Unless you are an educator in our public schools, it’s pretty rare for a person to get one-on-one time with area youth. The Mining Journal staff got that opportunity with it’s 2023 Senior Video Project.

The videos clips allow students to talk about what and who they have been grateful for during their high school career.

And, after talking to over 100 seniors from Marquette Senior High School, Marquette Alternative High School, Munising High School, Gwinn High School, Westwood High School, Northstar Montessori High School and Ishpeming High School all we can say is, it’s been a privilege.

The videos take a naturalistic approach to documenting the student’s messages. The goal was to realistically portray students as they were on a given day at school — rather than in a studio — with much of the filming completed in the classrooms, libraries and hallways of their schools, largely with natural light and sound.

The impact that parents, teachers and peers have had on these students was extremely apparent. That old saying “it takes a village” is certainly true here.

What stands out to us is how important good, dedicated teachers are in this process. The majority of seniors that we spoke to named specific educators and coaches who made it easier to learn because of the effort to connect to their students.

We are extremely grateful for the time the schools and students took to participate in this meaningful project, and to Northen Michigan University for sponsoring it.

We congratulate the class of 2023, and wish only the best for them.

At the same time, we join those graduates in thanking those who helped them to get to this pivitol place in their lives. It truly does take a village.

The videos are available online at miningjournal.net.