Four years ago, the Editor in Chief of Prep News 81, Samuel J. Chechik ’17, wrote a final reflection on his time with the newspaper. I have felt a connection to Chechik for some time. He too was someone who had a fierce love for the tradition of this great institution and the history it represents. It is the same love that every editor feels. It’s what keeps one going during the late Thursday nights, in the midst of AP exams or, in the unique case of this year, a global pandemic. Even though the pandemic stole four papers that we otherwise would have made, forced two papers to be produced virtually, and caused us to be distanced for the entirety of the year, in a twisted way, it has made the Prep News even stronger. 

Friends of the Prep News are often quick to tease us for some of the motifs of this year. “Due to Covid, despite Covid, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic,” are just some examples of the clauses tacked on to headline after headline when activities inevitably had to “pivot” because of safety concerns. What News Editor Noah Apprill-Sokol and I realized when writing our end of the Covid school year feature was that everything that has happened since March of 2020, despite our best efforts to center the piece on anything but the pandemic, has revolved around Covid-19. In no other year has something so pervasive captured the minds of so many students and faculty members. 

The Prep News was no different from practically every other activity at the U. High in that there was no playbook in addressing a global pandemic. However, there was an 84-year-old archive filled with stories from the top editors from years past. Their legacy and the lessons they provided would prove vital as we, editors who had missed the formative fourth quarter, tried to catch up on all that we weren’t able to learn. 

Perhaps the greatest image from Chechik’s article is that of a Mount Olympus-style “Prep News pantheon” where all of the greatest editors live in our minds, pushing the paper forward and preparing it for the hardships that every editor faces. It has helped us to not feel alone, and to feel ready when there isn’t a precedent set. I like to think that the work of pioneers like Volume 2 Editor in Chief John J. Jackson, Volume 65 Editor in Chief Tim Elfrink, Volume 70 Editor in Chief Tim Huether, Volume 72 Editor in Chief Jim Santel, Volume 75 Editor in Chief Nick Fandos, Volume 82 Editor in Chief Jack Schweizer, Volume 83 Editor in Chief Paul Gillam, or Volume 84 Editor in Chief Johno Jackson has inspired me and other editors to weather the Covid-19 storm, to keep the tradition alive even if, at times, we felt woefully unprepared. 

With tradition in mind, we felt ready to pivot our craft to make it able to survive such a tumultuous year. An improved website, moving away from paper editing, and an expanded social media presence were all ways we tried to stay engaged with the audience that has always been our primary focus: the students.

In addition to adapting old traditions, we took on the added responsibility of a brand new section, the entertainment section, focused on making the paper more enjoyable for the students with an emphasis on the crossword puzzle, satires, and food reviews. To the amazement of our fearless moderator, we even normalized finishing before 10:00 p.m., a feat that would stun past leaders. 

When you, the reader, are looking at this, my final dance will be over, marked only by the broadsheet newspaper which sits before you today. However, I am confident that after a crazy, frustrating, long-winded, rewarding, life-changing, successful year we have earned our place in the pantheon of Prep News leaders and that my lessons and love for the Prep News will live on. Next year’s leaders have a big responsibility in front of them, but there is no better group of men that I would choose for the role. 

Signing off for the final time, Carter J. Fortman, Editor in Chief of Prep News 85.