Presidential Farewell Address

As I begin composing my final piece for this website, I think: What mark have I left on Panther Tales as a writer? Will future website visitors or club members see my work and get something out of it, or will my articles be passed by? I couldn’t even blame them, for I have done the same to many publications when scrolling through the site. Sometimes instead of scrolling immediately past, I stop and examine the details. Last post May 7^th, 2015. Those seniors in that article are probably out of college now, slowly forgetting that piece was ever created. A picture of a bygone era. Who knows if any of them have contacted each other in all those years? They seemed to put effort into their final post, and yet, I have a funny feeling they never had a proper conclusion with this club. Other than Anthony DeLapi himself, I simply cannot see any previous members having any significant memories with the Writers Club; and let me clarify I do not say this to degrade it. Its just an observable pattern that after the initial introduction, and after maybe a couple entries and a few meeting attendances, people quickly stop focusing on the club. Quite frankly, I don’t believe there is a single person other than me in my grade who has even considered joining. But why? If anything, I’d say the first issue stems from the general concept of education. Students only do assignments because it’s for a grade, nobody would voluntarily write a 6-page long analysis of the Grapes of Wrath. This leads to a stigma developing against anything literary, and I hate to admit its even worked on me in some ways. But despite this system, I still have an absolute passion for writing. I can’t keep all these thoughts to myself, writing is one of my main forms of expression besides art. Panther Tales gave me an opportunity to share my pieces with a crowd, with club runners, and even with an author at one point. But I suppose all this glamour is something only appealing to me, since everyone else see’s writing as a chore. Here’s another question: What mark have I left on Panther Tales as a leader? I do fear that my commitment to the club will not be carried on. Could I have done better to promote it? It’s all about the could’ve, would’ve, should’ve’ s at the end of senior year. One thing I do not fear though is losing the memory of the Writers Club. For me personally, it was a club where I felt comfortable to express myself, a place I could look forward to and socialize with other writers –when they would show up, that is. One day this article will be a relic just like the one’s of the seniors I saw leave; but know that its presence hasn’t been diminished in mind of the author. I may be moving on, but my already present love for writing heightened by this club isn’t going away anytime soon. I thank you Mr. Fasano, Mrs. Loos, and yes you too Mr. Birnbaum for everything. I hope another writer will stumble upon this club and become as passionate about it as I was.