The Tower media conglomerate has had another successful year. Our print, web, social media and broadcast news divisions have gained many new readers and viewers and we have worked hard to cover the events and issues that impact the Masters School community.

We want to recognize our senior staff members who have made so many important contributions over their years here. Tower would not be the same without their hard work, and they are all leaving huge shoes to fill. We are going to miss you all more than we can say!

Adam Bello is a floor general on the basketball court – and also had an all-star career on Tower, covering sports, and controversial issues like Kyrie Irving’s anti-semitic comments, and taking over as the sports editor for his senior year.

Aviv Emery was our go-to reporter for coverage of big social issues, from Western ideas about beauty (still one of our top-viewed articles of all time) to her most recent piece about why young people are having less sex than previous generations. A strong page designer who was co-Features Editor this year, we are going to miss her thoughtful voice of reason when debating tough issues.

Lydia Ettinger was our second co-Features Editor. A strong writer and hard-working reporter who took on challenging topics, including politics in Israel and the immigrant crisis, Lydia also grew as a page designer.

Aurora Horn is a three-year member of the Tower staff, who has become our go-to music reviewer, willing to pick up any article at the last minute. Aurora is thoughtful, kind and caring; she helps create the sense of community that makes Tower so much fun – and she is truly the queen of AP Style in her position as lead copy editor.

Oliver Kreeger is our Opinion page lead editor. From layout nights, to tracking down teachers’ favorite coffee cups for his “Mug Shot” series, Oliver is incredibly funny, a passionate defender of free speech and an original thinker who is a supportive editor, always ready with prompt and encouraging feedback. 

Alexa Murphy is a world traveler, debater, political activist, poet laureate – oh, and she’s also our lead news editor and an excellent reporter whose stories about immigration in New York have won awards and explained a complicated and pressing issue.

Our senior leadership team of Xavier Rolston, Lily Zuckerman, Lucas Seguinot and Matthias Jaylen won the PSJA award for editorial leadership – and we can’t imagine a more deserving team. 

Xavier Rolston is a man of many talents – from video, audio, web design, programming – and course, reporting and writing. He can do it all. We are going to miss his abilities – and also his leadership. He leaves big shoes to fill.

Lily Zuckerman leaves an incredible legacy behind her. A creative and prolific writer, she served as our chief design editor this year and spear-headed a set of new looks for Tower. She also conceived the Middle School paper, now called The Doc, rallying Tower staffers and middle school students and teachers to turn her vision into a reality. It’s now a thriving publication and poised to last for years to come.

Lucas Seguinot is a steady presence who served as the glue that held the team together. A strong writer who was always there to pick up a last-minute story or take over a page layout, Lucas was a mentor to younger students and helped lay the groundwork for continued excellence for years to come.

Matthias Jaylen is an amazingly productive and creative reporter whose stories from the past four years continue to top our most-read list. A pro with design work, Matthias steps in to put the finishing touches on pages to make them look perfect. And, above all, Matthias is fearless when it comes to sharing his opinions, no matter the potential negative feedback. We will miss his eagerness to push against orthodoxy.

Zara Suvanto, our outgoing co-Executive Producer of Tower Broadcast News is heading out after helping grow and shape the program, particularly with leading her three-part series on how the Supreme Court’s decision striking down affirmative action has affected the college process in our community and across the country. Her insight, humor and keen editing skills will be missed. 

Finally, we want to thank our senior photographers who tirelessly took pictures at Morning Meetings, sports games, performance events and all manner of campus goings-on. Thanks to Angel Henriquez, Jack Parsons, and Konstantin Miebach. Camilo BitarRacedo served as our intrepid distribution manager all year, while Lisa Yao created beautiful illustrations for the publication. We are grateful to each of you for your generous time and talent in making Tower the strongest publication we can be. 

The Class of 2024 will hold a special place in our hearts and we wish you all the best as you forge your way out in the world. Keep flexing your creativity in telling the stories that need to be told. THANK YOU!