This third month of The Lifeguard Online has been successful, thanks to the efforts of some outstanding editors and staff writers.

Though our coverage has come a long way in the last few months, we understand that there is quite a lot of progress to be made, especially in news and multimedia (aside from the exceptional Deep End Show).

This online experiment has been a matter of trial and error at every level: for the first time in my short journalism career, there is no teacher or adviser waiting nearby with all the answers. Now that we have had a semester of experience with The Lifeguard Online and the most dedicated journalists are starting to distinguish themselves, the quality of this website can only increase from here.

Honestly, I wouldn’t want this experience any other way. As I create the online journalism program and work with the section editors to advance our coverage, I teach journalism, thereby learning what I know – and, most importantly, what I do not know. It is an unparalleled experience that, I hope, will make a profound difference in the lives of not only the next online editors, but in the lives of our audience and in the image of Liverpool High School.

This month, we will deliver on our promise to feature how Liverpool High School contributes to the recovery of Haiti. Also, there is a number of impressive projects slated for the next few days and weeks, such as a Coffeehouse video feature shot by Joe Cosco and I and a brand-new episode of The Deep End Show scheduled for early February.

Please find the time to attend our pasta dinner on February 1, from 6-8pm. Tickets are available in room 429 or from any journalism student. A single $5 ticket buys virtually unlimited pasta, an award ceremony for our most distinguished journalists, an early screening of episode 5 of The Deep End Show, and a wise investment in the future of student journalism at Liverpool.

Of all the high school journalism websites in contention for the NSPA Online Pacemaker award, we are one of few to simultaneously produce a newspaper. Your support of this pasta dinner not only encourages our journalists, but also allows them to preserve a strong print journalism program that Mr. Savacool began and we intend to continue.