ROLLING THUNDER: VOICES OF SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

By: Leila Evans, Cali McPeak, & Izzy Goodnite

Memorial Day is dedicated to the honorable soldiers who died for our country. This American holiday originated after the American Civil War, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Local communities began holding springtime tributes to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Memorial Day was originally going to be called “Decoration Day” because you would decorate the soldiers’ graves with flowers, flags, and wreaths. Before Memorial Day, Southeast hosted the Rolling Thunder, which is a group of veterans from the Vietnam War who travel to schools talking about their experiences overseas.  

Their visit gave students a chance to hear firsthand accounts of service, sacrifice, and brotherhood that can’t be found in any normal textbook. The veterans shared stories about what it was like to be young and far from home, and how they leaned on their fellow soldiers through difficult times. Many students were struck by how open and honest these brave men were, even about the hard parts of coming home. The group reminded us that freedom isn’t free and that respect for those who served matters every day, not just on holidays. Teachers noticed students asking deeper questions about history and citizenship after the visit. Rolling Thunder’s presence left a lasting impact because they connected the past to our present in a real, human way. Southeast was honored to host them, and their message of unity, remembrance, and patriotism is one we won’t forget. Their visit showed that an uplifting school environment includes honoring the people who gave so much for us.

During their visit, several Rolling Thunder veterans stayed to have lunch with students in the library, turning a normal lunch period into something unforgettable. The veterans shared parts of foreign culture they experienced, from the people to the cuisine. A heartbreaking moment from the lunch was hearing how our veterans were labeled “baby killers”. This propaganda shamed American soldiers, even though they shared that they had always tried to do the morally right thing in a time of war. From moments of fear and courage in Vietnam to the lifelong friendships they built during service. That lunch didn’t just fill stomachs; it filled students with perspective, gratitude, and a deeper connection to the men who served.

We would like to give a big thanks to Dan McGuiness, the head of Rolling Thunder, for putting this honor together for our students at Southeast High School. “We might not be as capable as we once were, but if we went back to war, we would serve again, doing anything possible” (McGuiness).

SPRING SPORTS SHINE IN 2026 SEASON

By: Tyler Shaw, Garret Davis & Caden Dillon

As the school year comes to an end, so does the spring sport season for 2026. As we bid our senior athletes goodbye, let’s take a look at the teams’ accomplishments this season.

This year the boys’ baseball team ended with a 17-7 record, but a 10-2 record in the league. The boys had critical wins against Labrae and Champion on their way to the league championship, which happens to be their first league title since 2017. Awarded First Team All MVAC accolades for 2026 were Joe Sharish (pitching), Maverick Wood (outfielder), and Cohen Richardson (infielder). Second Team All MVAC winners were Caden Dillon (pitcher) and Daniel Clint (infielder), and Honorable Mention was Brayden Walden. The boys are looking to improve their record with “better hitting next season” according to Richardson. 

The Southeast girls’ softball team completed a 16-10 season, falling just short of a league championship. The squad entered the postseason with confidence, and despite their playoff run ending early with a tough 3-10 first-round loss to Cardinal Mooney, the team’s overall success remains a major highlight. Awarded First Team All MVAC were Lylia Lavigna (catcher), Morgan Muncy (infielder), and Olivia Bragg (pitcher). Second Team All MVAC was Isabella Mowery (outfielder) and Lily Hayes (infielder), and Honorable Mention was Neena Truex. Southeast gives a grateful farewell to the dedicated seniors who pushed the program forward over the years, as a strong core of rising seniors stands ready to compete and build on this team next spring. Congratulations to the Southeast softball team on a remarkable season. 

