By Norah Jewett ’25
Dear Ledger Readers,
My name is Norah Jewett, and I have been a part of the BHS Ledger for five years now, the past two years having served as the paper’s editor-in-chief. I first joined the Ledger in 8th grade, the year with a remote/hybrid style of learning due to the pandemic. During that time, the Ledger meetings were via Zoom for convenience and safety purposes, which allowed for me to join the paper early as a prospective member under the “Pilot Program” the editor-in-chief at the time had set up to urge middle school students to join.
Since then, I’ve been an active member of the Ledger, joining full-time in my freshman year. I’ve been writing for most issues since then, and this final article will be my 64th publication for the paper, the most on record for any Ledger writer. Since the end of my sophomore year, I’ve been serving as the paper’s editor-in-chief next to our managing editor, Gianna Ferace. Also a member of the “Pilot Program,” Gianna and I have both seen the Ledger at its highs and lows: the times of hefty membership as well as the times when it’s been three of us in a meeting. I’m truly grateful to have been able to work alongside Gianna all these years, because if there’s been anything consistent about the Ledger, it’s been Gianna. She’s planning on going into journalism herself, and I know she’ll go off to do great things in life.
I also want to extend a thank you to our lovely staff. I’ve found such joy in working with our members and reading the articles they’ve written over these past few years. Everyone is always so passionate about the topics they write, and it’s truly remarkable to see the next generation of freethinkers flourish right before my eyes. This paper quite literally would not exist without them, and I’m so unbelievably grateful for every writer who’s put their time and effort into being a part of something so much larger than oneself. I have no doubts that they will continue to build upon the Ledger and make the generations of writers before them proud.
Thank you to our wonderful advisor, Mr. Fitzpatrick, who holds so much passion and creativity for this paper. He encourages us to take on topics we might be wary of or unfamiliar with, provides insightful article ideas, and always provides helpful advice in order to constantly improve our writing. Without him, the Ledger would be a much bleaker place.
And of course, thank you to Phil Maddocks and the staff at the Herald Citizen for allowing us a page in their paper and making sure we get printed bi-weekly.
And finally, thank you to all of our readers, whether they be online or in print. I am a firm believer that the freedom of the press is one of the most important rights we as Americans have. It’s especially crucial in this day and age to have unbiased, factual, and non-censored sources reporting news in the face of AI and current government happenings. Properly educating the public is vital in keeping our democracy afloat, and fighting censorship and supporting accurate sources is the most important thing we as Americans can push for right now. Without the freedom of the press, America fails to uphold its promise of freedom at its core, so it is in the country’s best interest to fight for it.
My time here at BHS has finally come to a close, as I am graduating this upcoming Sunday. I’ve been so grateful for the home the Ledger has extended to me these past few years, and I’m excited to see where the paper goes with this new generation of students!
Signing off,
Norah Jewett
Editor-in-Chief
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