Because I have the privilege of living under the same roof as her, I’ve been able to hear many of Lucy’s reflections of her high school experience now that she is saying goodbye to Montrose. So when the opportunity came around to do a senior profile piece on her, I was very interested to hear any insights or wisdom she had about her high school (and Looking Glass editor) experience that I may not have already heard. 

My sister joined the Looking Glass family in 2017 as a new freshman, and was given the role of assistant Arts and Entertainment editor, until she took over the role of News editor in her sophomore year. Finally in her junior year, Lucy took the opportunity to be the official Arts and Entertainment editor and has kept that role ever since. When asked about what attracted her to the Looking Glass, she told me in laughter that: “I had always grown up watching shows on the Disney Channel that featured characters who wrote for their school paper, so I guess it’s always been something I wanted to do. I went to one Looking Glass meeting my Freshman year and I just kept coming back.” Early in her Looking Glass career, I remember how excited she would get about articles she got assigned to. To this day, the most passionate I have ever seen my sister was when she was writing one of her movie review articles for the A&E section. When asked about her favorite article she’s ever written, she told me: “My Disney Revisited series as a whole was so fun to write. But if I had to pick one article it would probably be my American Crime Story article. With that article, I went a step further than just a critique. Because I was in such a “capstone frame of mind”, I explored the show through the lens of empathy. I see that article now as a culmination of everything I learned through all my writing about film, which is that art really can impact humanity.” I actually remember watching this show with her and watched her analyze it in real time. Since she has had her newspaper position for so long, she now looks at all TV shows and movies through an analytical and critical eye.

 At the time of her joining the Looking Glass, she was also a new student on top of everything. I asked her about her first impressions of both Montrose and the Looking Glass, and she replied with: “I remember walking into my first Looking Glass meeting and seeing all of the seniors who I looked up to being leaders of newspaper sections they were passionate about. Every writer was getting to write about whatever they wanted, and it just seemed like such a cool team to be a part of that had a lot of room for creativity. As for my first impression of Montrose, I remember on my shadow day I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect from a school like Montrose, because I thought I was going to enter this really high pressure environment. I remember walking down the hall with my shadow student, and when we walked into the first classroom, the first thing I heard was this eruption of laughter. I don’t know what they were laughing about, maybe the teacher said something funny, but that was the first taste of Montrose I got. It was not what I was expecting at all, but I remember thinking ‘oh my gosh this is such a vibrant community full of people who love being here.’” To be honest, that answer made me a little emotional, even though I had heard her tell that story before. Her explanation of what Montrose really is could not be more accurate. 

Lastly, we talked about Lucy’s Montrose experience as a whole. As I said before, now that she is at the end of her time in high school, she constantly reflects. “If I could tell my freshman self one thing, it would probably be to not live your life for the future and enjoy the present.” When asked about any advice she might have for rising editors and writers for the Looking Glass, she said “Use the Looking Glass to explore and discover your creative voice. If you have an ‘outside the box’ idea for an article, go for it. Don’t be afraid to try new things.” 

Lucy, on behalf of the Montrose community, we are going to miss you so much. We can’t wait to see what amazing things you do next!

Chloe Stefani ‘24, Fashion and News Editor

24cstefani@montroseschool.org