Addie Welch, Staff Writer
Adele Rose Welch, better known as Addie, is a senior and first year journalist for the South High Southerner. Glad to be able to fit newspaper into her schedule, her motives derived from her experience reading the Southerner. When the newspaper would be published and distributed throughout the classrooms, she was ecstatic to read the articles; even the frustrated teachers couldn’t stop her from plunging into the paper. Active in and out of school in clubs and justice organizations, she can connect with the South community inside and out. She’s part of Gender Equity, S.T.A.R.T, SUSOSH, and this year has been elected as co-chair of YEA!MN (Youth Environmental Activists Minnesota). These examples only begin to demonstrate her innate leadership skills and compassion for justice.
Over the course of the summer, Addie worked as a teacher in a program for middle schoolers, LearningWorks, that she had attended in middle school. This program is an opportunity for pre-teens to take a variety of classes over the summer, and this program has been known for the strong community it creates. She said it was one of the most intense experiences she’s had; the heavy workloads were something she wasn’t used to, and was at first very stressed about it. Although it was difficult, the support and love she received from the staff and students motivated her. “At first I was really stressed out and I didn’t know if I would be able to do it next year… But at graduation, when you see all the kids grow up I thought “How could I not do this again if I had the chance””. This job was one of Addie’s most difficult tasks to overcome, but also one of her greatest accomplishments. This experience has only opened Addie to become an even more cultured and passionate individual who brings these assets with her everywhere she goes.
Glad to be part of the Southerner for her last year in highschool, Addie plans to go on to college for possibly environmental justice or political science. She says that the most interesting thing she’s learned throughout her years at South is how people become more comfortable with themselves. “As everyone grows up in high school, you become more comfortable in your skin," she commented. Addie’s fun but focused outlook will bring a unique perspective in the Southerner.
By Soline Van de Moortele