloria are such wonderful friends! They always know made feel better when I was stressed about a writing a story or making a deadline,” said Isabelle. “They could make me laugh. I loved working on stories and taking pictures with them throughout the school year.”

I have been very fortunate to get to know Gloria as my student this year.  In addition, I’ve been blessed to know Morgan since she was a middle-schooler at Dominicamp. She matriculated from being my camper to being my junior counselor, sharing her talents with the tweens who spent the summer on Walmsely. Eventually, Morgan became my student as a sophomore in English III and, finally, as a senior in Publications.

Working on her next piece for The Star has been a role Morgan has embraced this year. Like Gloria, Morgan has taken the lead in brainstorming sessions, on-line discussion boards, and classroom peer edit exercises. And don’t be fooled by Morgan’s calm demeanor.  She carries with her the strength of her convictions and faith, as evidenced by her role as co-president of Dominican’s Pro-Life Club.

Morgan stepped up to represent Dominican and our journalism class at the 2020 District Literary Rally in February. One to always put her best effort forward, Morgan placed at Rally and qualified to go to the State Rally.  Unfortunately, Covid-19 had other plans for the remainder of this school year, and the State Rally was not held.

The Star staff agrees that Morgan and Gloria have naturally welcomed their positions as leaders.

“Whenever I was stressed, Morgan and Gloria would always be there to talk,” said Star staffer and junior Olivia Olson. “They offered good advice as seniors and are both such kind souls. I will miss them so much in Publications class because they both brought so much joy to me as well as others. Not only are they both incredibly smart and talented, but they are also so compassionate and fun to be around.”

Junior Lindsey Foles also appreciates the generosity and friendship of Morgan and Gloria. “Even if they were struggling with their own work, they would put themselves aside to help us out,” said Lindsey. “And I really learned so much from their impeccable ability to help us see a different perspective on our stories.”

In a normal year, the Publications class celebrates the seniors in person.  We hug, we sing, we eat baked treats (a Dominican student tradition) and we cry.

I will cry alone this year. I will cry tears of sadness because I miss my students, and I will cry tears of joy because I know these young women. Thank you for your leadership, Morgan Muscarello and Gloria Thomas.