Eight days after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, the staff of the school newspaper, the Eagle Eye gathered to start work on a special memorial issue to honor the victims. I had to relive that day over and over again to report on the shooting and to tell the stories of the lives that were lost in our community. Hannah Kapoor and Rebecca schneid are the paper's co-editors in chief. It was definitely a way of coping for many of our staff members because while it didn't let us quite forget what was happening it gave us a sense of control.
The student journalists wrote 17 obituaries, deeply personal tributes to each student and staff member who died, balancing personal grief with journalistic responsibility. It doesn't matter how old we are. We might be 17 or 16 or 15 but our words still have an impact. Today some of the most accomplished journalists in the country gathered to honor the winners of the Pulitzer Prize. Eight eagle-eye staff members attended and they received a standing ovation. I would just want other students and other young people to know that their words matter and if you have a story it's your right to tell it. Don't let anyone else tell it for you.