2:19 p.m.: The bell rings. I pack up my belongings and leave Mrs. Rietbrock’s classroom. I run down the steps, eager to get to my ninth period newspaper class and begin publication night. Pub night lasts until 9 p.m. tonight, so I’m expecting to be here a while, completing all the work I need to do for this issue of the Dart.   Placing my standard Post-It notes on my computer, I hunker down to work.

2:48 p.m.: Mackenzie O’Guin remembers that she is missing her ever-present “Should I talk to Mackenzie?” sign.

As the official Dart graphics designer, this sign allows her to use her time efficiently. She has her headphones on much of the time, too. She has so much to do, but she’s not stressed yet – just intent on not getting stressed.

3:01 p.m.: I embark on the laborious trek to my third floor M&A advisory (shoutout to getting to ride the elevator!). When I return, I see that pub night is in full swing.

Designers are hard at work on InDesign creating their pages.

Editors are assisting whomever they can. Audrey Carroll and I? We’re going through our spreadsheet.   As Daily Web Editors, our main job at pub night is to edit the stories for publication style and make sure the versions on the pages are the same as the stories for DNO. We use our spreadsheet to make sure every story has what it needs. It’s a very involved spreadsheet, but it’s for a very involved job.

3:52 p.m.: Audrey and Kat Mediavilla come back from Quik Trip with treats! They were out of sour green apple Freezonis, but I thank them profusely for the bag of Gardetto’s. I eat the entire bag in 15 minutes. It’s a great start.

4:25 p.m.: Everyone is working.

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We have two evenings to put this paper together, so we’re starting to get a little stressed – but not too much. No big deal, right? We still have a lot of time.

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5:48 p.m.: Finally, we eat. I’d like to extend my warmest thanks to Kathy Hilliard, Co Bauman, Emily Zastrow, Dawn O’Guin, Sequita Richardson, Susan Campbell, Libby Knox and Joe Culver for the delicious food.

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6:03 p.m.: We have a tradition at pub nights where we eat dinner in the hallway and talk. We go around the circle and answer a question. This issue’s question is, “If you could be any movie character, which would you be?”  It’s a tough question, one I have to think about carefully before I answer. Luckily, I am the last to answer. I choose Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 or Maureen Johnson from Rent. I receive high praise for both.

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We also present Mr. Lewis with a card for being so amazing during our first issue. It was his first issue here at STA and there were a few difficulties putting it together, but he helped us figure it out in time for publishing. We really appreciate that. So Mackenzie designed a card and we all signed it with heartfelt messages. We love you, Lewis!

6:59 p.m.: We get back to work. Tensions are rising. I am getting stressed. Naturally, the smartest thing to do here is to leave for an hour. I have a dance class, but before I leave, I go over to the Windmoor Center and ask my friend Oliver to Teresian when he arrives for Varsity Singers.

8:20 p.m.: I get back. Most everyone has begun panicking. After about five minutes, I panic as well. There is an overwhelming amount of work left, and tomorrow’s work day ends at 5 p.m. – how are we going to do this? I stop taking pictures. I don’t have the time nor the mental capacity to take any more.

9:33 p.m.: There are five people left in the room – Siobhan Miller and Emma Willibey, the editors-in-chief (the other, Libby Hyde, is in California on college visits); Christina Elias, the centerspread designer; Mr. Lewis and me. I’ve done enough for the night, I think. Well, really I still have homework in other classes that I still haven’t started.

“I’m out, guys,” I say to the room.

“Bye, Madi!” I hear in response.

9:37 p.m.: I stand in the rain, waiting for my ride. The weather, as is often the case, reflects my temperament. I don’t know how I’m going to get everything done. Irrational fears run through my mind: The paper’s not going to be finished. I’m not going to do any of my homework. Everything’s going to crash and burn.

But of course that’s not what happens. I do all the homework I could and come the next day ready to do more work. Even without school Wednesday, Friday or half of Thursday, we still finish the newspaper. And it’s pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. So pick up a copy Monday! Or have someone pick one up for you! Or read all the DNO articles, because not everything can fit in the print version! Or all three! (And yes, this blog was basically an advertisement for the new issue. Oops.) 🙂