TERRE HAUTE — The last college and high school classes of the first decade of the 21st century have begun receiving their diplomas . Expectations are high, even as economic times are hard.
This year’s grads are painfully aware that now is not a great time to be entering the job market. For college grads, there may be a temptation to think of those long years pursuing a degree as a waste of time. Such are the challenges of landing gainful employment in their areas of interest and training. For high school grads, finding permanent or summer jobs may even seem futile, or at least daunting.
One thing is certain in these uncertain times. The value of education has never been higher. Instant reward for that work may not always be forthcoming, but coming armed with an education is essential when competing for decent jobs.
Meanwhile, these grads need your help!
There is an abundance of smart, savvy people in Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley. You know who you are, of course! I would like to think that most of you are readers of the Tribune-Star.
So we are soliciting your input in trying to keep our new grads in good spirits as they plot the next phase of their lives. We need them to maintain high ideals and aspirations and to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. At a time when it might be easy to be discouraged, we invite our readers to help offer encouragement and wisdom, especially to the hundreds of high school students who will graduate later this month.
On Friday, we began publishing an invitation to readers to share “Words of Wisdom for the Class of 2009.” Our challenge: If you could give the commencement address at Wabash Valley high school graduation ceremonies this month, what would you tell this graduating class?
There is undoubtedly plenty of advice around, and here is a chance to share your knowledge, insights and wisdom with graduates and the legions of Tribune-Star readers.
The advice can take whatever form you see fit. It can be serious, whimsical, humorous, etc. You are limited only by your imagination. Use a few words, or many words, as long as you keep your word count under 100.
We plan to use as many of your comments as possible on the weekend of Vigo County high school graduations in late May.
If you would like to submit a comment, please do so by sending via e-mail to features@tribstar.com, or to Words of Wisdom, c/o Tribune-Star, P.O. Box 149, Terre Haute IN 47808.
The deadline for receiving submissions is Friday, May 22.
We look forward to hearing from you. Area graduates do as well.
• • •
The Tribune-Star last week welcomed Lisa Meyer Trigg to our staff of news reporters.
Lisa is not a newcomer to newspapers nor to those of us who’ve been associated with this newspaper for a while. She was an intern on our reporting staff back in the mid-’80s while she was a journalism student at Indiana State University. Since leaving Terre Haute, she worked for 20 years at the Banner Graphic in Greencastle, the final three years of her tenure there as its editor.
We are extremely fortunate to have such a seasoned and experienced reporter joining us. Her skill and talent will be put to immediate use for our readers. Her primary beat will be covering police, emergency services and the courts.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from ISU, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the Women’s External Degree program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
• • •
As always, thank you for reading the Tribune-Star.
Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.
Max Jones
MAX JONES: Tough times call for lots of encouragement
- Max Jones
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MAX JONES: News dynamics sometimes test an editor’s principles
It has been a long-standing policy at the Tribune-Star not to publish the names of crime victims
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MAX JONES: Got a question for Lugar-Mourdock debate? Submit it
Hoosier voters, especially those who choose a Republican ballot for the May 8 primary election, face a difficult decision this spring. Longtime U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar faces a spirited re-election challenge from state Treasurer Richard Mourdock for the GOP Senate nomination. The winner advances to a general election showdown in the fall with the presumed Democrat nominee, Rep. Joe Donnelly, and any third-party or independent candidates who qualify to run.
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MAX JONES: The sun never sets on Indiana’s time-zone debate
When Mitch Daniels aggressively pushed for Indiana to adopt daylight-saving time in his first term as governor, I admit I was not enthusiastic. The state, I figured, had found a way to handle its awkward time-zone geography by merely maintaining the time status quo while states around it changed their clocks twice a year. We peacefully coexisted with that strategy for a couple of decades.
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MAX JONES: It is amazing what an energized downtown can do
For those of us who’ve watched the inspired growth and development of downtown Indianapolis through the years, it’s hard to understand sometimes the amazement some express at what’s been created.
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MAX JONES: More changes and challenges, but we’re getting there
As a newspaper lands on your porch each day, or you grab it from a local vendor, the complex manufacturing process that goes into producing it is probably the furthest thing from your mind.
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MAX JONES: Arranging the pieces so it all makes sense
Putting together a newspaper, with its diverse mix of content, is sort of like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. You just have to keep mixing, matching and playing with the pieces until things begin to look right.
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MAX JONES: Community newspapers too valuable to go away
These days, rarely a week goes by without someone — a co-worker, a friend, a professional associate, an acquaintance, etc. — asking for my thoughts about the future of the newspaper industry.