The Pirates’ track teams had incredible seasons, with the boys team finishing 5th in the MVAC and the girls’ team finishing 2nd in the MVAC. After running districts in Pymatuning Valley, regional qualifiers were: 4×800 (Jenna Canale, Vayda Stelzer, Grace Wheeler, Julia Wheeler), 100 & 300 hurdles (Sarah Craver), 1600 (J. Wheeler), 800 (Canale, J. Wheeler), 3200 (J. Wheeler), long jump (Craver), high jump (Leila Evans), and for the boys’ team, 800 (Micah Craver). Regionals are being run at Austintown Fitch which are currently taking place this week with preliminaries on Wednesday, and final heats on Friday. So far advancing to State competition is the girls’ 4×800 team and J. Wheeler in the 3200. Good luck to all those still waiting to compete. 

Our spring sports teams have shown tremendous accomplishment over this season beating records and making memories that will last a lifetime. We want to wish continued success to those still competing as they enter regionals, good luck!

GO-TO SUMMER CHECKLIST

By: Kristen Dillon

What are your summer plans? Some people already have their summer completely planned, but many would say they have no idea. Whether you’re going to soak up the sun in Florida or hike every trail in Yellowstone, there are a few things you will need in order to make this summer unforgettable. If you are looking for the ultimate blueprint for the summer of 2026, this is the article for you. 

We hope you have a great summer!

WINDOWS DOWN VOLUME UP

By: Bradley Dillon & Alaunté Massrock

It’s finally summer, and with that comes warm weather and car rides with your windows down, blaring music. The question is, what is on your list? What music screams summer? Today, we are going to give you songs that will make your summer playlist “tuff”. 

COUNTRY	RAP	ROCK/ALTERNATIVE	POP
“Choosing Texas” by Ella Langley	“Passion Fruit” by Drake	“Californication” by Red Hot Chili Peppers	“So Easy (To Fall in Love)” by Olivia Dean
“It’s Five o’Clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson	“Heartless” by Kanye West	“Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne	“Lush Life” by Zara Larsson
“Summer Long” by Kid Rock	“Broccoli” by Lil Yachty	“All the Small Tings” by Blink-182	“Just Keep Watching” by Tate McRae
“Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith	“Headlines” by Drake	“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd	“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift
“Chicken Fried” by ZBB	“The Spins” by Mac Miller	“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls	“The Thrill” by Wiz Khalifa, Empire Of The Sun

Whether you are jamming out to rock n’ roll or rap or cruising to country or pop, summer is a time to get out and spend time with friends making unforgettable memories. Enjoy your down time, and don’t forget to expand your playlist with some awesome summer beats. 

POETRY CORNER

By: Alexis Crum

Walking through the crowded hallways of Southeast High School, it is easy to blend into the sea of faces. Yet, behind the daily chatter and slamming lockers lies the buried talent of our students. The Pirate Post invites students to step into the spotlight and show their creative talents that often go unnoticed. These powerful voices belong to the very peers you pass in the corridor every single day.

Kicking off our showcase is an outstanding piece by junior Elarie Logan. Logan wrote this during a moment of pure frustration and desperation for another person, this poem acts as a defiant stance against outside judgment. Logan captures the internal battle between private certainty and public skepticism, using raw, unfiltered imagery to validate the weight of her emotions. She notes that the piece serves as an emotional anchor, proving that love isn’t a debatable topic. Logan stated, “This poem means a lot to me, since it’s showing that even though most people don’t believe it or understand it, feelings for a person are real as long as you yourself understand they are. Other’s opinions can’t damage a fact you know to be true.” Ultimately, Logan’s work serves as a powerful reminder that one should remain true to their heart despite public opinion. 

Another outstanding poem is a piece about a murderer from the perspective of a horror movie written by junior Rebekah Smythers. Smythers states the work serves as a literal warning against classic horror movie tropes. “Don’t be like the stupid one in all the horror movies”. The piece draws heavily from short horror films and the inherent mystery of blind corners.

Poetry can come in many forms, showing emotion and depth to any situation. The talent displayed proves that poetry is alive at Southeast. As we look ahead to next year, we challenge you to step out of the shadows, pick up a pen, and share your own story. Until then, keep creating.

