If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my four years of high school, it’s that you truly have not matured into an adult until you have learned to take responsibility for your own actions. Over and over again, I’ve seen teachers and students get in fights  or arguments because of an unfinished assignment or a late project. Students beg to have more time or argue about a seemingly unfair grade, when the reality is that they just didn’t put in enough time or effort to reach their goal. Naturally, their response is to protect their pride and to blame anyone else besides themselves. What some students don’t realize is that their teachers are not the only ones responsible for their grade. Although teachers are held accountable for teaching the material, it is ultimately up to the student to hold up their end of the bargain. There is no good grade without equal contribution from both parties; in other words, it takes two to tango.

From 1 p.m. until 2:50 p.m., the atmosphere of my school day makes a complete change. I go from sitting silently and diligently listening to a teacher lecture, to working as a team to accomplish one goal: a perfect magazine. The idea of perfection seems unrealistic for one person to achieve by him- or herself. That’s why our staff can’t “tango” without each individual pulling their own weight; when one person doesn’t give it his or her all, the whole success of the magazine becomes fragile. When a person doesn’t hold his or her weight for the team, it becomes easy for the carpet to get ripped out from underneath our feet.

This magazine is a perfect example of how we learned to tango with having two different journalism classes this year. The “I” issue is our third double issue in the past two years, but the first-ever double issue to be produced by separate sports and lifestyles classes. Although having two classes is very beneficial, it also comes with many difficulties, especially when you have to produce a 48-page magazine in less than a month. Communicating between classes is easier said than done, and we found that out the hard way during the production of this issue. But in the end, our struggles fit perfectly into this note; you can’t make a quality magazine without being responsible and communicating with the staff effectively.

This magazine fits perfectly into this year’s theme of being “original.” Besides the usual cliche-driven feature stories, a little surprise is hidden inside of our “In Case You Missed It” section; it’s a coloring book! Not only does this give you the opportunity to express your own unique originality, but it also gives you the chance to tango with us and make it your own magazine.

Similarly to our past two issues, the “I” magazine features, which are framed by cliches, all start with the letter “I.” Inside of this section you’ll find “Idle Hands Are The Devil’s Workshop,” a story about the right and wrongs of today’s teen decision making written by social media director Dylan Hebior. Outside of giving it the good ‘ole Tom Tom Try, department editor Branden Gallimore also set his sights on understanding what it takes to not give up in his feature, “It’s Not a Sprint, It’s a Marathon.” Staff member Allison Smith explores the unseen talents of our current freshmen class in “I Wasn’t Born Yesterday,” while department editor Lauryn Hugener delves into the past in “In Cold Blood” to explain the story of alumnus Cameron White. And as a special surprise feature section, “In Case You Missed It” stories cover the topics that usually go unnoticed in our school and community. Department editor Rachel Beckman writes about something as simple as what our walls are made of, while social media director Megan Helgesen’s story takes a darker turn, discussing the risk that teens are at every day when they’re behind the wheel. And that’s just a glimpse into the 16-page feature-within-a-feature section.

Thank you for taking the time to read our magazine. We hope you enjoy being able to tango with us just as much as we enjoy providing you with an insight to the people, places, things and ideas that most often go unseen.