When I assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief from Kate Hammer last spring, I was sent a list of roles and responsibilities. Like the editors before me, I planned to glance over it once and never look at it again. However, one requirement on the list caught my eye:

“Manage the printing and distribution process for our print edition.”

In my eight years here, I was never aware of the existence of a print newspaper. It’s possible that print editions have been published during my time, but if so, they clearly didn’t make much of an impact, since seemingly no one remembers them.

While the choice to go digital makes complete sense, after all, almost every major publication has followed that trend, it has also hidden The Sentinel away on the internet and made it an afterthought in the minds of many St. Luke’s students. When I ask students to join The Sentinel, I often get the response, “What’s that?” Even among those who know the school has a newspaper, accessing an article requires going out of their way to visit the website during their free time. This lack of accessibility has had tangible effects, the last three articles published by the Sentinel all receiving less than ten views.

Yet, The Sentinel has been a St. Luke’s institution since the early 1940s. Over the decades, as the school evolved from having 17 students, to being sold for $1 in 1970 after a decade of decline, to eventually becoming one of the top private schools in the region, The Sentinel remained at the forefront of the school’s identity and life. However, The Sentinel no longer lives subconsciously within the student body.

So, in order to honor the legacy and ensure a successful future for the publication, we are officially announcing the revival of the print edition. At this stage, we’re still in the early planning process, but our goal is to make The Sentinel visible and accessible again, not tucked away online.

Our vision is to distribute copies at events and place them in classrooms and common spaces so that The Sentinel once again becomes a part of everyday student life. The paper will feature stories that engage, inform, and represent the St. Luke’s community.

All of us at The Sentinel are excited to be back in ink, and at the heart of the school community.