For those of you who read my articles, you may have noticed that I am the only journalist on Common Sense who uses my middle initial in my byline. Seeing as this is the last piece that will ever be published in this media outlet by me, I would like to take this opportunity to explain why. 

I am named after my great-grandfather Martin, and his wife, Shirley Lazarus, who was very involved and influential in the news and even hosted her own radio interview show on WMTR/WRAN. Additionally, she was a staff reporter for New Jersey’s “Daily Record” for 20 years. On her show, Shirley would often have celebrities and prominent people within her community come and speak, and she was able to raise a rather impressive audience.

I use my middle initial in every piece I write to pay homage to my great grandparents who do not have the opportunity to read my work, but I know would be proud of me for doing it. 

My interest for journalism was sparked in eighth grade, when I was attending Robert Frost Middle School’s “Meet the Candidates” night. Initially I went so that I was able to complete a bonus assignment for my history class, and only intended to listen to a few of our local candidates and then leave.

However, with no interviewing or journalism experience, I decided to “interview” all of the candidates who were present that night. There was a certain thrill I got asking these politicians, such as former Gaithersburgh Mayor Sydney Katz, a series of hardball questions (as well as a few softballs), and learning about their different stances on the issues was fascinating to me. The process of quickly having to take notes while listening to different speakers and thinking of new questions all simultaneously was, for lack of a better term, fun, and I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.

Fast forward to my first year of high school; I landed an internship at The Montgomery County Sentinel. It was at The Sentinel where I learned the basics of journalism, as I was able to cover real stories and form close connections with various people within the field that I am still connected with to this day.

Getting that first-hand experience made me certain that I had a passion for journalism, and I signed up to join Common Sense starting my sophomore year. I am happy to say that doing so was one of the best decisions I ever made in high school.

What I love about Common Sense is that we are one of the rare organizations in this school where we are not all individuals simply working for ourselves, but rather we are constantly uplifting each other to work toward the common goal of producing professional print and online publications that reflect the most up-to-date events affecting our community. This means that I was able to form close friendships with students whom I worked with throughout the majority of my high school career, and can reflect on the fact that Common Sense is more than just a group of passionate students: we’re a family.

From staying after school until 6:30 p.m. on press days, to having deep debates over what is and is not considered English vernacular, I sincerely appreciate all of the memories I have made alongside our team at Common Sense. I would also like to thank our adviser, Evva Starr, for her guidance, encouragement and constant support, and to you, the reader, for following me throughout this journey.

This is Joshua M. Freedman, signing out.