Dear readers,
1976 was quite a year: D.C. opened the Metro system; the American people elected Jimmy Carter, a Democrat from the Deep South; Steve Jobs founded Apple; and—most significantly, in our unbiased opinion—The Augur Bit published its first edition.
By the end of this year, all of that will have happened half a century ago. And through that time—through all of the change in our country and in our school—the Bit has been here. No matter the year, students have found a platform to report on events at our school, to argue for and against school policies and to express themselves.
Our responsibility has always been to closely cover changes in our school and give a platform to student voices as change occurs. That responsibility is especially important this year as we face leadership changes in the administration. Head of School Russell Shaw will depart after this school year. We will continue to cover the head of school search and, when time comes, the new head’s transition and accompanying administrative changes.
We trust that the person who takes the reins of the school on July 1, 2026 will understand the critical role an independent and robust student newspaper plays at GDS. Nevertheless, we will maintain the Bit’s editorial independence throughout this time of change and continue to seek and report the truth. In partnership with the new head of school, we hope to continue discussions about securing a formal guarantee of the Bit’s press freedom.
At a time when we’re seeing threats to journalism—and threats to the truth itself—in our country, it is critical that we secure the Bit’s full press freedom. When students grow up in a school community with a newspaper independent from its administration, they grow up to understand the importance of a press that holds the government to account. They expect transparency from elected officials and know no power to be absolute.
GDS set the standard for integration in 1945. The school and its community should be anchored in the fundamental freedoms of press, speech and expression in 2026 as the national current rips these freedoms out of the hands of the people.
We aim for the Bit to capture how vibrant and unique our community is; at GDS, there is always a story to tell that goes deeper than just the hard facts. While news and school policy will always be the foundation of the Bit’s reporting, we want to expand our features coverage into more creative human stories that encapsulate GDS’ culture.
We strive for accuracy and accountability in our reporting as we uphold our commitment to the truth. The Bit’s ongoing discussions with faculty and administrators are essential to this goal. We welcome feedback from any reader on how we can improve our coverage. If you notice any errors, please email us at augurbit@gds.org or submit an anonymous tip on our website.
As we enter a new year, we are especially grateful for the leadership and guidance of our predecessors, managing editors Molly Kurtzer-Ellenbogen and Teresa Dean, as well as every Bit staffer since 1976 who has made this paper what it is today.
Here’s to a great year!
Sam Gross ’27 (editor-in-chief), Jacob Blane ’28 and Annabelle Garland ’28 (managing editors)