An Open Letter from the Editor

Today, students returned to Peabody High for the first day of the 2018-19 school year. The big brown building is alive once again, pulsing with the ebb and flow of fifteen hundred teenagers bustling their way between classes. I can’t pretend to speak for everybody, but I’m excited. Not only am I now a senior --- finally at the top of the caste, after years of subjugation --- I’m also the co-editor of this fine newspaper, alongside my friend Gabby Borges. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the Tanner Times’s past, as well as my own hopes for its future, while the promise and potential of the new year abound.

I first joined the Times in September 2015, as a mere freshman, when the club was undergoing its transition from a print-only publication to online. No current student can remember, but the Tanner Times was once an actual newspaper --- on paper, that is, with headlines and pictures and all. But like many print media outlets, we switched to digital in order to stay relevant in the Information Age. Everyone involved knew the possibilities held by the online format: quick posting, same-day coverage of school events, easy sharing on social media, et cetera. However, the switch came with a downside: the print format had necessitated a strict monthly deadline, while the online format allows for posting anytime. Although that may sound like an advantage, it turns out that high schoolers tend to be more productive under the strict deadline. Consequently, the Times has yet to establish a consistent schedule of content since we've moved online. There is usually a large time gap between articles (with a few notable exceptions, such as the December 2016 blitzkrieg of Christmas-related pieces), which inhibits any significant readership, which in turn inhibits the motivation for students to write for us.

This brings me to my ambition for the newspaper this year, a potential solution to the problem: daily articles. 180 articles, one for each of the 180 school days. A consistent stream of content. Ballsy, but (I believe) possible. I may as well be upfront here: I’m writing this letter mostly because some part of me believes that if I make my goals public, they’ll be more likely to actually happen, if only because I’ll be more motivated to get them done. Of course, this is hardly my own personal enterprise --- the Times is run by a small army of devoted students, too numerous to name individually, without whom none of this would be remotely possible. It would be completely egotistical of me to fail to acknowledge them (although, let's face it, this “Letter from the Editor” thing is pretty egotistical in itself).

With that said, here are some more things I’d love to see happen this year: reliable sports coverage, especially football (already guaranteed, thanks to Gabby); an advice column; teacher interviews; the continuation of Brendan Long’s “What Do Students Wear?” column (already claimed by sophomore Dado Nasso); cultural stuff (movies, music, etc.); general coverage of happenings around town; and anything and everything in between.

If you’re a current PVMHS student and any of this sounds interesting to you, please join our team! Email us at thetannertimes@gmail.com, or DM us on Instagram (@thetannertimes) for more information. Meetings will be held weekly in the library all throughout the year (first date TBD).

If not, I hope you’ll continue reading and supporting our content! It’ll be a wild year, and I hope you’ll join us for the ride.

Best,

Gabe