THE ART OF LETTING GO: ONE FINAL REFLECTION OF SCHOOL AND SOCIETY

By: Emma Wood

Well, everybody. This is goodbye. 

My name is Emma Wood. Most of you know me. Maybe it is from a play that we put on where I was on stage wowing the audience, or… doing the opposite and making a fool of myself. Maybe it is from seeing me walk in the hallways with my many pairs of heels and really weird outfits. Maybe you know me as the teacher’s pet, or the overachiever. Maybe you know me from gossip. No matter how you might recognize me, I know one thing: for the past four years I have strived to leave my mark in this school. I believe I have done that. 

It’s weird to sit here and write this, and honestly very emotional. I am very happy to leave Southeast, to encounter new beginnings and new people outside of our small county. However, it is also extremely sad. I am going to miss a lot about our school, no matter the strife and struggle, for it has been a part of my life for the past five years.  

I have interviewed some of the most important people in my life, and as I get ready to experience graduation, I want to share with you all my thoughts and reflections so maybe you too, can find as much fulfillment as I did. 

May 28th, 2026 (One Day Until Graduation)

Today we had our graduation rehearsal. It was a bit emotional, but we managed. The hardest part of today was the walk through. We got our caps, our gowns, and we walked through every building. From seeing my sister in the intermediate school and realizing in a decade… she will be exactly where I am now to going through the Middle School where countless students practically worshipped me because of teaching them choreography. And finally, walking through the High School, where I have such amazing and also bad memories. However, it was the high school that made me cry the most. 

What surprised me the most about my reaction to high school was not the sadness; it was the connection. As I said before, I was (and am) excited to leave high school. To move on. However, walking through those hallways, it made me feel deeply connected to Southeast. From freshman year up, most of us count down the days until we can leave for good. We dreamed of liberation, of freedom, and choice. Of a time without grades and tests and teachers breathing down your neck. We dreamed of lives bigger than the four walls of a classroom and the hallways that were always so crowded. Yet now that the ending is finally here, it feels impossible not to grieve it a little. 

For me, one of the hardest things to leave behind is my choir director, Joel Kithcart. To finish out this emotional day, the choir seniors dressed up as Kithcart and took him to Tito’s for dinner, where we reflected on our past three years with him, and everything that is to come. 

May 29th, 2026 (The Big Day)

By the time you are reading this, I am already considered a graduate of Southeast High School. That sentence feels surreal to write down. 

Now, I could bore you with all the details about me getting ready this morning, such as slicing my nail in two on accident while shaving (not pretty, and one of the reasons I couldn’t wear fake nails), and how my hair didn’t curl right (still annoying). However, at the end of the day, despite everything going wrong with the lead up to Graduation, I still did it. 

I walked across the stage. I clapped for every senior that night. I smiled through the memories and the tears. I cried as we sang Maybe Someday for the very last time. 

Superintendent Bob Dunn spoke about perseverance, growth, and the future ahead of us. Something almost every single person spoke about. He told us a story of a donkey, and gave us a little figurine where the butt shakes on the back. However, one thing stood out to me the most: the reminder that commencement is not an ending, it is a beginning. The start of becoming whoever we choose to be next. As freshmen our teachers told us that we would not be the same people by senior year, I know Julia Dillon was the one to break that fact to me. 

And while at the time I just laughed at it, she was right. When I asked my parents Leslie Wood and Jeff Wood about how I have evolved from Freshman year they said, “you have learned to be less naive. To sometimes put your foot down.”

As I sat there waiting for my name to be called (which vice principal Mason Harsh ended up saying Emma WOO, because last year I told him that the ‘d’ in my last name was silent and it was Korean… he believed it for a while there), I realized something important. No matter how many times I laid on a teacher’s floor and cried about getting a bad grade, no matter how many line dances I perfected for homecoming and prom, no matter the football games I used to cheer at, no matter the endless rehearsals, the heartbreak, and drama… high school was never about that. Even if it seemed like that was all that mattered at that time. It was about becoming. Becoming stronger after failure. Becoming kinder after a heartbreak. Becoming more confident after mean girls tear you down. Becoming the kind of person who fights for what they believe in. High school is about becoming ourselves. 

