Dear Students and Citizens, Friends and Visitors,

Another school year has swung close and as we look back on the past few months it is important to recognize the strides we have made as a publication, and more importantly, to find where we want to go in the future.

The West Side Review had a very successful take-off a few months ago. We have had well over 3,000 visitors on our site who have varied from the left (Republicans Whine and Aren’t Productive) to the right (Credit Card Regulation = Socialism = Evil!) and have accumulated about 70 comments worth of discussion to accompany our 8 articles (now 9 with this one)!

We have also learned that about 35% of us aren’t big fans of water-boarding while about 33% of us believe torture to be useful under some circumstances. A hefty 1/4 believe that we didn’t give you very good options on the poll, while a surprising 10% of visitors say that its torture for them to even think about torture!

We have also donated the proceeds from our advertising to The West Side Catholic Center (the $$ number for this one is coming) and have recruited a large number of visitors through our facebook group.

But where are we going? As a country? As a community? As The West Side Review? Although I can’t speak for the country or greater world, I would like to write about where I believe The West Side Review will go in the near future.

Our first goal is to include more community members in our circles of discussion. Although we do have a wide user base, most people reading this letter are probably students. While this situation has been fruitful in ideas and controversy, our vision will only be fulfilled when men and women outside of the High School demographic are writing articles or criticizing our ideas or taking our polls. We are struggling with finding efficient ways to reach everyday people, but promise to devote ourselves to this end.

We would also like to include other schools in our dialogue. Although it is impractical to attempt to expand in this way over the summer, as school is out of session, we hope that with next year will come staff members and columnists from other public and private schools besides St. Ignatius. Although we are a West Side Publication, we welcome anyone to contribute: no exceptions. Everyone’s on the west side of something, right? We welcome everyone.

Obviously we would like more people to see our site and more articles to be submitted (this one is key) and more votes cast, but all this will come in time. We have faith that, in general, people are hungry for pure dialogue. As we continue to advertise, expand our facebook group, and diligently send e-mails and letters to people who have never heard of us, we are confident that The West Side Review will be a force of democracy and an exercise of liberty in a world foreign to the freedom of speech.

Thank you for your loyalty, dedication, and commitment and stay with us as we charge into this summer and beyond. Please leave lots of suggestions as comments in the box below.

Have a safe vacation.

Your Editor-in-Chief

–Nathan Peereboom