Dear readers,
“A very auger bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved.”
These words resonated in the Black Box during this year’s fall play, The Crucible, as the drama of the Salem witch trials returned to the GDS stage. Arthur Miller’s words bring us back in time, to 1977, when The Crucible was also on the GDS stage. During those culturally transformative years for our school in the late seventies, The Augur Bit was born.
Today, we reflect on the words of Arthur Miller and their meaning—whether to him in 1953 at the height of the Red Scare, to the GDS students who created the Bit in the seventies or to us as the new editors of the Bit going into 2025, the eightieth anniversary of our school.
Through time, the Bit has grown not only in size, but responsibility. Yet, no matter what has changed, Miller’s words live on. Uncovering and seeking the truth in the community is as important as it has ever been, no matter how uncomfortable that truth can be. We strive to continue to report accurate news, hold power to account and fight for our editorial independence.
We want to maintain an open and productive dialogue, working directly with administrators and faculty members in matters pertaining to the Bit. The last thing we want is for administrators’ issues with the facts, interpretation and purpose to be unaddressed.
However, this collaboration cannot come at the expense of our independence. The administration must therefore cease all current and future attempts to undermine the independence of the Bit.
A truly independent school newspaper is as important for GDS as an independent press is for a democracy. Systems of power at GDS must not act with impunity. The free flow of information and ideas must be safeguarded at this school.
In 1945, five families defied racial and social norms to create Georgetown Day School. Eighty years later, the school is guided by a mission that encourages students “to wonder, to inquire and to be self-reliant.” The Bit will continue to hold GDS to account to ensure that these values are at the forefront of the school’s actions, not just in rhetoric, but in practice.
For all the times a GDS student hears about the importance of the GDS mission, the administration’s approach to the Bit is one area where the school does not live up to its word. The Bit does not have a formalized guarantee that the school will not impose editorial control, despite numerous past efforts by former senior editors. Now is the time for that guarantee.
Going into 2025, an independent press is more important than ever. Head of School Russell Shaw has frequently contributed to The Atlantic, a national publication that prides itself on its commitment to independent journalism in defiance of Donald Trump and in contrast to the editorial interference in the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times by their respective billionaire owners.
GDS has the opportunity to bring itself up to date in the next quarter of this century and foster a democratically minded school that respects the fundamental necessity of an independent press.
Accuracy and accountability are at the core of our work, and we therefore take our responsibility to rectify errors in our newspaper, both big and small, very seriously. If you notice mistakes or have feedback, please do not hesitate to email us at augurbit@gds.org. Additionally, we will be adding a corrections tab to our website.
In 2025, we hope to build on the impactful work of our predecessors Callie Solomon, Peter Kumar and Jeremiah Farr, who expanded the Bit’s reporting to cover a vast range of stories at our school and built a staff that loved contributing to this newspaper.
The spring of 2023 was the last time The Augur Bit was in print and the online weekly newsletter has been prioritized since. We hope to revive some print editions to bring physical life back to this paper while still consistently publishing our newsletter. We will also continue fast news coverage, when necessary, to bring the community stories right when they happen.
Furthermore, as local news has been cut back around the country, the Bit can step further into coverage beyond the walls of our school. Because the Post’s Metro section has been cut back, along with the closure of the Northwest Current and DCist, Tenleytown is turning into a news desert. Expanding our reporting to cover GDS’s relationship with Tenleytown along with the business and people that comprise its community will bring unknown stories to light.
When Augur Bit alumni graduate from the Bit office on 4200 Davenport St. and step into the world—whether it be the newsroom, the boardroom or the halls of Congress—they carry with them the lessons and legacy cultivated here at Georgetown Day School and The Augur Bit.
In 2025, the Bit will build on its storied legacy and present the truth. Above all, the Bit is a part of the GDS community, a community it will continue to serve.
Here’s to a great year!
Sam Gross ’27 (editor-in-chief), Molly Kurtzer-Ellenbogen ’26 and Teresa Dean ’26 (managing editors)