I left Packard Music Hall with a bunch of family and friends, with my cords hanging around my neck, with three bouquets of flowers, and a diploma in my other hand. What I left behind wasn’t just the people and the place, it was who I used to be. I’m not just grieving the school and the people, I am grieving freshman Emma, and also getting excited for who I will become next. 

From Parents, Partners, and a Postgraduate’s Closing Remarks

I grew up being told one sentence from my parents: “March to the beat of your own drum”. Most people know me because I stand out, because I do not always fit in. Now, not every single person likes me. And I promise you when you graduate, it will be the same. It does not matter how kind, how sweet, and how caring you are. I was always a people pleaser, and until this year, I never really put my foot down. I have had such a better mentality this year after I began sacrificing for myself rather than sacrificing myself. There are people who are not happy about that, and in all honesty, that reflects them more than it does me. 

If there is one thing I can say to every single person at Southeast as I graduate, it is this: march to the beat of your own drum. Be yourself, be unique, and don’t give anybody the time of day to tear you down, because that is how you break. When you stand up for yourself, not everybody will like you. You will lose friends, you will find who is truly with you and who is not. You will find some people who make up stories in order to leave you, some who just slowly disappear. You will find some that tear away from you in a very aggressive fashion. Don’t think you are broken or less than because of it. This is a part of growing up, of figuring out who you are. You will not have the same friends freshman year that you will have in senior year. After senior year, some friendships won’t last the long distance. That’s okay, don’t beat yourself up for it, just keep marching to the beat of your drum and finding more friends who love you for you. Not the person who chips themselves away piece by piece to conform or please another. 

Trust me, I know it is easier said than done. I am not even perfectly there yet, but that is maturity, I think. Finding out that the people who matter don’t care, and the people who care do not matter. If I had known that my freshmen year, I could have avoided a lot of trouble. So, don’t just pass that lesson by, remember it. 

However, graduation is not just about you as a student and friend. It’s about your support systems at home and your school as well. 

When I asked my parents what their closing remarks are to other parents, they replied that they need to remember that, “Once your kids graduate high school and become 18, they are not suddenly independent. You still need to support them”. 

I also asked my boyfriend, Matthew Field, who graduated last year his perspective of life after high school. He said that the one thing he wants everybody to remember after graduation is to not, “underestimate adulthood”. It is not as fun or freeing as we all think, and he said not to waste away your last moments. 

To the underclassmen reading this: enjoy things while they are here. Go to the football games, audition for the play even if you are scared, take too many pictures, stay too long at choir dinners, tell your teachers thank you, and speak to people you normally would not. Stop worrying so much about looking stupid because one day you will realize nobody else remembers the embarrassing moments except you. And always remember: march to the beat of your own drum, even if people don’t like it.

To the class of 2026: we made it. Somehow, through every challenging course, through every friendship and breakup, every rehearsal, every test, every rumor, every victory, and every loss… we made it here together. 

Tomorrow these halls will belong to somebody else. The stages will hold different notes and tunes. The choir rooms will have different voices. The dances will be done with different students. The football games will be won with different athletes. Life at Southeast will continue, just the same, without us. That fact is both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. 

Because through commencement and graduation, we have learned a valuable lesson: the art of letting go. We now understand that something does not have to last forever to matter forever in our hearts. 

So this is goodbye. 

I hope you all experience wonder and amazement throughout your lives. Love you!!!

~*~  Emma M. Wood  ~*~

MEET OUR CREW

Writers:

Cali McPeak, Alexis Crum, Emma Wood, Isabelle Goodnite, Bradley Dillon, Caden Dillon, Tyler Shaw, Garret Davis, Alaunte Massrock, Kristen Dillon

Editors:

Ava Lenze, Abi Lenze, Jocelyn Nowak, Mrs. Dillon