As members of the Class of 2022 and the Editors-in-Chief of the King Street Chronicle, we are equally grateful and humbled to welcome you to a new year.  Although masks remain a staple in our school uniform, we will continue to use our voices as journalists to uplift diverse perspectives.  Once our time comes to an end, we hope to leave behind a staff of writers who are committed to continuing the paper’s legacy of camaraderie and introspection that leads to innovation.   

To begin the new school year, senior Charlotte Marvin, Executive Board President, welcomed the Upper School into the Lennie and John de Csepel Theatre for Morning Meeting after more than a year of virtual gatherings.  She introduced this academic year’s theme, Ohana, which translates to “family” in Hawaiian. 

“I define Ohana as a change-making family,” Charlotte said.  “Not just any family, Sacred Heart Greenwich needs to be willing to make the tough choices, start the tough discussions, and break the tough barriers that stigmas, stereotypes, and differences bring with them.” 

In the spirit of Ohana, we enter this year as a school community striving to better fulfill Goals Three and Four of the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria.  Under Goal Three, “a social awareness which impels to action,” students in the Upper School must actively seek ways to expand their worldviews and practice empathy as a means of ensuring social change.  After another year of political polarization and global unrest, it is crucial that we approach this school year with a desire to deconstruct personal biases, educate ourselves and others on current events, and act out against injustice. 

“I really wanted to create a feeling of family, inclusivity, and interconnectedness among divisions this year,” Charlotte said.  “I am determined to start facilitating conversations, presentations, clubs, and more, that start discussing sometimes difficult, controversial topics that are of extreme importance for us as future leaders to understand.  As an Ohana, I am hoping the Upper School can respect each other’s viewpoints and also be willing to learn from each other on what divides our country and world and what brings us together.”

In addition, Goal Four, “the building of community as a Christian value,” impels us to look inwards and consider the ways in which we can make our school community more equitable and inclusive.  As we strive to be good members of our Sacred Heart Ohana, it is our responsibility to ensure that each diverse member feels safe, welcome, and heard, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.  Charlotte’s hope for the Upper School this year is that each of its members seeks out ways to foster a more equitable community.

“Students can strive to participate in conversations that may challenge their prior beliefs or practices, join clubs, teams, or groups that dedicate their time to finding the best ways to educate the rest of the school community about certain topics,” Charlotte said.  “They can fight to make each member of our community at school and outside of school feel loved, included, and equal.  If we want to create a real Ohana, we, as well as the rest of the world, are going to have to start making changes that make humanity and the environment thrive.” 

Following the turmoil of the past twenty months, whether in the form of a presidential election or a worldwide pandemic, we want to emphasize the importance of media literacy within our school community.  Media carries an innate power to shift public opinion, create social change, and lessen or deepen divides.  As such, we cannot separate the King Street Chronicle from the world that surrounds it as we strive to inform our audience with unbiased and reliable news.  Now, more than ever, we recognize the responsibility we hold as leaders of a digital publication. 

Although this year marks a “return to normalcy” for some, we view it as the opposite.  It is time to reconstruct our pre-existing ideas of normalcy and establish more equitable spaces in alignment with Ohana.  As journalists, we hope to teach our staff the art of expressing their ideas in an effective journalistic fashion and thus, give them agency to initiate change. 

It is an honor to lead the King Street Chronicle for the 2021 to 2022 academic year and continue building our own community within the Newsroom.  It is the collaborative and welcoming atmosphere of the Newsroom that makes our publication special.  We hope to strengthen this environment and instill a passion for journalism within our new writers while maintaining the value of Ohana at the forefront of our minds.  As we enter our final year on the staff of the newspaper, we all carry with us the wisdom and legacy of the King Street Chronicle’s previous Editorial Board members.  

We look forward to continuing the traditions of the paper this year while implementing our ideas to pioneer its future.  It is with great pride and excitement that the Editorial Board welcomes you to another year with the King Street Chronicle. 

Featured Image Courtesy of Zoe Young ’22