We’ve seen a lot of sunsets this year. Two full walls in the newsroom are windows, so each production night we have watched from the top floor of Reid as the clouds have erupted and light is spat onto the rooftops of downtown Walla Walla and the Blue Mountains to the south.

The blinds are really stubborn, too, so often the golden hour light is sent directly into our eyes and we have no other choice than to take a short break from InDesign. Other times it sets quietly, especially in winter, slipping past the foggy horizon at 5 in the afternoon. A few weeks ago, there was a Wednesday night thunderstorm. We turned off all the lights and watched as lightning struck crookedly across the sky again and again, turning everything purple.

During the storm we thought about an afternoon this past August spent in the newsroom preparing for our first editor’s meeting as EIC and Publisher. It was the day of the 2017 solar eclipse, and the leaves from the tree outside casted crescent moon shadows across the computer keyboards. We were both nervous and overwhelmed. It’s starting to turn into summer again, and we aren’t nervous anymore–and only slightly less overwhelmed.

As our days at Whitman and The Wire come to a close, we’re glad to have spent so many late nights in the newsroom, even if the following days’ headaches were regrettable.

Thank you, first of all, to our editorial board– the most overworked, underpaid and enthusiastic students and thinkers the Northwest has to offer (in our opinion).

We are grateful for every individual who contributed to The Wire: each reporter, photographer, columnist, copy editor, illustrator, layout artist, and op-ed writer–as well as the students and faculty members who gave their time, energy and thoughts in interviews. Thank you, also, to ASWC, Leann Adams, Julie Charlip, and the Bon Appetit and janitorial staff at Reid.

Lastly, thank you to Marra Clay ‘17, Mitchell Smith ‘17 and Sarah Cornett ‘16 for exemplifying strong and encouraging leadership with just the right amount of hardassery.

We are thankful for the questions that allowed us to think harder and to push on decisions we thought we were sure of. We are excited to see where The Wire will go.

Sincerely,

Tywen Kelly and Martina Pansze

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief