A few weeks ago, a mysterious box was anonymously dropped off at the office of Highland Park. Within it, a hodgepodge of peculiar papers. Some were carefully sorted in chronological order, others waiting to be unearthed and dusted off like fossils. Some yellowed and faded by time, others more boisterous and flashy in style. But mainly, there was words. All full of them, so many. Words. The box was lugged up to room 2205, where Ms. Hanson deposited it in the hands of Ms. Lingofelt, the newly-appointed school newspaper adviser.
Numerous, forgotten editions of The Plaid Line had come home.
I had walked into Ms. Lingofelt’s room last month for the second meeting of the school newspaper with a renewed sense of hope. Despite a limited number of people showing up for the last meeting, I could see the potential. The potential of The Plaid Line actually being something other than a complete and utter flop, like the previous year. The possibility of The Plaid Line actually mattering to the student body, of making a difference. I was excited by talk of finding a place in cyberspace; the establishment of a website that could and would reach further. “Starting from scratch!” I had dreamt.
I hadn’t known, I never knew of what had been, until I was introduced to the archives of The Plaid Line. With the first edition being printed in 1964, The Plaid Line strived to bring the Highland Park Senior High community closer. Of course, the newspaper staff members and advisers changed systematically. Inevitably, The Plaid Line evolved. I saw this evolution first hand, taking some time to page through the hundreds of articles.It was hard not to smile at an article from 1965 by Claudia Winters, “Senior’s Hives Buzz With Much Activity”, highlighting a student whose hobby was beekeeping. I was astonished by how that pyramid I pass every morning after getting off the bus meant so much to the students of 1994, who were upset at its almost abolishment. Their protest was documented in “No More Pyramid?” by Elizabeth Geery. I couldn’t help but laugh at an article from 2002, “Movement to DVD” by Garrett Tiedemann, which observed the transition happening in video stores from VHS tapes to DVDs. As I read more and more, I couldn’t help but wonder why this fascinating testament of Highland’s history fell apart. These articles transcend time, and define what should be: a school newspaper enrichment of the high school experience. I became determined to restore The Plaid Line to its original glory, because we as students deserve as much.
However, I cannot do it all on my own. We need you. If you don’t think you could help out, you’re wrong. At The Plaid Line, we are going to strive to provide a little bit of everything, so if you are interested in anything, that means you can help out. As much as it would be great to get more people on The Plaid Line, there is something we need from you even more: your support. Please check out our website often for new, exciting content, follow our Twitter, or receive notifications by email. The Plaid Line wants to serve all Highland Park Senior High students, staff, parents, and alumni. This is possible, but only with your endorsement of the new, online Plaid Line. Please tell your friends, and have those friends tell their friends, and so on and so forth. Spread the word: The Plaid Line is back. And just in time for its 49th volume.
Plaid Line 