As summer semester begins and the 2020-21 academic year comes to a close, the editors here at the Six Mile Post share their reflections on the past year and all they have learned during their time on staff.

Olivia Fortner

Editor-in-Chief

When I began working as Editor-in-Chief for the Six Mile Post, I was handed a binder full of letters from previous EICs who had written a note for the person to fill their shoes. One thing I remember from their instruction was this, “This position will make or break you.” That’s what has kept me going when I felt like quitting, when it was tough to meet deadlines and get the work finished.

Though there have been hard word days and busy times, all of the good days and rewarding experiences far outway anything. I am thankful for the Six Mile Post. Through the opportunities I’ve had working here, I’ve been awarded for placing in many state competitions and even won a couple of GHC awards.

This experience and these people cannot be replaced. I am truly grateful for all I’ve been given.

Russell Chesnut

Managing Editor

Working on the Six Mile Post this year has helped me gain confidence in my professional work by giving me a platform to exercise my writing and design skills. Despite the challenges we faced shifting to a fully digital workflow, I enjoyed creating content with our driven team of editors. 

Taking on the role of Managing Editor without much previous journalism experience was daunting to me. Allison Hattaway, our journalism advisor, and the team were a great support and made me feel that my work was valued.

SMP has allowed me to write a variety of stories on subjects that interest me. As a student pursuing a degree in entomology, writing about stink bugs and cicadas catered to my passions. I was happy to share my thoughts on free speech through my opinion piece on Parler. I’m most proud of my story on student voting, where I got to survey GHC students and present that data visually.

My greatest takeaway from this year is that I shouldn’t take my voice for granted. Having a platform means having the power to start conversation, inform thinking and make ideas heard. Even though SMP is a small college newspaper, knowing our work can be influential has pushed me to make the most of it.

Joshua Mata

Business & Advertising Manager

Serving as the business and advertising manager for Six Mile Post has been a great experience. This job has helped me polish my communication and networking skills. I was able to grow a lot from working here. Due to COVID I was able to improve on my online communication skills. I felt that my business skills improved.

I am very thankful to have worked for this  newspaper. I was provided with great help from Mrs. Hattaway.  She did a phenomenal job at being a great advisor. I was able to learn a lot from her.

I was very lucky to have worked with such a great newspaper staff. I felt as if we were one big family. I will never forget the thanksgiving dinner we had as a staff. It was a very memorable experience.

I would highly recommend working for the school newspaper. It is a very supportive work environment that helps you succeed. I am very thankful to leave with the knowledge I have learned from working here. The experience from working here felt like a reward. The Six Mile Post took a student with little to no skills and helped make me into a polished worker.  I will look back at my time here with a smile.

Jackson Morris

News Editor

In my time as the News Editor for the Six Mile Post, I have been on an adventure that I did not expect. Before accepting my position for the paper, I had no interest in journalism or reporting. When I first got on board with the team, I really did not know what to expect. In my first few articles, I used what Mrs. Hattaway taught me to best guide me through the motions, and I attribute that to why it didn’t take long for me to get used to being a journalist.

My time with the SMP has led me to a new interest in photography and journalism. I was extremely fortunate to be the News Editor during the climax of the 2020 election cycle. My favorite moment with the paper was when I was tasked to report on President Trump’s rally in Rome. I got my camera and drove to Rome. I felt like a true reporter. Right after, I rushed to co-write an article with our Editor-in-Chief, Olivia Fortner. We even won an award for our photography.

My position has required me to become well acquainted with the staff and faculty of GHC. I really appreciate the help that has been given to me by those individuals, as many of my articles have been reliant on them.

The pandemic has not made reporting easy, but even in the face of it, I have been able to push through with a little effort to report on important news. I want to thank Mrs. Hattaway for being such a tremendous support throughout my time with the SMP.

Mariah Redmond

Opinion and Editorial Editor

Working on the Six Mile Post fully online this year has been such a new experience. I’ve never been so proud of our staff for overcoming the barriers COVID-19 has placed on us, whether it be faster turn-around times or limited amounts of time spent outside of the computer screen together.

This year has challenged me in more ways than one, but it also rewarded me. I was lucky enough to place second for Best Opinion-Editorial Column in the Southern Regional Press Awards. This is something I never expected to achieve, especially since it’s my first year as Opinion and Editorial Editor.

 It’s been an amazing experience working with the SMP. I’ll forever be thankful for this opportunity.

Brandon Dyer

Sports Editor

This is my second semester working for the Six Mile Post, and it was much different than last spring when I started. This semester, we went fully online, so it was nice to post things quickly and in a timely manner. With that, it also brought challenges. I feel that the staff was not as close as it was in Spring 2020 when I first started.

This semester has allowed me to be more involved with players and coaches than I ever was before due to me being comfortable having the experience from my first semester. For the most part, all the athletes and coaches that I talked to have been excited about the opportunities presented to them by being interviewed by the Six Mile Post.

My favorite part about being the Sports Editor is that I get to see these athletes come in without having much press on them throughout their playing career, and being one of the first people to interview them. I think a good interview is always something that is helpful to athletes and coaches alike. 

For those interested in becoming a part of the staff here at the Six Mile Post, applications are now being accepted for the fall.