Brace yourselves.  Here comes another year of the University School News.  Keeping things in perspective, this 2017-2018 news year is a drop in the bucket.  Our beloved school newspaper has been around for 119 years since its founding in 1898.  I have been one of thousands of staff writers, and I am one of the many Editors-in-Chief blessed with the opportunity of devoting way too much free time to the US News.  However, I can assure you that I’m okay with it.  I am looking forward to reading hundreds of articles, tinkering with the website, and distributing print editions.

You might imagine that I am a bit nervous.  A tremendous amount of thought and pressure accompany the challenge of being the “Voice of the Student.”  The US News is fortunate to have more than sixty staff writers (we are always looking for more), five section editors, and one director of photography.  We all strive to not only uphold but advance the reputation of the US News.  We want our dedication to both journalism and the reader to be paramount in our organization.  This year, we will hone in on the ideal of uncensored journalism as another means of improving the community we are so lucky to be a part of.

So, what are we working on?  What are we doing to improve the US News?  What will be different?  Honestly, not much has changed.  Outstanding precedents were set in the 2016-2017 school year that we expect to maintain.  We will continue to dedicate ourselves to quality journalism that benefits our community.  With articles covering every aspect of our school, we will keep students, faculty, and parents up-to-date with day-to-day news.  Similar to last year, we will continue to develop our writers’ journalistic skills.  With group meetings and one-on-one counsel, we will work towards mastering the pillars of ethical journalism including, most notably, objectivity, truth, and accuracy.  Lastly, we will continue the production of quarterly print editions of the news in an effort to further expand viewership.

Now here’s what’s new – and to our dedicated readers, this might make a world of difference.  The US News has a new website.  UniversitySchoolNews.com for those of you who are not already aware.  It looks great, displays content well, and will hopefully save a few people from the dreadful loading period that accompanied our last website.  This website, to me and hopefully to you, will represent the newfound legitimacy of the US News.  It is a medium that commands far more respect than our past website (uschoolnews.info/wordpress if that interests you).

My hope is that this year, each of you will look forward to reading our new website every Monday morning.  When you pick up one of our quarterly print editions, I hope the quality of the contents will help you appreciate the hard work, thoughtfulness, and dedication of the University School journalists.