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By Sophia Sousa

For the Clemmons Courier

CLEMMONS — After two years of being the Titan Tattler for the Clemmons Courier, Claire Reinthaler is saying farewell as she heads off to UNC Chapel Hill in the fall. 

Reinthaler wrote weekly about upcoming events at West Forsyth, accumulating close to 90 stories for the newspaper during her tenure. She prioritized her articles on sports, events around campus and reminders for the following week. All the stories she wrote were important to her, however having the opportunity to write about the clubs she was involved in and the activities she was excited to do and attend stood out. 

Before coming on as the Tattler, Reinthaler was taking a journalism class, one of her many passions. In the summer of 2022, Lynn Peterson, the journalism teacher at West, messaged Reinthaler to discuss an opportunity. The Courier’s previous editor, Marc Pruitt, was interested in Reinthaler becoming the Titan Tattler. 

Pruitt and Reinthaler first met at a school board meet and greet where Reinthaler was the media liaison. She was ecstatic about the opportunity Pruitt presented her and the chance to work in a professional setting writing for the newspaper. For the New Jersey transplant, writing the Tattler afforded Reinthaler an opportunity to immerse herself in a new environment, which came at a difficult time that people Reinthaler’s age are all too familiar with. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the United States, Reinthaler was in eighth grade. Later that year, Claire and her family made the choice to move to Clemmons, where she began her freshman year at West Forsyth High School. 

COVID-19 made Reinthaler’s freshman year challenging. It was difficult to connect with other individuals and moving to a new place took a toll on her. In her sophomore year, quarantine regulations were lifted, and she returned to West Forsyth fully in person, where she was able to meet new people and make friends. 

At the end of her junior and beginning of her senior year, her experience in high school started to improve. She became involved in clubs and took on leadership roles, where she was more engaged to individuals with similar interests. 

Spending four years at West Forsyth, Reinthaler recalls her best memories of simply being able to share her stories with her friends and family as well as people at West who read her articles. Jim Coghill, a current substitute teacher at West, was one individual who often read her work at the Courier. Coghill would go to Reinthaler to talk about the stories she reported. Making connections with others while being the Titan Tattler was an amazing experience, giving her the opportunity to improve her writing skills. 

With writing close to 90 stories, sometimes it was challenging to continue to find events to cover. Reinthaler discussed making sure she had the full story every week was the most difficult. Readers furthermore don’t want to hear about the same exact events and reminders, therefore being creative was imperative. Reinthaler would frequently report on events that she was interested in and excited about because chances are other people would be as well and learn from reading her article. 

In the upcoming fall, Reinthaler will be attending The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she has been offered assured admission into the Hussman journalism program. There, Reinthaler and other students will learn the skills vital to succeed in journalism, advertising, public relations or other communications fields. Area of studies for undergraduates consists of advertising, public relations and journalism along with certificate programs in health communication, sports communication, political communication, fashion communication and business communication. 

Although her role as the Titan Tattler is coming to an end, Reinthaler is extremely thankful for the experience and everything she learned. Both Pruitt and the current editor of the Clemmons Courier, Chandler Inions, helped Reinthaler develop her abilities and instilled much trust with the responsibility they gave to her. Her work and experience with the Courier are her foundation and she will continue to use all the advice given in college and professional life as well.

For Reinthaler it’s only the beginning. The recent grad loves horseback riding but is also a fervent reader, writer, artist and singer. She’s already contributed to one novel and has her eyes on a solo project. Time will tell where Reinthaler goes but for now, it appears as thought the sky’s the limit. 

Reinthaler’s close friend, Lena Pearson, has taken over her role as the Tattler this year and is hopeful she gets the amazing experience she had.