Bidding Farewell to CatlinSpeak’s Beloved Seniors
By Evan Zhang ‘26
Courtesy of iStock
There comes a time in every high schooler’s life when they must see off those about to leave the nest. Over the years, I’ve said goodbye to many a peer, friend, and teacher. Now, the day has arrived for us, CatlinSpeak’s writers, to watch our fellow eagles as they soar to greater heights.
June is just around the corner, and the seniors of Dialogue for Democracy (D4D) are writing their last articles. Among them are Elise Kim and Ann Crosby, the school newspaper’s editor-in-chief and publisher, respectively. Also departing are long-timers Brittney Haldorsen, Chip Downes-Le Guin, and Erin Chow, as well as newcomers Charlie Broad, Charlie Nemecek, Isaiah Dada, Jordan Devlin, Stella Dombrow, and Theo Butler.
Reflecting on their accomplishments as journalists so far, the eleven students were full of smiles, laughter, and fond memories. Some shared personal anecdotes from the class, others referenced inside jokes, and many expressed appreciation for teacher Helena Gougeon for making it all possible.
As our beloved writers inch closer to graduating from Catlin Gabel School (CGS), let’s look back on their experiences over the past four years. First up is our eagle-eyed editor, Elise!
Elise Kim
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Serving as CatlinSpeak’s honorable editor-in-chief, Kim has been officially writing for two years and guest writing for longer. Her wide collection of articles delves into diverse territory, although all of her work this year has been linked to CGS in one way or another. For example, her favorite article so far is her feature on common C&C traditions.
“It was so lovely to see that everyone had their very own unique and fun way to spend their C&C time,” she recalled.
Out of everything she’s done in D4D, Pitch Days have a special place in her heart. As Editor-in-Chief, “it’s always fun to use the gavel and also hear all the creative ideas people have,” she explained. She will miss the freedom the class gives her to write what she wants, and the opportunity to learn about the school community.
Kim is headed off to Williams College after the summer, majoring in English. To the lucky writer who will take her place, she emphasizes the importance of communication, saying, “Do not be afraid to communicate with your fellow writers and consult the D4D teacher.”
She also celebrates her experience this past year as CatlinSpeak Editor-in-Chief. On her own time, she has worked hard to advance her writing skills so that she can better help her fellow journalists. “I hope that I was able to provide that, and am grateful I got the chance to do so,” she remarked.
Finally, Kim has two recommendations for next year’s writers. She advocates writing “what you truly want to write about” and diversifying “who you decide to interview.” Looking back, she believes some of her best quotes emerged when interviewing someone she had never spoken to before.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” - Roy T. Bennett
Ann Crosby
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Despite joining CatlinSpeak only this year, Crosby has quickly found a home as its publisher. Her articles are known for tackling serious political and social issues, such as child labor in the chocolate industry. This news piece, along with her Winter issue article on the ski team, are her two favorites since they allowed her to engage in more investigation and raise awareness for an issue that she’s passionate about.
While Crosby doesn’t have a specific memory she likes the most, she thinks “every Pitch Day has been pretty fun.” As someone who wishes to pursue journalism as a hobby, she enjoys taking the school newspaper as a class, rather than a club. After graduating, Crosby aims to attend college and study either International Affairs or Pre-Law.
Her role as publisher requires her to review each article and post it to the CatlinSpeak website. While she must commit to some extra work, she ultimately finds the position rewarding. “It’s nice to…try to keep the homepage themed based on the time of year we’re in. Like, spring is flowers, winter was snowflakes.”
Addressing the publishers who will follow in her footsteps, Crosby emphasizes the need to ensure that articles are submitted correctly, of good quality, and not missing key components. In simple terms, “Just don’t upload it until they do it.”
To prospective students of D4D, Crosby offers the following advice. “If you like writing, you should join it. If you don't like writing, don't join it.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“When anyone tells me I can’t do anything, I’m just not listening anymore.” - Florence Griffith Joyner
Brittney Haldorsen
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Having written for CatlinSpeak since the beginning of junior year, Haldorsen is a returning journalist and a member of the paper’s marketing team. She frequently writes features and articles covering topics local to CGS. Her favorite article this year was an opinion piece on the environmental consequences of using artificial intelligence, which she felt was important and enjoyable to document.
