The only constant is change,” said the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, and over the 2,500 years since, his words have proven time and again to be true.
When the staff chose the theme for this issue, Counting Change, we had several ideas in mind.
In a literal sense, we thought of coins—how the use of physical change is dwindling with the decline of pennies and the rise of cryptocurrency.
To explore this shift, check out junior Bennett Sullivan’s piece, “Minting Millionaires: The Surge of Stocks and Crypto,” which delves into how U.S. stocks and cryptocurrencies have soared to record highs over the past year.
We live in a world in which we are more interconnected. Developments in technology including wide spread internet access, smartphones, and social media have altered communication and information sharing.
Our world has advanced and changed rapidly. Junior Niccolo D’Agruma questions if all our progress is good in his “Quarter of a Century” article.
We also thought about the personal changes happening around us: freshmen navigating their first year of high school, seniors finalizing college applications, and preparing for one of the biggest transitions of their lives.
Seniors face an ever changing college application process, that has become more complex, with a focus on depth in extracurriculars and the return of standardized testing, adding stress for students which junior Ella Wickman examines in her article, “No Room for Error.”
On a broader scale, we considered the arrival of a new president and the world entering the second quarter of the 21st century.
But over the past two weeks, the unpredictable nature of change has hit closer to home.
Our beloved state of California has once again been ravaged by devastating wildfires, burning tens of thousands of acres in a matter of days.
These fires will inevitably reshape California’s future, challenging us not only to rebuild but also to take steps to prevent such disasters from becoming more frequent.
While debate continues over specific causes, the broader consensus is clear: the climate is changing rapidly, contributing to an increase in natural disasters, including wildfires.
Our hearts go out to the friends, families, and neighbors in Los Angeles who have lost their homes—or worse—fleeing in the dead of night. Teenagers just like us, living just a few hours away, have seen their lives uprooted in an instant.
As we remember our own experience fleeing the Thomas Fire seven years ago, we can empathize with their pain and imagine the devastation on such a larger scale.
The climate, the economy, politics, technology, art, and even our childhoods are all shifting around us—slowly but inexorably.
And suddenly, it’s 2025. We’re growing up, and the world we know is changing right before our eyes.