Letter from the Editors

Photo NOELLE LIM

Classes have started and all the Gators are back on campus. It is that time of the year again as course schedules get settled and students get started in new clubs, sports teams, and experiences. It can be overwhelming and exhilarating -- a jump into the unknown. It’s the same for both of us as well, as we try to settle into our new jobs as your editors-in-chief.

Here is a distinctly beautiful and bizarre moment from our memory: the two of us, Kayla and Mia, hugging in front of the salad bar in the school cafeteria. We were getting dinner like the good boarders we are, and we had just found out that we were the new chief editors for Behind the Ivy, your student newspaper.

Here’s another bizarre moment from when the election results were announced in the leadership assembly: Ms. Goldberg, the goddess who holds this publication together, stopped us in the halls and said mysteriously, “Your job actually starts now.”

And she was right. We have put a lot of work into this issue you’re reading right now. We hope to provide a guide on navigating the trying time that is the beginning of the year. Read advice from girls who are one year older than you, the science behind Havergal’s new delayed start, exclusive interviews with your School Captain and Olga Bakalopoulos from HC’s Food Services team, the history of Havergal, or check out the the Horoscopes section to get a taste of where your year might be going.

We also wanted to talk to you about the new ways you can interact with our school newspaper. Our new vision this year is to publish and deliver “ideas that grow on you” like an ivy vine. On top of fun content on a variety of topics, we want to make sure the articles reflect what Havergal needs to hear.

Most of you reading this do not work on the BTI team. So how will we work to amplify your voices? We are adding a new section of guest opinion submissions. We will take submissions from the whole school, so if you have a perspective that you think the whole school needs to hear, send your writing our way! Go to page _ for specific instructions.

Now, onto the most exciting part: the BTI was partly electronic last year, but this year, it has a brand new website! We have set up a beautiful Squarespace site, so you can read the BTI on your phone after taking care of your Snapchat streaks, or on your laptop when research for that History project is getting over your head. We also have a new Instagram page: @behindtheivy_1819. There, you’ll find fun bios of our team members, as well as posts that take you to our favourite articles.

Meanwhile, Club Fest has happened and applications for joining the 2018-19 BTI team have already been shared, so go ahead and fill one out! Whether your interest lies in layout, writing, photography, or editing, we need your creativity and your skills to make our newspaper something that truly connects the world behind the ivy and beyond the ivy.

Lastly, we want to thank Ms. Goldberg, Ms. Warriner, Ms. Charlton, and Ms. Tsang for their guidance. We are also beyond grateful for the volunteer student contributors who took time out of their busy summers and first weeks of school for this issue. You guys are truly human treasures.