Happy back-to-school season, everyone!

This is Nina, Sword & Shield’s co-Editor-in-Chief and Student Life editor. Welcome back to all our sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and welcome to our new freshmen! This is your chance to make the most of a new year of high school, whether that means joining new clubs, making new friends, excelling in your classes, or just getting enough sleep every night. Be sure to get used to your new schedule and be prepared with everything you need to succeed this year.

Sword & Shield has a brand new editing staff this year, with me, Henry Riley, and Mali Weix serving as Editors-in-Chief. I am also continuing as Student Life Editor, and Henry will cover News/Sports as well. Varnika Arinarathan is our new Arts and Entertainment editor, and Dona Nguyen will oversee the Opinions section. We’re also bringing back paper copies of our monthly issues, with a new themed game each month! You can pick them up at the Welcome Center or the photo lab, and feel free to ask one of the editors, too.

As an update on everything that’s happened since our June issue, the internet has been swimming with news on Taylor Swift’s engagement, Labubu Dubai chocolate, K-pop Demon Hunters, and performative men. On the other hand, changes are continuing at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a shooting occurred at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, GA, killing a police officer. Here in Wisconsin, the race for governor is underway, as current Governor Evers has announced he will not be seeking reelection in 2026. For students, AI continues to play a role in education and entertainment, even as debates emerge about its legitimacy and environmental impacts. Fall sports are starting up, and so are clubs–if you’re a freshman, you can visit us and lots of other student organizations at the club fair on your first day of school!

Make sure to read all about these topics in this month’s issue, and if you’re interested in joining us, we meet every Thursday at lunch in the photo lab (room 521), and our Google Classroom code is awjii5f. See you there and start the year off strong!