Editor's Note: Thank You, Reader

First, I’d like to thank every reader of The Pine Needle this year for their support. The publication is truly run by the students, teachers and administrators who make each edition possible by reading and engaging with the paper.
 
My journey to Editor and The Pine Needle in general has been windy, but has led me to have one of my favorite experiences of my time at St. Christopher’s. When I started writing articles in 6th grade, it was originally for the Middle School magazine The Paperboy. I didn’t attribute any of my interest then to journalism, but knew I loved writing articles. I wrote about everything from Teslas to college basketball, and my time working with former Middle School librarian Mrs. Lisa Brennan and The Paperboy staff was extremely valuable to me. However, I remember when The Pine Needle staff visited during one of our final meetings to promote the Upper School magazine. As an eighth grader I wasn’t interested; it seemed like too much of a time commitment.
 
I crossed paths with the publication once more during the second semester of freshman year in Mrs. Kathleen Thomas’ journalism elective. It was in her class that I became engaged and passionate about storytelling through journalism. Specifically, interviewing people on campus and presenting their stories to the community became the part of the writing process I treasure most. While in Mrs. Thomas’ class, I wrote draft after draft, submitting all of my writing to the then-editors of The Pine Needle, which at the time had been a long-form magazine since 2016.
 
After her retirement from STC at the end of the 2021-22 school year, I was told the journalism class would be discontinued. I worried The Pine Needle would fade entirely from the student consciousness and others wouldn’t be able to see the potential of journalism anymore.
 
Regardless, I knew it mattered, and I still know it will continue to matter. Though a magazine or newspaper you may only see in passing may seem insignificant, the stories within are meaningful to many different people. They are important to the writers, the subjects of the story, interviewees passionate about a topic and the readers who are interested enough to spend time with them. I’ve learned the value of The Pine Needle, which has served as the primary student publication for almost 110 years, as an artifact of St. Christopher’s history. It captures student sentiments and campus life from a moment in time in a way that the school can’t otherwise replicate, because it comes from student perspectives.
 
Sophomore year, I worked on afterschool staff for the first time, which I have now done for nearly every season since. Working on this publication with all of the students, faculty and interviewees for stories is one of my favorite parts of attending STC, and I’m extremely grateful for this time over the past four years. For this reason, I encourage you to keep an open mind and try new things, especially at a place like this school. While it may seem cliché, blindly taking a leap into unfamiliar territory can develop newfound passions and create opportunities you wouldn’t be able to imagine otherwise. For me, the choice to take journalism freshman year over another arts-credit elective led to an interest I hope to pursue in college and beyond.
 
This year, the newspaper has grown into something I’ve envisioned since the beginning: a way to connect different people (regardless of age or interests) and further engage them with the community. We started this fall with just two members, and over the course of the 2024-25 school year, The Pine Needle staff has grown to include over 30 contributors. Our afterschool staff, which also began with two, has increased to 12 members for the spring season alone (which is the largest group in years).
 
The writers and photographers on staff have thoughtfully covered stories that highlight lesser-appreciated groups on campus (ex: new clubs/the FLIK staff), celebrated unbelievable accomplishments (Charlie Swanson ’16 winning in the Olympics/ Joey Wang ’28 winning a Gold Key) and sparked editorial discourse with perspective pieces on politics and school life (Elon Musk/the new schedule). Additionally, a diversity of perspectives and angles has sought to involve students and faculty in all areas of school life: athletics, arts, clubs/organizations, etc. Of course, a review of the year’s publications can’t be complete without a shoutout to the beloved “Oak Needle,” whose satire was brought in front of exponentially more students.
 
Printing of traditional papers was reignited this year (for the first time since 2016), and we successfully published six editions and 25 pages of content. In addition to the physical copies, we’ve continued to hone an online format that allows articles to reach anyone connected to the internet. Pioneered by former editor Mac Dixon ’24, this website allows us to share writing more frequently and provides an archive of previous work. When you access the site (thepineneedle.org), you can browse the paper’s stories from this year or see archived ones from previous years.
 
Now, the future of The Pine Needle looks very bright, and I can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve as a news source moving forward. Next year’s co-editors Lawler Wherry ’28 and Robert Head ’26 will be excellent, and I look forward to picking up copies when I come home for college breaks. 
 
I’d like to thank each journalism teacher and advisor who has made all of this possible, especially Mrs. Thomas. She helped me craft a fresh newspaper layout (from scratch) this past summer and has been an excellent resource with her decades of writing experience. Additionally, I’m beyond grateful for the support of current faculty advisors, Ms. Montana Rogers and Ms. Sheree Garrett, who have worked above and beyond in service of the newspaper. Special thanks to Mrs. Brennan, Mr. Nick Sherod ’16, Mr. Chip Tarkenton and my current journalism teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Johnson, for their additional help.
 
In closing, I hope that you (the reader) continue to check out this edition, past editions and future editions of The Pine Needle. You won’t be disappointed. If you enjoy what you read within those margins, I hope you consider contributing in some way. This paper, which has meant so much to me personally, matters to the school community, so I hope you take advantage of it. Working with The Pine Needle has taught me many valuable lessons applicable to both journalism and life, but primarily that everyone has a story. If you pursue this story and dig deep enough, you can learn about and foster connections with people you never would have known otherwise. And, in the words of my 11th-grade journalism/broadcasting teacher Mr. Tarkenton, “Connections are everything.”
 
THANK YOU READER FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
– Patteson Branch ’25 & The Pine Needle staff