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The issue you are reading is the final issue produced by this staff.

I still can’t believe how lucky we are to have had these jobs.

In September 2016, I wrote that Scholastic’s mission this year would be to “add to the conversation” with original reporting and analysis.

But my favorite part of the job, I later realized, was not adding to the conversation, but rather, listening to it.

We chose our cover stories this year based on campus buzz — like when we investigated what it was like for football players to follow school rules amid national scrutiny, or when we covered campus-wide reaction to the victory of President Donald Trump. We also tried to shine spotlights on stories we felt deserved more attention: We profiled residents at the South Bend Center for the Homeless and told the stories of sexual assault survivors who felt the university disciplinary system was insufficient. 

And in this issue, we try to make sense of it all: We explored the way our school tries — and does not try — to affect political change.

This cover story is also a baton pass. Tessa Bangs will take over as editor-in-chief, and she’ll carry the magazine through its 150th year. Tessa is a tireless worker, an expert editor and a dear friend.

I’ve had the time of my life editing Scholastic.

Thank you,

Cassidy McDonald