Letters from the Editors

Letter from the Editors

Dear Readers,

As we continue through the third quarter, it seems our community has officially settled in and reached its stride. And now, as we put our third issue to print and prepare to go on spring break, the school year feels like it’s quickly coming to a close.

With so many “lasts” approaching, everyday feels more special, symbolic, and significant. Following this sentiment, our staff took the chance to slow down and think about the social, political, intellectual, athletic, and artistic endeavors that make up our lives.

So, as we were brainstorming articles for this issue, our staff chose to focus our theme around celebrating self-expression and our freedom to do so.

This publication discusses the threats posed to issues we care about: eliminating book bans, the importance of protests and walkouts during school hours, representation within the Supreme Court, and reframing anxiety, among others.

Within our staff, people took our theme to heart and had the opportunity to break out of their shells, take more ownership of graphics, and write bold articles. Instead of looking at journalism as an elective, it became a way for everyone to express themselves. The Fourth Estate has become a true team, where everyone can help anyone, and no idea is wrong.

We fought with our ancient scanner, made more colleges than we can count, ate large quantities of Hostess powdered donuts, and made an issue that is a true expression of our staff: scrappy, dedicated, and full of love.

But in the middle of writing, editing, and designing these articles, Russia invaded Ukraine. Our classes then started with check-ins about what news we had seen the night before and how everyone was coping with what we were reading, hearing, and seeing.

And as we watched this unprecedented attack on the freedom and independence of Ukraine, we gained a new perspective on the issues we had been writing about. Our hearts are with the people who have lost their homes, sacrificed their lives, and been separated from their families.

Editors-in-Chief Frances Carlson and Madeleine Nicks

• MISSION STATEMENT The Fourth Estate is an open forum created for and by journalism students of Laguna Blanca Upper School. We hope to use this space to cover events, interviews and topics of interest in greater depth. Our staff seeks to be a platform for creative expression and to report on events and ideas of importance to our readers and to focus on topics of significance and interest to inform and entertain the school community.

• LETTERS TO THE EDITORS The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and must be no longer than 400 words. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate reserves the right to reject advertising. Opinions expressed in this publication reflect the perspectives of the staff whose goal is to inform our readers with reliable information from which to base decisions and opinions. Editorials represent the voice of the staff and are voted on by the entire staff. Columns and commentaries are labeled as such and represent the opinion of the author. The Fourth Estate publishes four issues per year with a senior insert in the last issue.

• BYLINE POLICY When two or three people work on a story, all names will be listed. If an editor rewrites a majority of a story, the editor’s name will be listed.

• ADVERTISING POLICY The Fourth Estate accepts paid advertising and will accept ads from all sources and shall determine if any advertisement is not acceptable. Ads for illegal products or services will be rejected.

• CORRECTION POLICY The staff strives for accuracy. When factual errors occur, mistakes are found or brought to the attention of the staff, corrections will be printed in a corrections box in the next issue.

• COLOPHON This is the 27th volume of The Fourth Estate magazine and the first issue of 2022. Laguna Blanca School, 4125 Paloma Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93110. Contacts are available at tmchale@lagunablanca. org, (805) 687-2461x0317 or via the website www. thefourthestate.net. Laguna Blanca has an EK-12 student population of approximately 400, and a faculty of approximately 60. The Fourth Estate is a general magazine, created on MAC computers on Adobe InDesign CC2021, using Avenir Next and Mencken font families. 300 copies are printed and distributed free for US students and faculty, and available at $30 for annual subscriptions. We are associated with NSPA, CSPA and JEA.