Hi Wildcats! I’m not going to try to sound philosophical because, frankly, it’s the night before our deadline and words tend to fail me after 11pm. I hope you don’t mind if I brain dump because there’s a lot on my mind as of late. Naturally, let’s start with the news. It seems like everyday there’s a different school shooting, health epidemic, or general impending crisis, and everyday people magically forget it’s all happening in the first place. I get it, classes, clubs, sports practice, and my cherished Bi-Line meetings take up the bulk of my time, so much so that I often forget that the concepts of “free time” or “life after high school” exist. But that’s no excuse for being negligent about the issues that will define the future and, yes, a life after high school.

Let me offer you this year’s version of the Bi-Line, back and better than ever, with a renewed focus on the people on this very campus so that you can better understand the things students and faculty are doing to make their voice heard. We can’t forget our artists and athletes, found on pages 5, 8, and 12, the former featuring Bi-Line regulars Ms. Martinez, Mr. Reese, and Dr. Stewart. Same time again next month? Opinions is going strong this month with six featured columnists in print.

With senior year comes more responsibilities and expectations than ever. Things like homecoming week (as a senior), spaghetti supper (for seniors), (senior) PDC and prom, and, of course, college applications (did I mention I was a senior?), are a lot to handle. But through it all, the Bi-Line has been a consistent part of my time at the Upper School. Cliché as it is, I hope you will follow along as we continue navigating and making sense of this crazy, interesting thing we call life. –Annie Kong

I’m not going to talk about construction, because if you’re reading this, chances are, you can see the dust and the patronizing sign that lets you know–in case you were to complain about the walk from Askew to the “Cottages”–that “The Road to Success is Always Under Construction.” Hi, freshmen. Welcome to Westminster, where we throw up peace signs while the world around us crumbles like a Pop-Tart at the bottom of a bookbag (or so it seems to us at the moment, because we’re also pretty melodramatic).

I am, however, going to talk about upheaval. I’m sure you’re aware of the lofty aphorism, “Thou Shalt Not Read The News Lest Thou Become Depressèd.” Of course, there are moments when you need to take care of yourself and clear your mind of overwhelming thoughts. In these situations, though, it’s easy to blame the news, to suspect it of falsehood, of distortion, of external interests–sometimes for good reason. Nonetheless, the “media” has become shorthand for all seven sins. “Boo-hoo,” you’re probably thinking. “Meimei’s going to talk about fake news. How original.” Listen. This is important. The news hasn’t had a perfect track record, either. Take the Central Park Five in which every major media outlet egged on law enforcement to sentence five innocent black and Latino teenagers for a crime they did not commit.

This year, we want to help earn that trust back. We’re doubling down on opinionated language in our news. And in our opinions section, we’re handing the mic back to you. In addition to our regular columns, we’re inviting the student body to contribute their voices to a new op-ed section every few issues that features a range of opinions on a single topic. We’re inviting guest columnists to write for us. We’re featuring different student stories on our website through Camryn Brewer’s video interviews: “Westminster Profiles.” Because the people quoted are all you, you the students, you the teachers, you the administrators. And thank you, because you’ve already turned to page two. –Meimei Xu