For 40 years now, Woodbridge High’s student run newsmagazine the Golden Arrow has been a reliable source of news and student perspectives for our campus.
Through almost the entirety of the school’s history, the Golden Arrow has been there every step of the way, providing students with informative views and giving them a broader view of the community around them. Student journalists continue to shine the spotlight on areas of campus that may not get enough of a voice.
“One of the Golden Arrow’s missions is to raise up underrepresented student voices and showcase the diversity that we have at our school,” senior and current Golden Arrow Co-Editor-in-Chief Danbi Lee said. “So in that sense, I think we really try to make it so that every student, not only within our journalism program, but everyone we meet, has their own voice represented.”
Seeing the perspectives of student journalists expressed through the publication also brings a level of relatability to a reader as well.
“It connects us as a school because you read an article and can see someone’s
views…and see something similar to your side,” freshman and beginning journalism student Faith Lucas said.
First and foremost, though, the Golden Arrow serves as a source of news for students and staff alike to remain in the loop with events on campus.
“It’s just so informational for the students to get the news and the information about what’s happening,” English teacher and former Golden Arrow advisor Jeff Alexander said. “Maybe they’ll pick up a Golden Arrow edition, and they’ll see, ‘Hey, I didn’t know this was happening or that took place.’ So it’s just good information for everybody about what’s happening at Woodbridge High.”
Alexander, a former sports journalist and teacher at Woodbridge High for 27 years, spent the first 10 years of his career as advisor of the journalism program. He has seen first hand just how much the publication has evolved over the years.
“When I was doing it, it was literally a newspaper, black and white print,” Alexander said. “But everything’s digital now, and so it’s a magazine and can be seen online. It’s evolved, and it’s changed with the times, and that’s what it’s supposed to do, and it just keeps growing and growing.”
With the creation of the publication’s website and brand new podcast Beyond The Arrow, the Golden Arrow has already stepped into the realms of digital multimedia. When it comes to technology in particular, Alexander sees even more avenues that can be explored in the coming years, jokingly suggesting
even the most unexpected of possibilities.
“[The future is] wide open, isn’t it? I mean, the way technology keeps changing, who knows?” Alexander said. “I mean, we could sit here and give 100 guesses, right? But it’s going to be something major. [Maybe] eventually it’s just going to be like Tony Stark, drawing with our hands, and the screen comes up.”
Beyond the impact the Golden Arrow has had and continues to have on readers, the opportunity a journalism program provides for the students who are behind the making of each issue cannot be understated as well.
“It gives students an opportunity to discuss and share what’s happening at their school, which empowers students to take charge of what’s available to them and spread awareness,” Lee said. “I think that is very powerful, considering that’s not always a power available to people.”
Through the constant need for collaboration that it takes in order to produce a high quality publication, the bonds formed within Golden Arrow are another of its core values.
“Our community is really strong. We’re always there to support each other, and whether it’s just through our journalistic endeavors or as people in general, we’re all just very supportive and kind to one another,” Lee said. “I just really value how we’ve grown over the years. And we have that same energy of support for one another, no matter how our class has changed.”
That aspect of closeness and collaboration is essential when trying to craft a complete story and a well-rounded magazine.
“In order to have a good piece, you have to get to know different people you wouldn’t necessarily talk to, otherwise it would just be your point of view, which is not really what it’s about,” freshman and beginning journalism student Anjali Shah said.
The core values and mission of the Golden Arrow have always served to go above and beyond, and it’s the commitment to these values that contributes to each issue and final product the publication puts out to feeling unique and true to themselves.
“What’s different about us from [other] media groups is that we try to find a depth on people’s perspectives, not only what you can see at the surface level, but also digging deep into what’s the meaning behind that, or questioning things,” Lee said. “I feel like that’s what brings so much meaning to our publication.”
Even in Lee’s four years in the journalism program, the publication has taken so many strides, demonstrating that the future is even brighter.
“I think we’ve come a long way since I started in the Golden Arrow. We’ve tried to expand our boundaries,” Lee said. “[We’re] allowing journalists to express themselves even more and bring more passion into our program. Rather than restricting ourselves to what we think we should be doing, we’re focusing on what we could be doing.”
At the end of the day, for as much progress as there is still to be made, the 40 year milestone is a time for celebration and appreciation of what the Golden Arrow has offered over the decades.
“As someone who was a former advisor, I’m just very proud of the publication,” Alexander said. “I know the hard work that goes into it… so we thank you guys for everything that you do. You guys do a tremendous job.”
In this day and age, reliable and trusted journalism on all levels is becoming ever more important, and it’s an immense and rewarding responsibility to uphold, even from the high school level.
“I’m very proud of how far we’ve come to this day. We’ve retained the spirit of school journalism in the sense that we’re passionate about bringing a voice to every student and sharing news that isn’t always accessible or wasn’t always known by everyone on our campus,” Lee said. “And I think that’s just a very powerful thing to do, and I feel like that’s a very powerful thing to be a part of.” With nothing but the future ahead, the Golden Arrow eagerly looks forward to 40 more years and beyond of success and growth.
