When I entered the HSSTM office today for the last time, Brian and Dave started singing the old Chicago tune:

If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me
No baby please don't go
If you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me
No baby please don't go

That actually didn't happen, but it would have been the highlight of my internship to hear those two belt out notes as high as Peter Gabriel.

As it is, though, today is my last day at my home away from home away from home (the Butler newspaper is my home away from home, but this place gave it a run for its money).

When I stepped into the office for my first day of work nearly four months ago, I was that stereotypical, glossy-eyed, "Boy oh boy, boss, what can I do for ya??" intern nerd. I had just finished a different internship from the previous semester, so I was still on a "professional environment" adrenaline rush. HSSTM Central Indiana was fresh and new, both for me and somewhat for the people who worked here. Things looked great, and the magazine wasn't even a year old yet.

And you know, thing look even better now. I mean, I have my own desk now. For the first part of this internship, I was the hobo of the office, traveling from desk to desk, computer to computer. "But they took my stapler and never brought it back and then they moved my desk to storage room B and there was garbage on it..." (That's a movie reference, Dave.)

This magazine is on the upswing and is on track to be something huge. And I wish there was some way I could explain just how much I learned at this place. Here's a quick range of the numerous things I was able to gather:

  • Waldron's girls cross country and track and field teams flourished in 1998, winning two sectionals
  • Dave's middle name is William. (David William McConnell? That sounds like English royalty right there.)
  • In the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, Norway dominated Germany in the championship game, as Norway had done to every other opponent prior to that.
  • Northwest's mascot is the Space Pioneers.
  • Brian grows a mean five o'clock shadow.
  • Franklin's Brad Hook can absolutely CRANK out the long ball. (That sweet swing gives me chills.)
  • Pike's basketball team was ranked second in the country in 2003, one spot behind LeBron James and his St. Mary-St. Vincent team.

I could go on and on about the wide array of facts I've come across, each unique and fun to know in its own way.

It's this kind of stuff that makes this magazine so great. It's the stories that tell the unique perspectives and interesting facts about a person or team in the area. It's the photos that capture the emotion and physicality of any high school sport. This magazine encapsulates the good in the high school athletes, coaches and staff, and this magazine shows how a strong commitment and unwavering persistence pay off in the end, both in sports and in real life.

I'd like to thank Phil and Jennifer Temple for giving me the opportunity to work here.

I'd like to commend Grant Glas for the hard work he's done graphically for the magazine.

Finally, I'd like to commend and thank Dave McConnell and Brian Moore for everything they've taught me and for allowing me to do so much with the magazine.

It has truly been a fun time here, a place where a mascot really fits in nicely. To all those who actually read this blog, a big thanks to you as well. This is Bobabooey, Bob from Accounting, Bab, the person with the best March Madness bracket in the office, signing off.