Newspaper advisor steps down after 21 years

The staff of the Highland Sun writes a tribute to Steve Abaroa, who is stepping down after 21 years as a high school newspaper adviser.

For the past 21 years Mr.Steve Abaroa's name has been listed as the Advisor for the Tiger Advisor (Gilbert High School) or the Highland Sun (Highland High School). Next year a new name will be in place.

Earlier this year Mr. Abaroa announced to his students that this would be his last year as Newspaper Advisor. Mr. Abaroa will still be teaching at Highland but he will no longer be seen in the Publication office.

"It was time for a change," he said.

For years Mr. Abaroa has been putting out an award-winning newspapers, plays and musicals; including this year's musical, Beauty and the Beast. But what many people might not know is that Mr. Abaroa is a published journalist and writer of short stories.

"I feel that he handles the class like he handles his life, and that is with care, precision, and excellence," said senior writer Colin Alexander. "I am sure that if you asked any other student or teacher on the campus that knows him they would say the same."

"One of the reasons why he will be missed greatly in the Journalism room is because he pushed everyone to strive for greatness and only wanted the public to see each individual's best work; but more importantly Journalism will miss Mr. Abaroa's guidance and overall positive, upbeat mentality that he took with him to the classroom each and every day," added current Editor-In-Chief, Shane Dwyer.

Journalism was more than just a class that he taught; it was a great part of his life that he excelled at. Not only has he been published in The Arizona Republic and other various newspapers, but he was an editor of his college newspaper and won the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association's Forest Martin Award Teacher of the Year award in 1997 for excellence in scholastic journalism.

Mr. Abaroa started his career in journalism while attending high school in his home state of California.

"I was asked to be the advertising manager of my school paper The Highland Fling," Abaroa said. "Newspaper was the last hour of the day and I had a pass to leave campus anytime I wanted."

This was in 1975.

Mr. Abaroa remembers working on the newspaper staff was very different then compared to today.

"We did not have computers. We had to have someone type our stories into a typesetter that then we had to paste the stories on to a layout board. I am so glade we have computers now."

In 1984 Mr. Abaroa graduated for Brigham Young University with a degree in Journalism Education. Mr. Abaroa and his wife and first son moved to Gilbert in 1986 when he was hired to be the Newspaper Advisor at GHS.

He then moved to Highland High School when it first opened and was not only the newspaper advisor, but he was also the broadcasting advisor. In 1995 he was elected President of the Arizona Interscholastic Press Association.

About the same time he started to write for the East Valley Tribune and then for The Gilbert Republic.

Although Mr. Abaroa will be greatly missed in the newsroom, he will continue at Highland teaching English and Drama.