90 years.

This upcoming year, The Tower will be nearly a century old.

Taking the helm of this publication is a daunting task, without a doubt. With the tools and mentors I’ve had the pleasure to utilize and learn from, both Liz Bigham and I are ready for the task.

It would be a fair assessment to say I’ve thought about the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) position since I was young. My sister, Jackie Francis ’13 was also EIC, and the last to be under the command of the famous and beloved adviser, Jeff Nardone.

Since middle school, I have been familiarizing myself with the amount of rigor and time needed to make this paper be the great beacon of student journalism it is known for.

It wasn’t until my freshmen year that I really set my sights and became determined to lead this 70 person team of students who meet three times weekly after school to meet a deadline.

One person in particular who pushed me to want to lead is Rod Satterthwaite. He was the Tower adviser for only a few years, but became a friend to every staffer and student he encountered. His leaving last year was a hard pill to swallow, but also gave me the initiative to keep the paper great with the knowledge and integrity he instilled in me.

Today, I no longer can call him my adviser, but a friend who is always willing to lend an ear for whatever I need.

Even with Rod gone, the Tower room is still my home. For at least two hours of the day, I find myself there surrounded by years of tradition. No amount of recognition to this awesome club and newspaper could speak to how it has shaped me and continues to do so into the adult I will have become by the end of next year.

Looking in that direction, I’d like to encourage our writers to stay on the ethical and objective side of journalism. This is not an easy task. If you’re thinking to yourself it is, then take a look at some of the most highly rated news shows in the world and you’ll see that even those top dogs can fail to bring both sides to the table in their coverage.

And so, I will end my year’s writing with one promise to you, the readers:

Our priority is simple, to tell the story– your story– correctly and factually. As I said before: this is a daunting task, one that comes with a great deal of responsibility. And in no way will we go low to come out first with the news, or leave out detail that doesn’t suit our personal beliefs. It’s just not who we are. So if you pick up the Tower next year and find yourself appalled or in great discourse with the text on our pages, don’t direct those feelings toward our administrators, direct them to Liz or myself. Lastly, if you’re still left wondering who we are, here’s your answer; we are the dedicated, aspiring and noble journalists of the 21st century. We are The Tower.