Dear Evanstonian,

Thank you.

Thank you for being our platform. As journalists, we are in the unique position to tell stories that can drive real change by encouraging courageous discourse. Throughout our four years, we have been involved in publishing stories that discuss disciplinary inequities at ETHS, the importance of reproductive healthcare and the generational impact of housing discrimination on education. There are many places in the U.S. currently that wouldn’t allow us to publish, let alone seek to report, these stories. For that, we are incredibly privileged and grateful to know that our position to cover socially-conscious topics is wholeheartedly accepted and reinforced at the Evanstonian.

Thank you for being our teacher. When we first joined the Evanstonian as freshmen, we were unsure how to tackle difficult subjects and terrified of conducting interviews. We’ve been guided by the Evanstonian’s past editors and execs. They taught us how to effectively convey our own voices, as well as how to do justice to the stories of others. We’ve had the privilege of interviewing a vast array of people from the Evanston community and beyond. We’ve spoken with students whose experiences are different from our own, teachers who’ve spent years at ETHS and seen the community grow and change and experts on topics that we’ve only begun to explore. With every interview, we’ve been able to see a new perspective of the world, and begun to understand a different human experience. Above all, the Evansonian has taught us not to give up. So many stories we’ve published have seemed impossible to take on – from criticisms of ETHS policy to an entire issue discussing John Evans’ role in the Sand Creek Massacre. But time and time again, we’ve found that the hardest stories to write are the most worth telling.

Lastly, thank you for being our home. It’s never easy saying goodbye to the familiarity of a safe space, but as we leave high school, we feel grateful for the four years of love and care we have received from this community. All there’s left to say is thank you, Evanstonian.

With love,

Jessica, Meg, and Ahania