For the past 17 years, Mrs. Tonsoni has been the Parnassus adviser. She came into this position with little to no experience in journalism, videography, or photography. “I realized quickly that there was no way that I could learn everything, but the beautiful thing was, I didn’t have to. The students knew what they were doing. They trained new members. The Parnassus was and still is a purely student-led effort,” she said. This year Parnassus has grown in size with a staff of 14, and has expanded its horizons to a new graphics team. 

Despite her longevity in this position, Mrs. Tonsoni had to make the difficult decision of resigning from directing Parnassus. She plans to focus on maintaining her position as the librarian, hoping she can direct more attention toward activities that the LMC hosts. “The decision to retire from Parnassus is a tough one, but I am anxious to have more time to collaborate with teachers and to plan even more fun activities and opportunities for students in the library,” Mrs. Tonsoni said. Although leaving Parnassus will be a very large and bittersweet change, Mrs. Tonsoni is excited that Mr. Mroczkiewicz, English and speech teacher, and Mrs. Griffey will be leading Parnassus in the 2023-2024 school year.

Mr. Mroczkiewicz says that he has always respected Parnassus and the dedication Mrs. Tonsoni has given to the program. He said that when the position became available, he felt compelled to step up and continue to help the program grow. Allowing the team to take the reins and create freely is his main goal, letting the students decide what they want the program to truly be. “I simply love connecting with students in ways that are not always possible in a traditional classroom setting, and Parnassus is another way to do that. We’re going to have some fun!” 

Mr. Mroczkiewicz is not the only new leader of Parnassus. Mrs. Griffey, photography and yearbook teacher, will be co-partners with Mr. Mroczkiewicz. Because yearbook has photographers and writers, Mrs. Griffey thought the collaboration between yearbook and Parnassus would highly benefit the growth of each program. She plans to aid Parnassus photographers, as well as the video team who produces Webshow Wednesday. Her main focus is to help students thrive in their photography skills, teaching them how to use a camera properly and to its full extent. “I think by having a team of well rounded teachers, we are going to crush it!” 

Parnassus has been a part of DCHS for 57 years now and with the help of dedicated teachers and students, it is sure to thrive for years to come.