This previously ran in our April 2022 print issue.

To the readers:

During the 2021-2022 school year, the state of the world has appeared rather bleak.

A global pandemic continues to ravage the world, war in Europe leaves millions of Ukrainians desperate for their lives, and the U.S. is nearer to civil war than it has been in a long time. Things aren’t looking up to say the least, even here in our high school community. With increased political polarization among students and faculty, frequent attacks on the rights of student journalists, and changes in administration soon approaching, it’s hard to say what The Stinger, or the high school itself for that matter, will look like in the future. 

For over 100 years, The Stinger has been informing the Emmaus High School community and fighting to protect students’ rights, and it’s hard to imagine that will stop anytime soon. Yet, tensions are understandably very high. Despite Supreme Court precedent ensuring some rights for students, there’s still a sense of uncertainty as to what students can do–or say–on school grounds. In general, the feeling is palpable in the hallways. Students are being flung into their final years of high school without ever processing the past couple of years.

It’s a strange and confusing time, but it’s vital that we as a school community never fail to fight for our rights, even in the face of intense adversity. The rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press are two of the most important to American liberty. In the Constitution, they come before the right to bear arms, the right to a public trial, and the right to trial by jury. If we are to remain a fair and democratic society, and school, we cannot lose sight of these facts. It is when personal liberties like these are infringed upon that democracy sinks into the hands of autocracy.

The future may appear rather difficult, but it is certainly not insurmountable. If nothing else, it is important to keep this in mind: this newspaper is not run by the superintendent, or the principal, or any teacher. It is run by and for the students, and it is those same students who must ensure it remains that way. 

Thomas Hartill

Editor in Chief