McPHERSON—2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the McPherson High Life. The McPherson High Life has provided students and staff with a good source of news for many years and will continue to do so. But what has changed over the years and where will journalism be going in the future?

Looking back, the MHS High Life has changed considerably throughout the years. In today’s day and age, the High Life is produced and published electronically but that is not how it’s always been. Instead of publishing every week, black and white large newspaper editions used to be delivered to classes around the school. All of the student body and staff were eager to read the new articles and many people miss having it printed.

Former news editor of the High Life, Neva Krug said, “I think it’s sad that we can’t get paper editions to the student body regularly. The High Life release was always anticipated and students of all types would read it as soon as it was delivered. The teachers usually gave us a few minutes at the end of class to read.  It seemed to bring us together as a student body and was a place that all kinds of issues were discussed. I know we have it online now which is great, but there’s just something special about reading it as a class and having it delivered. It becomes a shared experience.”

Although the High Life has changed over the years, from article topics to the format, it is still in many ways the same. Then and now the school journalists write to provide people with the information or opinions relevant to the student body. Although the High Life staff may have everything at its fingertips now, it still takes true, authentic writing to make a good article. Working hard to meet a deadline is something that students have always done and will continue to do. “We always had so much fun coming in on work nights and working late together to get the stories written before the deadlines,” said Krug.

“Journalism is one of those classes that so many people either don’t enjoy or just don’t know anything about. I think it’s an essential part of the school and it’s fun being a part of the team. You’re giving information about the school to the students and staff,” said Hannah Butler, senior and current editor.

The role of journalism overall is still important and is not a dying profession. It may not be as “in” as it once was but things like promoting your news site help raise awareness. People on the MHS journalism team are currently promoting the site and there is nothing but improvement in the future of the High Life. Having a news team like this seems to bring the school together as a whole and spreads more school spirit.