Simply nine months ago, The Apple Leaf launched into a completely new world.

It was a big step for all of us transitioning to the digital scene. We really didn’t have a clear idea as to what we were getting into, but throughout the school year, we were able to adapt our processes and learn from our mistakes.

Our staff experienced a taste of real-life journalism, turning around urgent stories and releasing them within hours of learning the details.

Most importantly, we were able to build a presence in the community and a following online. For that, we thank you. When the website first opened in September, we saw 885 people visiting the website for the first time.

In January, we broke multiple different stories, pushing our monthly analytics to 4,532 people in the span of a month. Let us not forget that some of these people came from all corners of the country, including overseas nations.

Since Sept. 6, the individual pages of whsappleleaf.com have been viewed 64,601 times — and counting. For that, we thank you.

In May, The Apple Leaf was lucky enough to win two nationwide website awards from our wonderful website host, School Newspapers Online. whsappleleaf.com was honored for Overall Site Excellence and Audience Engagement.

Additionally, we’ve found our place on Facebook and Twitter. Since our page Facebook launched in early September, 825 people have followed and engaged in what’s happening at Wenatchee High School. For that, we thank you.

Looking back, we might have been just a bit crazy to step foot into this digital world. Countless hours were spent behind a computer screen, many calls and emails went to our host, and most of all, we encountered many life lessons in journalism and beyond.

The road doesn’t end here. Over the summer, our site will take a step back — therefore freeing up your Facebook feed — but will continue to be improved from a behind-the-scenes standpoint, preparing for another fast year come September.

Before I sign off for the year, please accept our entire staff’s utmost gratitude and appreciation for taking this step with us, trusting in our young reporting, and continuously supporting the skills and talents of Wenatchee’s student journalists.