The Senior Editors and Upper Management of CXLVI together on the steps of Samuel Phillips Hall.
This paper marks the first issue of The Phillipian, vol. CXLVII. Following The Phillipian’s board turnover on January 26, all previous Senior Editors, Managers, and Upper Management of vol. CXLVI have officially left the Newsroom.
During their tenure, CXLVI focused on fully restoring The Phillipian to its pre-pandemic state. Other initiatives included increasing the paper’s digital presence and improving relations with the rest of campus. Former Managing Editor Jonathan Ji ’24 highlighted the Upper Management’s (UM) success in bringing The Phillipian back to its pre-pandemic efficiency.
“Covid-19 affected every single club on campus a lot. Our board brought The Phillipian back to the capacity it was working at pre-Covid[-19]. I’m really looking forward to what the new board is going to do coming up, and I think a lot of the challenges we faced as a board was really The Phillipian getting going again coming out of the pandemic,” said Ji.
Vera Zhang ’24, a former Managing Editor, commented on one of UM’s initiatives to improve relations with the faculty and administration. In addition, Zhang noted The Phillipian’s potential as a platform for change.
“The Phillipian had a persona that extended beyond what it actually was, especially within the administration and the faculty. We worked really hard to reverse that, and I think… we were pretty successful… Because The Phillipian is working to be a place for change and a place where student voices can create change, we really wanted to work with the administration and faculty instead of against them,” said Zhang.
Similarly, Tianyi Evans Gu ’25, former News Associate and now a Managing Editor, highlighted The Phillipian’s role in elevating student voices. He also expressed excitement towards writing the weekly editorials.
“Since I first entered The Phillipian in my Lower year, I was really struck by [its] potential… to be used as drivers [of change]… I’m hoping to dedicate more of my passion and my energy into that mission of establishing The Phillipian as a place of discourse between the student body and the administration as well as the larger global community… The editorial specifically is a place that is very flexible, in what is written about and how it is written. That’s one area that I’m really excited to be able to lead,” said Gu.
Alice He ’25, a former Layout Editor and now one of the Managing Editors, hopes to ensure more holistic representation of campus within The Phillipian. She also aims to increase outreach to all members of the Andover community.
“I would definitely like to ensure that The Phillipian is covering a diverse range of topics and groups and events on campus, [so] that every student feels like their voice is being represented… [Also], increasing engagement within the student body, with faculty, alumni, the administration, and making this paper into something that… people can rely on for accurate and truthful information,” said He.
Editor in Chief Louisa Carter ’25, who formerly worked as an Eighth Page Associate, aims to streamline the internal organization of The Phillipian. As much as The Phillipian is a campus publication, Carter hopes to pay attention to global affairs as well.
“The year ahead is going to be really interesting in general, with the election and everything else going on. We’re reporting on what’s going on at Andover, but that’s influenced by the rest of the world. One thing I really hope is that we can stay really consistent and alert amidst a pretty interesting atmosphere globally… Something else I’m hoping to [do] is to create more fluidity through [levels of The Phillipian], bringing in and including writers more,” said Carter.
Offering advice to the new UM, former Chief Financial Officer Michael Ma ’24 conveyed the importance of dedicating regular time and effort to furthering broader goals for the paper. Noting the large weekly workload of running The Phillipian, Ma commented on how members could easily lose sight of original goals.
“It’s so easy, especially for editorial sections, to get caught up in your week to week. At a certain point, some people can just go through the motions without remembering… What did they want to change? What larger projects did they want to do? Time flies very quickly, so it’s important to, every week, get at your goals and put in that additional five or ten minutes on top of your required responsibilities,” said Ma.
Heyon Choi ’25, a former Graphic Design Editor and current Executive Digital Editor, hopes to increase student viewership of The Phillipian by improving the website. Taking inspiration from the “New York Times,” Choi mentioned a few website additions that UM may implement in the future.
“One of the biggest criticisms that The Phillipian gets nowadays is that nobody really reads it anymore… Currently we have a crossword puzzle in the physical paper, but the UM board and I were considering making it online. I, at least, take a lot of inspiration from the [‘New York Times’] games section… Of course, the physical paper itself is important, but as we’re progressing to a more tech-based era, I think that it’s important that we update our website and make it more interactive,” said Choi.
Valencia Zhang ’25, a former Business Manager and current Chief Financial Officer, looks to continue a newly implemented initiative which provides the student body an opportunity to learn more about business.
“At the end of the CXLVI, we made a new thing called the workshop where each member of the section gives a presentation on a specific aspect of business to anyone who’s interested, so not exclusively to writers at The Phillipian or people on the masthead, but to the general student body. I’m really excited to continue that and make sure it’s something that happens for all future years and not just mine,” said Zhang.
Former Editor in Chief Sarah Hassanein ’24 emphasized the importance of fostering strong relationships within the Newsroom. Hassanein encouraged the next UM to look to each other for support in the year ahead.
“At the end of the day, our work is important, but at the same time, what will last further than high school is the relationships we create with one another… I just want the next UM to be super collaborative and cohesive and work together. They’re the only people on campus who know what each other is going to go through and are going through throughout this next year. So just lean on each other,” said Hassanein.
Executive Editor and former News Associate Jacqueline Gordon ’25 reflected on the many learning opportunities The Phillipian has offered her over the years. Gordon expressed her appreciation for the community she has found while working at the paper.
“The Phillipian has really provided an outlet for me because I love writing. I love the newsroom, [and] I love the community. The experiences that I’ve gotten, [and] the stories I’ve been able to tell, the events and people that I’ve been able to meet and attend… The Phillipian really provided a place for me to get out of my comfort zone and explore more about Andover, and I think that’s definitely something I’ll always treasure,” said Gordon.
Patricia Tran ’24, former Executive Editor, and Karen Wang ’24, former Executive Digital Editor, both shared similar messages to the future generation of UM: running The Phillipian may seem daunting at times, but collaborating with others is the key to finding success in the paper.
“The only way the paper can run is if everyone collaborates and does their part. Trust each other and trust other people’s work. Give other people space to make mistakes and learn by trial and error. I think that everyone needs to make mistakes and everybody can grow by collaborating and learning with each other and learning in the presence of each other,” said Tran.
“It may seem like a long journey ahead. It’s the beginning of the year — “I have 20, 30 papers left to do” — but it goes by very, very fast. There are times where it’s difficult, but you’ll always get through them and when you come out on the other side, it’s always an incredible experience,” said Wang.
