Passing the Torch
By: Audrey Jones
As you walk into Jordan McCown's bustling classroom, you feel a sense of belonging hit you in the face. Everyone is chatting with each other, as smiles brighten the room, and laughter echoes into the hallway. The Trojan Torch is alive and burning with passion.
Through the years, Jenks High School has seen a few different student publications: Hi-Jinx, Maroon & White, and Trojan Torch.
Along with the yearbook, newspapers allow the student body to share and highlight events throughout the school year. The thing about newspapers is that they can be published monthly instead of once at the end of the year. Therefore, the newspaper can write about events as they happen or in anticipation. Having a school newspaper is a really beneficial and significant way for the student body to stay alert and know what’s happening around them.
The founding of the Trojan Torch is a result of the previous papers titled Hi-Jinx. Founded on September 16, 1927, Hi-Jinx announced itself with a couplet:
“Hello! Hello!
Hi-Jinx is here to stay,
We greet you, our Initial Day.”
The Torch’s motto differs:
“Big school stories and small school moments.”
The student staff in the 90s printed monthly issues for the Jenks Trojan Torch, consisting of regular columns and one-shots. From 1993-1995, the newspaper went from a more traditional format to a ‘zine (a smaller and non-commercial magazine) format.
I interviewed former Trojan Torch staff Jason Maraviglia and Ashley Jones to bring their experiences to light.
Maravigila wrote a monthly column: “Devil’s Advocate.”
“The hook was that Rick and I had very different musical tastes and each month we would choose a specific album for the other to listen to and review,” said Maraviglia. “We would give our honest opinions on it based on our personal taste and how our pre-conceived notions about the genre contrasted to being exposed to that music from that genre.”
There was–and still is–a diverse group of students that make up the Torch, from athletes to theater kids.
“Many of us were from very different social groups that wouldn't have otherwise mixed,” said Maravigil. “But because of the Torch, we all became friends and looked out for each other.”
Maravigil gave a great piece of advice.
“Don't be afraid to chase a story–to follow a lead,” said Maravigil. “Take chances–be unconventional. Be bold. Don't be afraid to do things differently. You might surprise yourself with the results.”
The Torch went from a physical newspaper to a website in 2017. The Jenks Trojan Torch Instagram was first posted in 2017. The Torch was divided into sports, world, and local sections.
“World was about things going on in the world, and the nation brought back to a local perspective,” said Ashley Jones, the world section editor and author of Black in Time.
Black in Time was a news article written in honor of Black History month, which dives into African American student representation at Jenks High School through the years.
Jones continued on to become a journalist and shared this piece of advice:
“I would say trust your writing skills,” said Jones, “and KISS [keep it simple, stupid]”.
That is the balance that the newspaper aims to strike, between covering major and minor events. The Torch has always been about more than just reporting news–it's about connections. Every post is about linking one student to another, or generation to generation, capturing what it’s like to walk these halls as a Jenks Trojan. That sense of continuity is what makes the paper’s name so fitting.
Passing the torch is an idiom that the newspaper has taken and flourished under. The returning staff pass their knowledge to the new members, taking them into the light, guiding them. Nurturing a flame for a story and pushing for success. Eventually, the seniors will graduate, but will leave the remaining students with the skills to succeed.
