As graduation dawns and FTHS celebrates the Class of 2023, the Patriot Press is saying goodbye to Editor-in-Chief Max Druckman. He has been an instrumental part of this publication since he first got involved and we cannot thank him enough for all of his work and diligence over the past four years. I got to speak to Max about his time as Editor-in-Chief as he reflects on his time as a Patriot.

If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

– I would say South Africa. Go on a safari. That’d be cool.

That would be sick. Best movie you’ve seen in high school?

– The Grand Budapest Hotel. 

Any reason why?

– It’s funny, historical fiction; just a great watch. 

And are there any other random facts we should know about you before we start this exit interview?

– No, not really. 

Very open book?

– Nothing to really hide here. 

Sounds great. Okay, so as our readers may know, you’ve been Editor-in-Chief for the Patriot Press. When you got the job around this time last year and thinking from then to now, was the job how you expected it to be?

– Yeah, I think it was pretty much what I expected. I feel like I could have done more, but in terms of the actual requirements, I think it was pretty much what I expected.

Is there anything you’ve learned from being Editor-in-Chief?

– I’ve learned that communication is key and that there’s a lot of moving parts behind a successful operation, but you have to manage them with confidence. 

Definitely. And when you look from your path from freshman year to now, what led you to joining the Patriot Press, and why have you stayed so long?

– I simply like writing. I’ve been in my school newspaper since fourth grade so that I knew I wanted to join coming [into high school], and I figured it’d be really fun. I like the advisor.

Questionable. 

– Yeah, I know. I just said that because he’s sitting next to me.

That’s alright. He already wrote in your yearbook. 

– That’s true. But I thought it’d be a great leadership opportunity, so I stuck with it. 

And now with you graduating, me and Diana [Lanza] are somehow going to replace you. I don’t know how. So, any advice?

– I’m sure you guys will be fine. You guys can do anything that you want to do. And you’re such great people in terms of your hard work, but you’re also very nice and outgoing and really make people want to have fun and join the club. And I think that will be great going forward. And I know that there’s nothing you guys can’t do.

Awww, thanks Max. 

– Mr. DiGiuseppe: AWWWWW. 

That’s good stuff, Dig. Okay, and now outside of the Patriot Press, I know you do close to everything else on top of it. So, how did you survive senior year?

– Balancing senior year wasn’t as bad as junior year, but I think I was just like, Well, this is it, so I might as well just do what I can to the best of my ability. 

And is there anyone at Township that you think allowed you to be so successful? Like either academically, mentally, socially, anything like that? 

– I’d shout out Dig. I already did that though. Ah, I don’t know, my friends and everybody in the Global Studies program. It’s a great program. Really met a lot of great people, supportive, and definitely interesting people that were there for me.

Now you’re sitting here: last day of high school ever, probably. Thinking in a week how you’re going to give a speech in front of everyone at graduation as salutatorian, living life. How do you feel at this moment?

– It’s nerve wracking, honestly. Because after today, I don’t know, it’s like the great unknown. 

– Mr. D: Into the unknowwwwnnnnnnnnn.

Ignore him. Keep going. 

– But it’s also exciting because it’s obviously summer. It’s a new chapter and it should be fun to go to college and do some new things.

Very cool. And you’re going to end up in Boston [at Tufts University] next year, right? 

– Yeah. 

Anything you’re looking forward to? 

– Fenway Park, Red Sox games, all of it. It’s a great city.

Thinking more locally, what is your favorite Township memory?

– Favorite Township memory. Wow. Probably going to Europe with the Spanish classes. That certainly sticks out.

One last question to end everything. When you’re looking back to yourself, like in 8th grade, naive and about to go into high school, is there any advice you’d give to yourself when it comes to balancing everything from freshman to senior year?

– Do what you think you need to do. Because it will probably be what you need to do. Stay on track, stay focused, work hard. It all works out. 

And any message to the audience reading this right now?

– Thanks to whoever has been reading our website the last four years, I really appreciate it. Next year there’ll be a lot more interesting stuff for you to read from Leona, Diana, and the whole staff. So stay tuned.