Founded in 1976, The Augur Bit is the premier student newspaper of Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C. We publish a weekly email newsletter and regular print editions. Here is the newspaper’s Style Guide & Staff Policy.
“A very auger bit will now be turned into your souls until your honesty is proved.”
— Arthur Miller, The Crucible
If you have any questions or feedback for the editors, please email augurbit@gds.org.
AI Policy
The Augur Bit is committed to publishing human-produced journalism. Student journalists control the Bit’s content and practices without support from artificial intelligence. An AI-free newspaper means that the Bit can continue to seek and report the truth free of AI’s biases and inaccuracies.
The Augur Bit prohibits anyone involved in the Bit’s publication from using generative AI or large language models at any stage of the reporting, writing, illustrating and editing processes. Staffers may not use AI to write any application or to communicate internally or externally.
If the Bit’s senior editors suspect that someone involved in the Bit’s publication violated the AI policy, they will investigate the content or practice in question. If the senior editors are unconvinced of the integrity of the work, the editors may suspend the person in question. If editors find someone to have egregiously or repeatedly violated the policy, the editors will expel that person from the staff.
Prohibited AI programs include but are not limited to:
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or other generative AI tools used to write, edit, research or create images
Grammarly
Otter.ai or other transcription tools
Alumni Advisory Board
The Alumni Advisory Board’s members, all GDS alumni who work as professional journalists, counsel the editors on the Bit’s strategy and difficult situations they encounter.
Juliet Eilperin ’88, The Washington Post
Franklin Foer ’92, The Atlantic
Matt Kaminski ’90, formerly Politico
Vanessa Larson ’97, The Washington Post
Nicole Lewis ’05, The Marshall Project
Hannah Natanson ’15, The Washington Post
Michael Schaffer ’91, City Cast DC
Awards
2025
Quill and Scroll, International First Place, Superior Ranking
Quill and Scroll Private School Journalism Association Contest, First Place in Editorial Leadership, Sam Gross ’27, Molly Kurtzer-Ellenbogen ’26 and Teresa Dean ’26
Quill and Scroll Private School Journalism Association Contest, First Place in Sports Writer of the Year, Jonah Levy ’27
Quill and Scroll Private School Journalism Association Contest, Second Place in Continuous Team Coverage, Sam Gross ’27, Gilly Lyons ’27, Rachel Hellman ’28, Alexandra Ezrow ’28 and Arielle Stopak ’27
2024
Quill and Scroll, International First Place, Superior Ranking
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place
Quill and Scroll Private School Journalism Association Contest, Second Place in Editorial Leadership, Callie Solomon ’25, Peter Kumar ’25 and Jeremiah Farr ’25
2023
Quill and Scroll, International First Place
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place
Journalism Education Association, D.C. Journalist of the Year, Ethan Wolin ’23
National Scholastic Press Association, Story of the Year, Third Place, Ethan Wolin ’23, Anna Shesol ’24 and Andrew Mikhail ’23, “An Action Plan, an Audit and Still Scant Public Data“
American Scholastic Press Association, Outstanding Story, Alex Gerson ’23 and Edie Carey ’23, “On Screen: 2023 Oscars Best Picture Nominees“
2022
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place With Special Merit and Most Outstanding High School Newspaper
National Scholastic Press Association, Third Place in Comic Strip/Panel (Cartoon of the Year), Julius Boxer-Cooper, “Chadwick the Cheerio Applies to College“
National Scholastic Press Association, Honorable Mention in Artist of the Year, Nava Mach
2021
Yale Daily News Journalism Symposium, Photo Essay Honorable Mention, Olivia Brown, Laith Weinberger, Fiore Petricone and Lexi Rabasco, “Biden Victorious After Tumultuous Election; DC Celebrates“
Yale Daily News Journalism Symposium, News Article Honorable Mention, Nick Penniman (with contributions by Seth Riker), “Turning Point Club Sparks School-wide Debate“
Yale Daily News Journalism Symposium, Best Feature Article, Jacqueline Metzger and Ethan Wolin, “Through Instagram Account, Current and Former Black Students Offer Scathing Criticism of GDS’ Record on Race“
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place With Special Merit
American Scholastic Press Association, Outstanding Photo, Olivia Brown
National Scholastic Press Association, First Place in Social Justice Reporting, Jacqueline Metzger and Ethan Wolin, “Through Instagram Account, Current and Former Black Students Offer Scathing Criticism of GDS’ Record on Race“
2020
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place
2019
American Scholastic Press Association, First Place
American Scholastic Press Association, Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Zach Blank, “Swastikas Found in Bathroom and Choir Room“