Dear Bishop’s,

As I sit at another Tower meeting layout out this coming issue, in front of fragrant garlic knots and cinnamon bites, it seems that all is good. At this moment, my mind is not necessarily on my coming economics test or English paper, nor how contradictingly sunny and cold it is outside, but on that warm, fuzzy feeling I get from seeing roundtable smiles and chatter.

Senior year is weird. We are finally the oldest, most experienced, and dare I say coolest, students in high school, looking forward to a big life transition to college in just mere months. And yet, there is this unspoken uncertainty in the air that goes beyond college decisions or current friendships — how are we going to looking back on this time of highs and lows? More importantly, what are we going to remember? My senior, junior, and even underclassmen friends can vouch for my seemingly sudden sappiness in recent times. As I piece together my Dot Dot and chuckle at peers’ names for Senior superlatives, I cannot stop thinking about this bittersweet period of my life.

The Tower has talked a lot in the past couple of months about the double-edged sword journalistic responsibility wields. As reporters, we strive to spur enriching conversations while maintaining the ethical premise of validity — this sentiment goes hand in hand with something we discussed a lot last year: the idea that journalism is the first draft of history. Unlike textbooks and traditional newspapers, The Tower seeks to capture human sentiment and reflection whilst maintaining its warmth in our pages; this way, in a few years or so, dear future reader, you’d remember alongside us.

With this idea in mind, I introduce to you Issue 05, another first draft of our history. Sophomore Lucy Marek’s cover article about ChatGPT encapsulates the first conversations surrounding an AI software of many sure to come; junior Sydney Chan’s work on sports superstitions highlights timeless tokens likely seen on the court years from now; junior Spencer Ralph’s investigative look into service culture and Emeraude Westlake’s analysis of on-campus donations poses timeless questions about an integral part of our school life. I also appreciate freshman Melanie Yau’s piece about student commuters — as usual, Tower writing is made infinitely better by enriching conversations we hold as a staff. Of course, I was especially intrigued by junior Bella Gallus’s writing on the correlation between social media and crimes as it relates to my article’s exploration of ethical true crime consumption; both present an important question in adolescent life today: how can we continue to navigate ethics in a world of social media and digital entertainment?

Again, there is just so much happening every day of our lives. Whether you are a student or faculty member on campus, each passing moment is unique — try to find your own way of documentation. The Tower, as it has been for many, many years, will continue the act of recording and reflecting — I am ever so proud to be a part of that.

Crystal Li Editor-in-Chief