Dear Wildcats,

Back in middle school, when Riverdale was still a show people watched unironically, I dreamed of writing for a school newspaper like The Blue and Gold. I felt I was destined to be the next Betty Cooper. And so I counted the days until high school, where I would become an Editor-in-Chief turned student detective who’s somehow twice as effective as the entire police department. 

If Riverdale was known for one thing, it was tricking middle schoolers into thinking high school would be everything it wasn’t. So imagine my surprise when I went to my first Crop meeting only to find that the Editors-in-Chief weren’t solving the town’s latest murder mysteries.

While I was initially disappointed that I wouldn’t be reporting on student-run speakeasies and turf wars, I quickly learned the value of writing for The Crop. Firstly, you don’t have to worry about ruffling the feathers of any gang leaders. But more importantly, The Rye Crop is the outlet for writers at a school where STEM seemingly takes precedence over the humanities. It was the first time I was writing for someone other than myself and not getting a grade for it. I was writing about everything ranging from comfort movies in quarantine to the lives of alumni post-RCDS and it was liberating. I was improving my writing and having fun doing it. And looking back at my Crop career, I now realize that it wasn’t just my journalism skills that have grown; my confidence has as well. Whether it be interviewing a “scary” school administrator or publishing a controversial opinion for the whole school to see, I was constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone. Thanks to The Crop, I’m able to ask tough questions and challenge norms with confidence both in and outside of school.

So, whether you’re new to the RCDS community, have been around for a while, or secretly a Riverdale fanatic, I highly encourage you to stop by one of our meetings. I promise you won’t regret it. If not for the challenge, do it for the insane ego boost that comes with seeing your work in print. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll get to solve a cold case or two.

Your Co-Editor-in-Chief,

Isabel Tiburcio