The Pebble Issue 1

letter from the editor
4
and it will be given to you.” and re-edited. Every page, from the extra
Out of context, it’s any petulant 1/16th of an inch in the margins to the picture
of Mr. Leclercq in the Dress to Impress
“Ask,
child’s dream. But it’s also the
statement I’ve grown to appreciate at MPH, a feature, was thought out, re-thought out,
school that provides us with the opportunity debated, consulted, laid out and re-laid out.
and support to pursue what we care about, Everything you see and read is a reflection of
even if it means letting go of something that our deliberate decisions, made right up until
we’ve had since 1927. MPH bets on its students;
it certainly bet on us, when we chal-
go to the printer for publication.
the timer ran out and we were forced to let it
lenged to create something wildly new and This kind of devotion is what made this
unproven, while giving up a long-standing, magazine a reality. I’m thankful that this
award-winning tradition.
year’s staff, from the new members to the senior
seniors and Ms. A, were willing to go on
But we asked, and we received.
A magazine format provides versatility in this journey. This issue is what it is because
students’ expression, more so than a newspaper
format could, both in written word and and sometimes conflicting personalities that
of the humorous, sarcastic, bubbly, genuine
hin design and photography. It was difficult make 2
up this year’s class. I can’t recall a more
for The Rolling Stone, published quarterly, to fun and meaningful journalism experience
rightly keep its title of a “newspaper,” especially
in today’s instantaneous news culture. I came full circle by shooting Maddy (who’s
than the final photo shoot for the cover, when
Shifting to a biannual magazine would also been on the paper since her freshman year,
allow for different kinds of features and the longest of all of us) for the cover of my final
issue, as I shot her for my first cover story
exposes as well as more creative and pertinent
photography. After 46 volumes (and too for The Rolling Stone.
many issues to count) with the same types of As I recall my journalism beginnings at
spreads, we were ready for some text-bending MPH while I approach the end, it’s humbling
layouts and full-bleed pictures.
to know that our magazine contains the
As the apogee of Upper School-wide same determination, effort and thought that
tutorial discussions, one-on-one interviews was put into The Rolling Stone. Despite the
and in-class debates, the new format brings change in size, the article topics have not diminished
in seriousness or relevance, and the
with it new content: MPH By the Numbers,
Ask an Alum, Spotlight, Food, Issues and journalistic integrity with which we approach
Interactive. Even the stuff we’ve kept from the our reporting has not relaxed.
newspaper— Advice, Selfie, Culture and Big In other words, everything’s changed,
Picture—are all reimagined.
except for us. This is The Pebble.
These changes were, in part, driven by
you. Though a handful of students started
the conversation and executed the plan, this
publication has its foundation in its audience.
But our process has not changed. Every
story, from the Spotlight of Mr. Z to the
Big Picture on cancer masks, was outlined,
re-outlined, discussed, workshopped, edited