Letter from the EICs

BY MICHELLE GONG '21 & ANUSHKA WANI '21

This month marks the anniversary of several major events: our publication going fully online, our remote school situation, and, of course, Dr. Fauci’s rise to fame. And as we all know, we have COVID to thank. 

Last February, when we became the incoming Co-Editor-in-Chiefs, we had high hopes for our year-long reign. We looked forward to running meetings, leading the publication process from start to finish, and, above all, collaborating with our hard-working staff every week. 

To say that this past year failed to meet our expectations would be an understatement. Despite our initial disappointment, though, we realized that we achieved all of our goals, albeit in a different way than we imagined. On Mondays, we laughed with our chief staff about baby teeth (don’t ask). During Thursday meetings, we forced our writers to break the Zoom barrier with zany icebreakers, creating the lively community that The Spectrum is known for. And we’ve published five online issues thanks to our dedicated staff members.

Now, as we release our fifth issue, we wish we could’ve had one last Trader Joe’s feast, but we hold no regrets. We recognize that our main responsibility this year was keeping The Spectrum and its legacy alive so that next year’s EICs, Rebecca and Jasmine, and their exceptional chief staff can succeed. Even if our publication stays online or transitions back to paper, we know that The Spectrum will be in very capable hands.

Finally, during our time as EICs, we’ve undergone a year of tragedy, not just because of COVID. As we put together our Graduation Issue last May, George Floyd was murdered. Before we released our Winter Issue, a verbal attack during a school committee meeting targeted Evelyn Abaayah-Issah and Kyra Cook. And in the week that we are wrapping up our final Spring Issue, we hear about hateful graffiti within our school and an Atlanta shooting incident targeting Asian Americans. 

With each act of hate, we’ve tried to respond accordingly, from reinforcing that Black Lives Matter in our Graduation Issue Letter to creating together a three-part podcast episode covering the school committee incident. Though our initial goals did not include a social justice agenda, addressing these issues was a necessary responsibility that we and our staff took on. 

We’re immensely proud of the progress that we and our staff have achieved this year, and though this is our last issue, we trust that they’ll continue the work that we’ve started. In-person or remote, we expect our staff to continue publishing meaningful content that reflects the voices of AB. And most importantly, we hope The Spectrum becomes a go-to resource for students to express their opinions and further the discussion of hate in our community in an insightful and productive way.

We may never scarf down Ms. Hammond’s weekly Trader Joe banquet or bear the ink stains from folding physical newspapers again, but we’ve loved every minute we’ve spent with The Spectrum's incredible members. So, as we close our final issue as EICs, we want to thank our writers, staff, and readers for sticking with us this past year.

We hope you continue to stand by The Spectrum and offer your support and enthusiasm to Rebecca and Jasmine as they lead you all to even greater heights.

All our best,
Michelle and Anushka ​