At a recent Rotary meeting I was listening to the achievements already accomplished by our SHS Student of the Month. It left me with confidence that the young lady would proceed to accomplish “big things” in life. A friend who attended suggested that it was too bad that we so often lose track of many successes achieved by the people who often go on to achieve major successes in their chosen fields. The friend noted that perhaps the Observer could provide information about the many people whose stories and accomplishments would either bring pride with the thought that “I knew that kid was going to make it”, or perhaps a “wow” recognition when you utter out loud “I didn’t know our neighbor did that.”
At the editorial board meeting people were excited about such an endeavor but aware that it was not an undertaking we could do on our own. Limiting such a series to those whose accomplishments the editors were aware of would inevitably but unfairly leave out the stories of many with equal or even more impressive successes. We decided that if this were going to work we needed to open this up to the entire community for suggestions as to who could become the main celebrity in an interesting article. Your input may take the form of an article for submission, or an outline of information about the individual’s accomplishments along with contact information so that our staff members can reach out for accurate and updated storylines.
This is an idea in its initial gestation period. We don’t have a title, don’t know how often we would print such a column, or if it would be long-term. Of course, the same was probably true of the popular “Where in the World” feature that continues to frequently be cited as a favorite part of the paper and depends solely on community contributions. So we need you to write or email us at Inbox@TheSuffieldObserver.com with your ideas on who you would nominate and why.
Only after we receive feedback and suggestions will we be able to determine whether this new, as yet to be named feature, will proceed, and if so, its parameters. So please do not hesitate to write, even if you hesitate to brag about your own kids or your friend, or yourself. This is a time to share the pride. If someone has gone to school or lived in town (or still lives here) we want to know about them. Just remember that whether your candidate is the focus of an article would necessarily depend on how many suggestions we received, and the frequency of publication. Please do not take offense if the editors choose someone else initially. Your suggestion may appear in a later edition, since I assume that if we proceed we would keep all suggestions, and periodically add new ones, simply because we would likely focus on only one person when the column ran. So at this stage it’s up to you. Let us know your thoughts.