NC commits: Where your writers are going!

Addie Hill and Ciara Whimbush

May 2, 2025

After spending months covering what student athletes will achieve after high school, Addie Hill and Ciara Whimbush announce their plans for college.

Hey everyone! As we have celebrated the commitments of our peers these past months, it is now time to close out our high school journey. Featuring beloved friends, schoolmates, and community members has brought us such joy, and the opportunity to write this column together has been an experience we will not forget. However, to conclude this column rightly, we believe it is fit to tell you about our own upcoming collegiate academic journeys.

I, Addie, have committed to Berry College to study English and minor in Theology, where I plan to write in the

devotional field and continue my passion and research from my past two investigatives. After much consideration and tough decisions, Rome, Georgia, felt the most like home to me, leading to my decision to become a Viking! I hope to continue my journalism career with their newspaper, The Campus Carrier, and deepen my writing skills. Yet, with all the new people and places I will experience, The Chant’s Publication Office will always be my favorite. I am endlessly grateful to Mrs. Zavala for encouraging and guiding me, as well as listening to every one of my rants and giving me her motherly advice. I also cannot express just how thankful I am for every one of my fellow writers. My past two years on this paper have helped me develop some of the most meaningful friendships I have, and that would not be possible without our wonderful site. From playing the New York Times Games to rolling our chairs into talking circles, third period has been the best time well spent together. No thank you will ever be enough for The Chant, but I hope my words have sufficed.

I, Ciara, decided to commit to the University of Georgia (UGA) as a Political Science major on the Pre-Law track. In college, I also hope to write for the Georgia Political Review and to further my involvement in the civic community of Athens. My long-term goal is to become a civil rights attorney, where I can advocate for those who may feel like they do not have anyone in their corner. Additionally, I hope to remain cemented in grassroots organizing, a field where I can collaborate with all kinds of people to make a difference. As I reflect on my time writing this column

, I feel a profound sense of gratitude, not only for The Chant but for NC as a whole. This community has always been so receptive and receptive to me during my time on staff, and I could not be more blessed.

That support is additionally felt amongst my fellow writers, editors, and sponsor, Mrs. Zavala. Her ability to make every moment a teachable one is unparalleled, and I will never know another educator so dedicated to making her classroom an open, empathetic space. Throughout the past three years, The Chant has helped me to grow not only as a writer but as a student of life. I can’t wait to come back to the page and see how vastly it has grown to all parts of Cobb County, Georgia, and the world. It has been the honor of my life to write for this one-of-a-kind publication.

The Chant wishes Addie Hill and Ciara Whimbush luck in all of their endeavors. Go Vikings and Go Dawgs!

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About the Contributors

Addie Hill, Lead Page and Media Team Liaison

Advancing into her second year on The Chant, Addie Hill’s love for writing has only grown. Now serving as the Page Lead and Media Team Liaison, Hill hopes to expand her abilities as a writer, communicator and editor, all while still striving to reach her main goal for this year: worshiping Jesus. As co-leader of NC’s Collective Hope Bible Study Club and attendee of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Hill aims to spread God’s love through writing. Outside of reporting, Hill loves to dance, listen to indie-folk music, read, crochet, spend time with her family and friends, and attend church. She cannot wait to finish her final chapter at NC by reporting for the school’s publication, and she strives to write for a newspaper in college and beyond! Find her on Instagram @addielhill.

Ciara Whimbush, Editor in Chief

One fateful day in 2013, Ciara Whimbush wrote a story about two girls visiting a witch’s house in the woods. Throughout the process, she stumbled across the thing that made her feel most like herself: writing. As Whimbush nears the end of her high school career, she excitedly looks to see how her writing and creativity can push her to new heights. In her new role as The Chant’s Editor in Chief, Whimbush aims to spread her adoration and appreciation for journalism to all students, both in and outside of NC. Alongside being published in The Chant, Whimbush has also been featured in the Marietta Daily Journal, The Legal Pad, and The Georgia Recorder. Alongside The Chant, Whimbush holds the field of social studies in high regard, as she actively participates in organizations such as Rhizome, She Cares International, and Students 4 Ashwin that serve to uplift youth voices in civic engagement. Aside from typing away on her keyboard, her other interests include spinning her flag and rifle on the NC Color Guard, baking sweets, scrapbooking, and indulging in the latest reality television shows sweeping streaming services. During her third and final year at The Chant, Whimbush aims to become a better writer, an impactful leader and a conscious citizen of the world; through interviews, articles, and exploring outside of her comfort zone, Whimbush hopes that by the end of her time at NC, that she can make her first-grade self proud of how far she has come. Find her on Instagram: @c1araaaaaa.