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MAX JONES: Angry emotion yet to rear its head in mayoral race
October has arrived. Five weeks remain before Election Day, and a staple ingredient seems to be missing from Terre Haute’s mayoral campaign season.
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MAX JONES: Join us as we walk in the shadows of 9/11
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 has sparked renewed interest toward a haunting time in modern history. With all that’s happened the past 10 years related to the terrorist attacks of 2001, it still seems like only yesterday that we all were watching those terrible images of commercial airliners flying into buildings, towers collapsing and grief-stricken people all across America — and the world — mourning the victims.
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MAX JONES: 9/11 ‘moments’ still vivid 10 years later
With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Americans are recalling in vivid detail where they were when they first learned of the terrorist attacks.
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MAX JONES: Something special — courtesy of your newspaper
Publishing a daily newspaper is our bread and butter here at the Tribune-Star.
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MAX JONES: Ernie Pyle never ceases bringing pride to Indiana
Once again, Ernie Pyle has made me proud to be a journalist.
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MAX JONES: What do you know about that founding Declaration?
Of all the national holidays Americans celebrate, July 4th — Independence Day — sports the most essential link to the country’s shared history and ideals.
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MAX JONES: Ready, action! Video lets us tell even better stories
Those of you who make the Tribune-Star’s online edition part of your reading routine — and there are approximately 40,000 of you each week who do so — have been treated recently to an enhanced feature on our website.
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MAX JONES: Vigo County played active role in Civil War history
When the Tribune-Star set out to find a way to commemorate Vigo County’s unique role in Civil War history on the 150th anniversary of its beginning, I was concerned it might be difficult to find much information on the subject locally.
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MAX JONES: Local seminar to shed light on access
Transparency in public information is an important principle for the proper functioning of government at all levels. Vigilance is key in ensuring that public records and meetings remain open and accessible to citizens of our communities.
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MAX JONES: Readers benefit from new resource
The Tribune-Star’s primary mission is to report news and tell stories that are relevant to our large community of readers, helping them be better informed and more engaged citizens.
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MAX JONES: Farewell to Stephanie, for a while
The Tribune-Star and its legions of readers throughout the Wabash Valley were extremely fortunate six years ago to welcome back a native daughter.
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MAX JONES: Friends ready for next big step at Pyle historic site
The campaign to preserve the legacy of World War II journalist Ernie Pyle in his hometown of Dana passed a milestone last week. Indiana’s Natural Resources Commission voted to end the state’s involvement in the Pyle historic site and turn it over to the Friends of Ernie Pyle organization.
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Max Jones: Taking the pulse of community progress
Terre Haute and Vigo County have been in a period of vibrant change in recent years.
- MAX JONES: Christmas miracles can still happen You don’t have to wander far to find people who remember vividly when downtown Terre Haute was the place to be during the Christmas
- EDITOR'S NOTE: Appearance of corruption a strong incentive for reform Today, and for the following two days, Tribune-Star readers are being treated to a remarkable series of editorials and essays produced by the Indianapolis Star.
- MAX JONES: Tough times call for lots of encouragement The last college and high school classes of the first decade of the 21st century have begun receiving their diplomas . Expectations are high, even as economic times are hard.
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MAX JONES: Printed newspaper will be here for years to come
Whenever I speak to groups or individuals around the community about the state of the newspaper industry, I often get confused looks when I say that newspaper readership is growing rapidly and has never been higher.
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MAX JONES: Daniels off the hook on time-zone issue
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when I figured I’d be mad at Mitch Daniels the rest of my life. As one of many, many Hoosiers angered by the change in Indiana’s way of dealing with its time-zone problem, I blamed Gov. Daniels for not leaving well enough alone.
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MAX JONES: Voters anxious to get news about candidates
Labor Day historically marks the beginning of the fall season for political campaigning. That has been true most years in which elections are conducted. This year, however, such a designation may be greeted will little more than a chuckle.
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MAX JONES: Voters will be big winners in fall gubernatorial debates
Twice in September and once in October, Indiana voters will have an opportunity to participate in and witness, in person or via electronic media, debates among the state’s three candidates for governor.
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Editor's Note: A local connection in office of Public Access Counselor
Residents of Vigo County, and readers of the Tribune-Star, have been treated to a good lesson on open government the past few weeks in wake of formal complaints that the Terre Haute Housing Authority violated state laws governing public meetings.
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EDITOR'S NOTE Sounding the bell for those who hear different drummer
Are there any bagpipers out there? If so, please take a deep breath and step forward.
- Max Jones: Forum will help you get to know spring candidates With the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in full frenzy, you probably don’t need to be reminded that Indiana’s primary election is just over three weeks away.
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MAX JONES: News dynamics sometimes test an editor’s principles
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