A NOTE FROM MRS. DUMBECK
Mission Vista High School is fifteen years old this year. Maybe you already knew this (iykyk). It’s a pretty big milestone. A lot can happen in fifteen years. By the time you are fifteen, you are starting to know yourself: your likes and dislikes, your attitudes and habits, your hopes and fears. Mission Vista, too, has evolved into its own identity. But what is that identity? Do we all see it the same? Could any of us describe it? Probably not the same way, at least.
Some people know Mission Vista simply as the school with no football team. Others call us the “try hard” school. Still others identify our school by its reputation for inclusiveness and acceptance (an identity that has curried both praise and criticism from outsiders). But like a person who is fifteen, a school is made up of more than just one trait. And also like a person, a school can be perceived as many different things to many different people. But, no matter how YOU identify Mission Vista, one thing is certain: this is a school that isn’t afraid to grow and change... in fact, it encourages change (And remember Timberwolves, be the change!). Maybe THAT is what identifies us more than anything else.
So that is what this issue of The Howl is all about: the illusive, changing identity of Mission Vista. And that’s why we called this issue If You Know, You Know: to explore the secret and not-so-secret stories and ideas of the diverse people that make up this community. What do each of us individually know that others may not? What do we collectively know? And what are we willing to share with others to bring them inside our community?
As with past issues, we hope our readers find this one interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking. We also hope it offers some insight into the changing culture of our school and the many brilliant, creative, and thoughtful students who make up this diverse community.
We are pleased to be able to make this issue available in both print and digital formats. We hope you enjoy.
The Howl is a completely student created project published by the MVHS Wolfpack Press--a partnership between journalism and CTE graphic design classes, under the direction of the student editorial board and teachers Kristina Dumbeck and Laura Lee Juliano. It also includes written work, artwork, and photography produced by students in classes and clubs across campus. This publication is intended to serve as a platform for students to report issues, concerns, and ideas and to express their interests and creativity. The Howl aims to foster and encourage critical thinking, civil discourse, and a positive and healthy school culture.