Cubs,

On behalf of the entire staff of The Loyalist, welcome to the 2017-18 school year.

We would like to extend an especially warm welcome to the freshman class who, although they may not know it, are embarking on a four-year long journey that will shape the rest of their lives. Use The Loyalist and your upperclassmen brothers as a resource to help navigate through and learn about this great institution.

This year, The Loyalist enters its 92nd year of service to the Loyola community. As editors-in-chief, we hope to continue the award-winning publication’s mission of providing thoughtful, analytical, and in-depth reporting.

The Loyalist continued to pursue excellence last year, publishing 13 issues and winning a first place award from the American Scholastic Press Association.

Social science teacher Kyle Knoll ’11 takes over for his first full year as faculty adviser to the newspaper. English teacher Christine Moore will also continue in an advisory role.

This year, we have a goal of focusing on more in-depth reporting. This goal starts in this issue, where, for the first time, reporters shadowed football players throughout Camp Dawson during the summer to report on the team culture under new head coach Ricardo Pedroarias ’84.

The Loyalist will also have a visible presence at sporting events, school-wide events and Hannon Theatre productions, conducting on-scene interviews with students, coaches and teachers.

We are also aiming to expand our digital presence through social media and are introducing a new videojournalism section of the newspaper.

Finally, The Loyalist hopes to serve as a venue for open discussion and discourse about how best the school and its community can continue its mission of educating students.

We thank you for reading The Loyalist and always appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have. We welcome you to write to or for us at any time.

Sincerely,

Ben Donohoe and Sam Tilles