Sela Breen and Mark Yukelis have led the Globe through what has quite possibly been the most challenging year to produce the paper yet. Working almost entirely remotely, they were able to successfully maintain the normal year publishing schedule and release physical, as well as online, issues. To do this they held almost all staff and writers meetings via Zoom, edited and formatted articles at home rather than in the typical Globe room, and figured out how to distribute the paper in a hybrid model–all of which had never been done before. They have not only ensured that the paper survived this year, but that the paper grew because of it. 

Sela Breen had never intended to be a part of the Globe, but a failed shot at a position in the yearbook staff landed her on the paper and introduced her to the world of journalism. Breen began by writing for the Features section her freshman year, then joined staff as an Arts and Leisure Assistant Editor sophomore year. For her junior year, she applied and got an interview for the Editor-in-Chief of the paper–a bold move for a rising junior. While she didn’t get the EIC position, she instead worked as a Managing Editor, directly below the EICs, and left a serious impression on the paper, leading her work as Editor-in-Chief her senior year. 

During Breen’s time on the Globe she “fell in love” with reporting, which she had never anticipated, and now plans to pursue it as a career. She describes how she likes “the creative aspect of journalism because [she] thinks that it allows you to do different things every day, tell stories, and create real change.” Breen is also drawn to the questioning aspect of the field, saying that she’s “always been a curious person–much to [her] teachers’ dismay.” As such, one of Breen’s favorite memories on the Globe have been the regular interviews with MHS Principal Elizabeth Clain throughout the 2020-2021 school year. These bi-weekly conversations helped to collect quotes and answer questions for articles, and also stay updated on what the administration was doing during the rapidly changing pandemic. She felt that these conversations with Clain helped her to get to know the school and the administration on a different level.

This year, Breen is most proud of the fact that the Globe was able to regularly published printed issues. She explains how the pandemic gave the Globe an excuse to let issues slide, but the staff never did. Breen will begin school at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in September where she plans to double major in journalism and political science. She advises future Globe editors to “follow your questions. If you have a question,” she says, “go explore it.” 

Mark Yukelis first started writing for the Globe during his sophomore year and later joined staff as Arts and Leisure page director his junior year, before serving as an Editor-in-Chief as a senior. He describes how he was originally drawn to the paper after seeing the community atmosphere present at writers’ meetings and within the Globe room as a sophomore. As an underclassman, he looked up to the juniors and seniors who led the student-run publication, and throughout the past year he himself has become a person to look up to.

Yukelis’s favorite memory of the paper was putting out the 2020 Graduation Issue–the first printed issue to be released since the start of the pandemic. He recalls attending the graduation ceremonies to distribute the paper and seeing teachers he hadn’t seen in months, all while being able to show them and the graduating class that he and the rest of staff was able to put together the Graduation issue after all. It provided a sense of normalcy in a time when nothing was really normal, and it showed that life could still move on through the pandemic. 

In addition to the 2020 Graduation Issue, Yukelis is also most proud of this final issue on staff, the 2021 April Fools paper, where his article on Gent Malushaga’s faked deep voice became infamous around the school. He received compliments within MHS as well as outside, with his friends’ moms being particularly amused by the article. This finale to his time on staff was fitting for Yukelis, as he has never ceased to provide a sense of humor to the paper and has always prioritized making Globe articles entertaining to Mamaroneck students. 

In the fall, Yukelis will begin his time at Duke University, likely majoring in computer science. Although it will never live up to the Globe, he really admires Duke’s student newspaper, the Duke Chronicle–especially their emphasis on news relating to the student body, as opposed to general news. In leaving MHS, he advises future Globe editors to utilize their time on the paper as best they can by connecting with the administration and the community through their articles, getting to know the underclassmen, and, of course, cherishing the Globe room.