THE ECHO

by Salem Araya

I lied to Mr. Caulton.

I could not have cared less about The Echo my freshman year. The only reason I joined newspaper staff was to cover up the fact that I was NOT doing what I was supposed to do during silent reading time in my English 9 Honors class.

Instead of reading, I decided my time was better spent on my phone. That day, however, The Echo had released a new issue, and I conveniently had one on my desk. So as a cover-up, I pulled up a tab for The Echo website just in case I was caught. That way I could say I was reading – on my phone. When I did get caught, I was terrified. I was, and still am, a goody two-shoes, so I thought I was about to get in serious trouble for being on my phone. Terrified that my cover-up didn’t work, I went up to Caulton after class to ask some questions about the newspaper.

Does it take a long time to make an issue? Do you use Adobe? How do I join?

That last one got me in trouble, because now he thinks I actually care. I don’t.

Let me tell you, I’ve never seen this man happier. He was so excited that I actually felt bad for lying. But then again, jokes on me, now I actually have to join.

I added it to my sophomore year schedule, and three years later, I’m glad I lied.

If I hadn’t lied, I would never have discovered the effect a simple story can have. I learned that with my first feature story.

If I hadn’t lied, I would never have met some of my best friends – Heiabeal, Simone, and Henry!

If I hadn’t lied, I would never have decided to major in Journalism at IU.

Joining staff was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. From our daily class icebreakers, to chasing down sources for stories, and taking three months out of my life to reformat The Echo website (it was such a mess when I opened it that first day), I don’t regret a single thing.

To Caulton, thank you so much for creating such a kind and inviting environment in your classroom. You unknowingly shaped my future and gave me a class to look forward to at the end of every day.

Not to say that you should lie, especially to your teachers, but sometimes lying can lead to some pretty sweet outcomes. It changed the trajectory of my life, and I don’t think my future would be the same if I hadn’t. So, thanks Caulton for falling for it!