From the beginning of his involvement with South’s student newspaper, Jason Murillo had big ideas, and a big vision. The Chronicle was never just a newspaper – it was a place that Jason took seriously as a virtual gathering place for student voices. Opinions and ideas are things that Jason takes very seriously! Teachers who have had him in class know this well, and even going back as far as freshman year Ms. Eressy remembers Jason being a part of a “lively” remote class in which his participation was valued.
The origins of the Chronicle that exists today began during the Covid shutdown, and so the staff was required to create something virtual that might have been easier in person. Nonetheless, Jason and other students persevered, bringing the student newspaper to life. He always made it a priority to create the inclusion of as many student writers and readers as possible, even this year jumpstarting the “El Semanal” weekly email that translates our weekly informative emails into Spanish. It was always important to Jason and his co-Editor Anya that the Colonel Chronicle stands as a newspaper for ALL students of South High.
Jason was always a leader in the pursuit to make the Chronicle thrive, and so it made sense that by senior year he served as Co-Editor in Chief. Part of being a leader is consistently demonstrating the importance of what is being done, and I am grateful to Jason for engaging the staff in conversations about the direction of the Chronicle’s weekly emails and long term presence in the school. Jason came to meetings and asked questions, imagined articles, and often challenged us to assess our own opinions.
When a debate came about on the topic of our school mascot, Jason willingly stepped up to take on the relatively less popular opinion in order to flesh out both sides of debate, digging into authentic perspectives related to the history of the school and the mascot. He has a talent for seeing multiple sides of a perspective, even while holding onto his own beliefs – a solid foundation for a good journalist!
Jason’s own contributions to the Chronicle often connected South students to bigger issues in Worcester and beyond. His senior year contributions included articles on Supreme Court decisions, school committee elections, and voting as a young citizen. In addition to the passion he showed about current events, his passion for theater and arts inspired articles on funding for the arts and reviews of local plays and performances – some of which he was a part of! His love and passion for the arts balanced well with his interest in current events, and this made him a well rounded editor who ended up involved in brainstorming and editing for a variety of topics.
Jason’s writing this year inspired us all to think bigger about the world we are a part of, but he also made great efforts to profile South High’s own clubs and activities to showcase the amazing things happening here. He truly helped establish the Chronicle’s version of news – which is not just articles about events, but studies of issues and opinions, and showcases of student interests and talents that can inspire readers.
I and the Chronicle staff will miss his dedication to continuing to foster a genuine space for South High voices and opinions, and I will miss the perseverance and sense of humor he was always able to keep when facing deadlines or a difficult article assignment. There will hardly be another student with the same level of opinion and passion as Jason, but he has laid the groundwork to invite them on in to keep the Chronicle going!
