All of the graduating seniors are making a lasting impression on the students and staff members of Wilsonville High School as they go on to new chapters in their lives. Fiona Dunn, a senior, is also making an impact on the students of Wilsonville. While also enrolling in her own Journalism level, and being the Editor-in-Chief for WBN, Fiona served as a teaching assistant (TA) for John Fitzgerald’s Journalism 1 class.

Avery Eckley (freshman), and John Fitzgerald (professional educator), were asked different questions about Fiona. When asked about her relationship with Fiona, Eckley responded, “Fiona was my TA in Journalism, who essentially helped me learn new things about the class, and the structure of writing as a journalist.” Eckley goes on to show how Fiona was a great peer and stood as a role model/mentor throughout the semester, explaining that “Fiona worked very hard, and held very high standards for herself, while also bringing positivity to class. She was goal-oriented and wanted things to be very well done and she was very good at helping other people shine.”

Throughout the 4 years of her journey within Wilsonville High School, Fiona led many team-building activities and made sure to incorporate leadership through it all, being known for advocating to make everyone’s voices heard. Fiona received awards in the years 2021 and 2022 for her great efforts, “She was always doing something for somebody else- she was always gracious and quick to help in any way she could,” Avery says.

While Fiona also made a mark on the broadcasting outlet of Wilsonville High School, she was also involved in team sports, including being the team captain of the Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse Team. “Fiona will be remembered for her mark of writing, and driving WBN and Wilsonville, but also her leadership and the fact that she is such a well-rounded person”, Avery responds when she is asked how Fiona will be remembered.

Journalism teacher John Fitzgerald opens up about how he felt she displayed her work ethic throughout the numerous years of them working together, “Fiona didn’t make things about herself- she was confident in her abilities, but didn’t need attention to prove it.” Later, Fitzgerald added on, “Fiona brought the news at Wilsonville High School forward in so many ways; What’s weird to think about it is that we spent pretty much every day of the last 4 years together at school.”

It has been proven how much of an influence Fiona had on her classmates and even teachers, by speaking with Avery Eckley and John Fitzgerald, two people who had quite different experiences with Fiona Dunn. She will be missed, but she leaves her mark as the first student to complete all four years of journalism at Wilsonville High School. She was also a strong supporter of student accountability and ensuring that everyone felt heard and included. “I relied on her a lot, and she stepped up,” (Fitzgerald).