One of the first rules in journalism is to not just praise your friends, family and politicians. Instead, reporters are encouraged to share the stories of those unheard, hidden gems that provide a new insight into the community as a whole.

When Hannah and I conceptualized the final issue of the Free Press for the year, we knew there were some names that people couldn’t ignore the stories of who have gotten a lot of press for their contributions in and out of school. Katie Guyot. Sam Rabiola. Dante Colombo.

But then we heard stories from reporters, students and teachers praising people that don’t get as much recognition for the things they do. Kenneth Palmer. Ellie Houston. Terry Wilkinson.

And then there’s Laurie Folsom. As journalism adviser and one of the leaders of Career Tech Education training in the district, she’s had her fair share of stories about the newspaper and yearbook, but many of them are kept secret since she’s at the portal of the reporting.

Teachers rarely spend their weekends working with students, their vacation money on journalism conventions or their extra glue guns bedazzling shorts for a staff kickball game. Folsom’s willing, and has done this and more.

She’s an advocate of creative thought and responsibility. Instead of doing the newspaper and yearbook her way, she trusts students to take control and provides guidance when things get hectic.

Being a “newsie” herself in high school, Folsom sees where her students are coming from and runs along with them, never taking the reigns off… at least, until administration gets involved. She’s also helped them gain more of a voice throughout the district with her use of social media involvement, school board meetings and honor society awards.

She’s always preparing herself for the next stage in journalism, taking an Adobe prep course at JCCC last year and attending 16 national conventions within her career. And not many people can say their teacher encourages them to use twitter, Facebook, or Instagram as a resource in the classroom.

The point behind this whole issue is to give thanks to those who’ve made a difference within these halls. Some may have already been recognized, while others will only continue to build on their legacy. Regardless, everyone makes a difference in some way and has a story, but it’s up to the student body to listen and hear them out.

So we’ve broken the first rule in journalism, which Folsom proudly taught us at the beginning of the year. But some people, even the ones closest to the press, deserve recognition, and Folsom’s name falls right under that category.