during COVID

THEF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ava Berger

MANAGING EDITOR Kate Clark

WEB EDITOR Erin Parolisi

ASSISTANT WEB AND PHOTO EDITOR Elisa Carroll

COPY EDITOR Laine Betanzos

MAGAZINE EDITOR Kelsey Chen

NEWS CO-EDITORS Sasha Schwimmer and Katherine Grace Estess

FEATURES CO-EDITORS Charlotte Rogers and Olivia Garcia

ARTS & LIFE CO-EDITORS Maddie Stout and Hanna Zhang

SPORTS CO-EDITORS Remy Finn and Lacy Green

OPINIONS CO-EDITORS Anna Gum and Campbell Harris

CASTOFF EDITOR Julia Donovan

PHOTO & GRAPHICS EDITOR Libby Hill

SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIDEOS EDITOR Lea Whitley

STAFF WRITERS Juliana Blazek, Jane Clark, Zoe Cote, Zoya Haq, Melody Hu, Rachel Jan, Caroline Petrikas

STAFF ARTISTS Kylee Hong, Louisa Benedict, Maddie Fisher, Nancy Dedman, Kemper Lowry, Olivia Park

FACULTY ADVISER Julia Copeland

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Fourcast is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, its faculty and staff. The Fourcast has a press run of 1,200 and is printed by Greater Dallas Press. It is distributed free of charge to the Hockaday community.

The staff reserves the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate for the Hockaday community.

Opinions will be clearly marked and/ or will appear in the opinion section. Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any other member of the Hockaday community. The Staff Stance on the opinion page reflects the position of The Fourcast staff, but not necessarily the position of the Hockaday administration or community.

The Fourcast staff determines the content of each issue and strives to work as independently as possible in producing the student newspaper. The newspaper is subject to prior review by Hockaday administration and some stories may be changed or omitted in accordance with the administration’s requirements. Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome and should be addressed to the editor-in-chief. Only signed pieces will be published. Corrections and clarifications from previous issues will be found as designated in the news section. Any questions or concerns should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Ava Berger at aberger21@ hockaday.org.

Cyber courtesy

Thinking before you post essential to civil discourse

STAFF STANCE

Social media plays a bigger role in the world today than ever before. When given a list of events that have occurred since March 2020, social media has played a role in and impacted experiences for each of them.The COVID-19 pandemic, a growing movement for racial justice sparked by the death of George Floyd, the presidential election… the list continues.

Social media thrives on quick decisions: likes, comments, replies, DMs. It is easy for a person of any age to fall into the trap before thinking through decisions—the apps are programmed and created to set those traps.

If social media were slower, if the comments took more than 30 seconds to load, the experience would shift. Would there be as much engagement? Would there be as many unkind comments or posts that would be regretted later? Most likely, the answer is no.

As an Upper School community, we need to collectively put our actions into perspective and ponder these questions:

Would I say this if the person were right in front of me?

Am I treating this person the way I want to be treated?

Am I giving this person the benefit of the doubt?

The ability to hear a person’s tone while speaking or see the genuine look on their face is vital. Sarcasm and jokes aren’t easy to convey solely through comments and messages that are typed at the speed of light.

In-person communication makes a world of difference. Real connections and real conversations can prevent hurt feelings and allow someone to convey what they really mean.

Our moms tell us that whatever anyone puts online is there forever. Yes, you can delete a post or a comment. But even then, screenshots can preserve your words, and you never know who they will be shared with or who will find them years down the road.

As a community, what we invest into one other is what makes our community thrive. Filling each other’s cups, abiding by the Golden Rule and walking with a glass-half-full attitude, not a glass-half-empty attitude, will make all the difference.

graphic by Olivia Park

“Real connections and real conversations can prevent hurt feelings and allow someone to convey what they really mean.”

What do you think?

Savannah Frederiksen ’23 “ I believe the Golden Rule is crucial online because online things can come across differently than you would mean them in person. I think that this rule is crucial because you should treat everyone with kindness and respect, even if you believe it is not deserved.” Premanshi Agarwalla ’22 “ I think it’s always important to treat others with the Golden Rule. Karma always gets back to you, and even though some people feel more protected on social media because they’re hiding behind a screen, your words always have an impact. Your karma – good or bad – will always come back to you.”