As the school year comes to a close, so does the circulation of Hi’s Eye’s most vibrant edition: Iris. Originally, Iris started as an insert within the standard four-page Hi’s Eye publication. In the years since, the edition has brought entertainment and information on the arts to the Westfield community as a full four-page edition. But, with the addition of the Sports Journalism class to WHS for the 2022-2023 school year and a shift in focus, Iris will sadly come to an end.

In an interview with former Journalism Teacher and Hi’s Eye Advisor Warren Hynes, he said, “I can tell you that my favorite aspect of Iris during my time as advisor was when students began writing front-page articles about larger, thematic changes to our cultural landscape. For instance, stories about the impact of streaming our music, films and TV brought a higher level of cultural discussion that supported our school’s cultural discussions.”

The purple illustrative banner signified to many an edition full of fun, creativity and excitement, breaking up the sometimes harsh realities of weekly news. For us, too, it was an escape, allowing us to dive deep into fashion, music and other aspects of pop culture.

Purple is a color of charisma, authenticity and passion which the Iris editors and the Hi’s Eye staff has worked to embody in each Iris edition.

For decades, Iris has been distributed throughout WHS hallways once every four weeks bringing information and reviews on local and national entertainment. From Marvel movie reviews to summer playlists, Iris has covered the scope of pop culture. It feels fitting that Iris is set to end with a passionate, dedicated group of editors there to commemorate it.

Though it will be tough to lose the purple we have become accustomed to, we are excited for what is to come. The essence of Iris will forever be embedded in Hi’s Eye. Next year, every week, page four of Hi’s Eye (previously sports) will be there to commemorate the importance of the arts and let in light as the new entertainment page.

With the addition of the sports class, it made sense to drop the sports page from Hi’s Eye and make it the entertainment page instead. Junior and future member of the Hi’s Eye sports publication, Michael Lieberman, said, “I’m excited to just go to the games, report the games. There’s no real day- to-day coverage on Westfield sports. Hi’s Eye does good stuff, but they have constraints with publishing, so I’m excited to give people access [to Blue Devil sports] they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

In the blink of an eye, our time as Hi’s Eye editors has come and gone. As the purple to the Hi’s Eye, we have had the privilege of bringing the color to the news every four weeks. The end of Iris feels storybook to us, as we look to embark on the next chapter of our lives. Our work on Iris was an experience that we will carry with us as we take our places in the world.