The most memorable moment for Haldorsen happened last year, during Late Night, when the newspaper released its first print issue. “Me and my friend, Olivia Morrison, were joking around, and I just really enjoyed that class because she was in it,” she commented with a smile. Haldorsen says that when she graduates, she will miss the class community, the marketing team, and Gougeon’s unique teaching style.
In fact, she is planning on extending her journalism career at college in Boston. Offering a word of advice for those who will take her place, Haldorsen recommended “not doing [D4D] your sophomore year or your freshman year” and instead joining junior year, when students’ writing skills have improved.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“I’m all that and a bag of chips.” - Fab 5 Freddy
Chip Downes-Le Guin
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Downes Le-Guin is one of CatlinSpeak’s long-timers, writing for the newspaper since his sophomore year. His articles almost always involve a CGS topic, such as his co-authored piece with Kim about faculty family recipes. He especially enjoyed this feature, explaining, “It gave me some insight into the families and histories of CGS teachers that I was unaware of, and it was really fun…to make the food!”
An eternal sweet tooth and fan of collaboration, Downes Le-Guin is confident that his favorite memory this year will be of Late Night (when CatlinSpeak writers stay after school to assemble the final issue). At last year’s Late Night, “people brought cookies and such, which was delicious.” He will miss the chance to work with various peers and pursue subjects of his choice in D4D.
Downes Le-Guin will be attending either Pitzer College or Colorado College in the fall. The advice he gives the incoming journalists is “Schedule your interviews as quickly as possible. Writing you can procrastinate on, but gaining information cannot be done last-second.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“But ever since I was a kid, I was always the winner.” - LeBron James
Erin Chow
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Chow has been an avid journalist for CatlinSpeak since her junior year. In her writing, she typically addresses topics local to CGS, an example being her news piece about the shutdown of the old Lower School playground. This and her recent review of Portland dumplings are her favorites, as they allowed her to step out of her comfort zone and even “visit a few places…that [she] had never been to.”
For Chow, her best D4D memories are definitely Pitch Days. She has fun witnessing the class “come together to support and uplift one another’s ideas,” plus the “added bonus of snacks.” Chow adds that she will miss the “Dialogue family” and is grateful that she was able to get to know new people through the course.
Chow will attend the University of Michigan’s LSA Honors Program in September, studying Chemistry. She gives two tidbits of advice to next year’s journalists. She suggests that future students “explore a wide range of topics” and “learn how to be comfortable working with anyone and everyone, if possible.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“If you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain.” - Dolly Parton
Charlie Broad
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Starting in September, Broad has been a resident CatlinSpeak writer for a year. His journalistic portfolio focuses on sports and CGS-centered subjects. One of his notable features is a Humans of Catlin Gabel article about Spanish professor Melissa Bertrán, whom he describes as his favorite teacher and someone he has “built one of the best relationships with.”
Broad isn’t alone when he says that his best memory from D4D was the gingerbread house-designing and writing challenge. His group’s house, based on the 2013 film The Purge, he considers a “beautiful, interpretive creation.” The class’s overall unique nature and Gougeon’s support are two aspects that make it enjoyable for him.
Next year, he plans to study at American University in the fields of Business and International Relations. Broad’s advice for future writers is to “just embrace this style of writing.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Put yourself in situations that you’re not comfortable in.” - LeBron James
Charlie Nemecek
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Like his name twin, Nemecek joined D4D this year. His repertoire of articles encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including the school start time and campus maintenance. He considers this latter article his favorite, as it gave him a peek behind the scenes of CGS groundskeeping, when he had previously “taken our campus for granted.”
Nemecek’s favorite memory is a recent Pitch Day during which he posed the idea of investigating the community’s social dynamics. “It ended up turning into a whole…discussion for seven minutes,” he recollected with a smile. He admires the journalistic style of writing that students engage with in D4D, finding it to be different from typical “academic writing” done for other classes.
