What a year it has been! With the pause afforded to us by the yearly passing of the torch to the next team of capable editors, we finally have some time to look back on what has happened. So much has changed this year and The Circle Voice has changed along with it.

We took over before we knew what this year would hold. Our first big article was an editorial laying out the case for a fall return. When we wrote that article, we had no idea what was in store. Our suggestions for how to cope with Covid-19 drafted in May 2020 seem quaint in retrospect.

When we got back to the Circle, our world at the paper had changed. Gone were the packed writer’s meetings in the Webb Marshall room. Gone were the snacks and panicked last-minute layout in the cramped The Circle Voice room. Gone were the print copies of the paper strewn around the schoolhouse. Gone too were some of our own staff members: most importantly Derek Hu ’21 during the fall term. Yet somehow, through many Zooms, FaceTimes, and late-night phone calls we figured a way to blunder our way forward.

It has not been an easy year, for the editorial team, the school, or the world as a whole. We knew, however, that our mandate to record and analyze life as it happened would be more important than ever, for ourselves and for our posterity. As we searched for stories and gave space to opinions, we were keenly aware that we were — are — living through history. Each word written, edited, and published would play a role in constructing an understanding of the year.

This year has clarified our values. As we went about our routines on the Circle, subject to the mundane stresses of high school life, we also contended with forces far larger: the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, a rise in Anti-Asian hate, the contentious 2020 election and transition, and an ever-worsening climate crisis. Through it all, The Circle Voice did its best to lend a platform to students fighting for change and provide contrasting opinions to guide an understanding of the world. We were not perfect, but we devoted ourselves to this mission.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Angela Wei ’21 and Samarth Agrawal ’21 who worked over the summer to redesign the website. They helped tremendously as we transitioned all of our coverage online for the first time.

To all our editors, assistant editors, writers, illustrators, and photographers spread across so many time zones: thank you for your work and flexibility throughout the year.

To Ms. Friedman, the woman holding us all together: we would be lost without your level-headed guidance.

We did not accomplish all we had hoped for but we leave proud of the work we created. We know our longest legacy is housed in the more than 250 articles we edited and published. Those are our words. We have said all we can. It has been the utmost pleasure to work with such a talented staff during the most unprecedented times.

Now onto the next year! We wish the 2021-2022 Editorial Staff the best of luck in navigating what will undoubtedly be another tumultuous and unprecedented year. We have the utmost faith in your abilities.

Sincerely,

Your 2020-2021 Editors-in-Chief Derek Hu ’21 and Zoe Colloredo-Mansfeld ’21