Dear reader,

The cliché rings true—this impossibly slow school year has somehow flown by in the blink of an eye. Though the time has now come for me to walk away from The Reckoner, the four years I’ve spent as a staff member of this publication have instilled skills, values, and lessons in me that will certainly inform my future. 

To our staff advisors this year: Ms. Lajeunesse, Mr. Pearce, Ms. Woodley, and Ms. Grant, thank you for your interest and support in enabling us to run an equitable newspaper that serves the school gracefully.

To Mahan Nekoui and Kasra Koushan, two among The Reckoner’s four core founders in 2011: Thank you for your kind mentorship and interest in this newspaper’s success. Your conversation illuminated the notion that The Reckoner exists to serve the student body now. It must change hands with each passing year, and the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief is to dedicate themselves to the education, enrichment, and empowerment of Marc Garneau C.I.’s population for as long as they have the right to represent the student body. 

Thus, as the end of my high school experience draws near, I am totally grateful for the challenges and learning curves that working on this publication has brought about. At times, it demanded more of me than I thought possible to give. But there are no struggles that do not have lessons to offer, and there are no lessons learned without a struggle. The late nights and early mornings have, of course, been worth it all along. To any staff member who may be entertaining the idea of pursuing a leadership role within The Reckoner, I encourage you to do so. As long as you understand and serve the role of The Reckoner within MGCI, you will find it a valuable experience. 

To the Eleventh Guard’s staff: I am grateful to each of you for serving to support our school’s community. I am as honoured now to have been a part of The Reckoner as I was when I got an email in October of 2018 letting me know I had been accepted into the Life Board of the school newspaper I had read so many great things about. This newspaper could not exist without the contributions of our journalists, writers, illustrators, artists, photographers, web developers, print developers, and outreach staff. You are the voice. I hope you continue to handle your roles with care.

To my executive team: Your responsibility, initiative, and counsel have made our work this year all the more enjoyable. I certainly would have burnt this paper to a crisp if not for your support. Thank you.

I trust that Allyson will be a great leader for The Reckoner, and I wish the Twelfth Guard nothing but the best. The paper will have my continued confidence.

Yours,

Sumedh Dhanvanthry

Editor-in-Chief