When fall rolls around, we can expect to see Nemecek attending college on the West Coast for Neurobiology or Biology. A piece of advice he offers to the succeeding batch of journalists is not to be “too worried about being a good writer.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Hey Helena, can I get an extension on this?” - Charlie Nemecek
Isaiah Dada
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Our last issue marks the end of Dada’s first year writing for CatlinSpeak. He has found his home creating educational articles for readers, including a guide to healthy sleep and an overview of the CGS Strategic Inclusion Plan. This second article was his favorite to write because it allowed him to “interview people in administration and to learn more about how the school runs as a business.”
On Crosby’s same wavelength, Dada considers Pitch Days and Publishing Week Groups to comprise his fondest D4D memories. “Getting to read people’s more finished products…is pretty interesting,” he elaborated. Dada will miss the class atmosphere and the passion that his peers have for writing when he leaves.
At college, he is going to major in Biomedical Engineering. The advice he gives the next generation of journalists is to manage their time and to “[prepare] for if your interviews do not go through.” He cites a recent incident when “one of [his] interviews was delayed about two weeks,” and the importance of a backup plan.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Change is not always growth, but growth is often rooted in change.” - Drizzt Do'Urden
Jordan Devlin
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Devlin is now finishing her first year at CatlinSpeak. So far, she has covered a myriad of topics, ranging from the school’s religious policies to why seniors should not vote during CGSA elections. These two works, her first and her second-to-last, are special as she had the chance to address what matters to her and discuss her own opinion.
Not only does Devlin reminisce about building her gingerbread house, a replica of the CGS quad, but she also had fun reviewing every group’s houses. She admitted jokingly, “I did eat most of the frosting, so sorry to my team.” She will greatly miss the D4D community, as she thinks of it as a safe space where students can be open and vulnerable.
Following her graduation, Devlin is off to Washington University in St. Louis to major in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She advises journalists in the coming years not to fret. “Don’t be nervous about pitch day, even though it sounds really scary in the beginning.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“You can count on me, like 1, 2, 3.” - Bruno Mars
Stella Dombrow
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
Also among this year’s new group of writers is Dombrow. Since joining, she has written a fair share of opinions and features, encompassing everything from coffee shops to economics. Her recent article detailing the need for a CGS financial literacy course is the one she likes the most, as she “thought it was a good argument” and “something that Catlin should definitely consider.”
Like her classmates, Dombrow looks fondly upon memories of the holiday gingerbread project, for which her group made a treehouse inspired by Home Alone. What she will miss the most about the class is “having the opportunity to write about whatever you want.” Hopefully, Dombrow will see similar opportunities arise in the near future at Villanova, where she will be studying post-graduation.
Her witty advice for rising CatlinSpeak journalists is “Don’t write about something boring.” While partly joking, she is also serious, encouraging writers to cover “more controversial things.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Choose your hard.” - Devon Brough
Theo Butler
Courtesy of Helena Gougeon
This is Butler’s first year as a CatlinSpeak journalist. He has dabbled in a wide range of topics, with sports, food, and features being some categories under his belt. His favorite article would have to be his debut opinion piece, which was both his longest and about the Portland Timbers, a team that he is a major fan of.
Butler shares the same good memories as Devlin and Dombrow of crafting gingerbread houses in D4D before Winter Break, alleging that his group’s beach house was “the best one.” Throwing some shade, he jested, “It turned out really well. More than could be said for some groups.”
He believes he will miss the broader style of writing that students engage in for the newspaper, which differs from the analytical kind assigned in other CGS classes. After this spring, Butler is headed off to study mechanical engineering. He tells the upcoming crop of CatlinSpeakers to just write “about things that you’re passionate about.”
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Leaving the Nest
Watching the people you’ve known for years depart can be equal parts sad, exciting, and cathartic. These seniors, regardless of the length of their CatlinSpeak careers, have spent months curating and refining their writing skills to produce six stellar issues - this being the last. Come fall, new beginnings will be on the horizon for each and every one of them.
As the entire D4D class gathers to assemble this final issue in print, emotions are high, yet overwhelmingly joyful. By appreciating these seniors, we are not only thanking them for all their hard work, but laying out their legacy and looking to the future. Given what they’ve said here, it’s safe to say that the newspaper is in good hands–and talons.