Letter from the Editors
January 25, 2021
Dear Laguna community,
We have never been more excited to say the words: happy new year!
The start of a new year often is synonymous with growth, rebirth and resolutions. This year, we hope that it means a chance to make up for some of the time we lost as a community as the pandemic disrupted our lives time and time again.
Laguna’s efforts to open campus for in-person classes is something to be proud of right now, at least that’s what we think. Our school makes connecting possible when isolation is far too common, and
as seniors, we couldn’t be more grateful. Two thousand twenty-one marks our last year on campus, our last year as editors-in-chief of this magazine
For this issue, we focus on the chance for the new beginning that comes when January arrives. We have hope for growth, recovery and rebuilding of the community that has been affected by COVID-19.
Once again, we have an incredible staff to thank for producing this issue of the magazine.
Without such a talented group of artists, writers and designers,
we are sure that this issue would not have been possible. It is hard to walk the halls without running into dozens of passionate and talented students.
We are privileged to see each other each day, collaborate on projects like this magazine, play sports, discuss world events, argue about world events and all of the other incredible opportunities that come with being together, in person.
Who knows what 2021 will bring — if we take anything from 2020, it’s that we should always prepare ourselves for the worst. As a staff, we agreed that instead, we should look at the new year with hope. We highlighted students and teachers who have made our year better. We discussed changes on campus, like the new dress code and the new buildings.
We’re taking advantage of this new beginning and seizing every opportunity presented to us. We hope you do too.
Editors-in-Chief
Phoebe Stein & Daisy Finefrock
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Mission Statement
The Fourth Estate is an open forum created for and by journalism students of Laguna Blanca Upper School. We hope to use this space to cover events, interviews and topics of interest in greater depth. Our staff seeks to be a platform for creative expression and to report on events and ideas of importance to our readers and to focus on topics of significance and interest to inform and entertain the school community.
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Letters to the Editors
The Fourth Estate welcomes guest columns and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and must be no longer than 400 words. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and/or taste. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Fourth Estate reserves the right to reject advertising. Opinions expressed in this publication reflect the perspectives of the staff whose goal is to inform our readers with reliable information from which to base decisions and opinions. Editorials represent the voice of the staff and are voted on by the entire staff. Columns and commentaries are labeled as such and represent the opinion of the author. The Fourth Estate publishes four issues per year with a senior insert in the last issue.
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Byline policy
When two or three people work on a story, all names will be listed. If an editor rewrites a majority of a story, the editor’s name will be listed.
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correction policy
The staff strives for accuracy. When factual errors occur, mistakes are found or brought to the attention of the staff, corrections will be printed in a corrections box in the next issue.
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Colophon
This is the first issue of the new decade and 27th volume of the Laguna Blanca School, 4125 Paloma Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93110, magazine, The Fourth Estate. Contacts are available at [email protected], (805) 687-2461 x0317 or www.thefourthestate.net. Laguna Blanca School has an EK through 12th grade student population of approximately 400, with 100 in the Lower School, 110 in the Middle School and 182 in the Upper School, and a faculty of approximately 60. The Fourth Estate is an 8.5 by 11 general magazine, created on Apple computers on Adobe InDesign CC2019, using FreightNeo Pro and Big Caslon font families and printed on glossy paper free for students and $30 for an annual subscription. The magazine is distributed to all Upper School students through the school’s advisory program and sent by mail to subscribers, as well as distributed to nearbye medical offices, with 400 copies printed per issue. We are associated with NSPA, CSPA and JEA.
