The Wykehamist
Editorial
The Wykehamist is back. Having spent five years in the wilderness, the publication – with thanks to the Headmaster – is resurrected. Inside, amongst other articles, you’ ll find instructions on how to make beer, a review of XVs and VIs, the various plays put on this term, and an essay on vulgarity, written 100 years ago for edition # 657.
The main question we have been asked, when talking with pupils and the administrative body of the school, is what the relevance of The Wykehamist will be in the age of digital publications such as The Winchester Weekly, or Mr Burley’ s famous Sports Report; what will make us different? Well, what sets The Wykehamist apart is that it is a more serious publication, and that it is written by us, the pupils: it encourages a journalistic flair in our writing, and acts as the yin to Quelle’ s yang, as Felix Edmondson puts it on page 6.
More importantly, what makes us unique is tradition. Till 2020, almost every pupil since 1865 had probably read at least one issue – it would be a sad thing, to be the Wykehamical generation which sees the end of that. This is the 1479th edition of the paper. And our job, as editors, is to ensure that it will not be the last, but instead the first of many more.
With that said, historically speaking, previous Wykehamists were published monthly – by the early 2000s, The Wykehamist had transitioned into publishing termly.
Whilst we initially planned to publish two this term and then shift into one per term, circumstance got in the way. What initially felt like a setback was, we now realise, a blessing in disguise; instead of being limited in what we could first present, we can now offer to you a more comprehensive edition of The Wykehamist.
Despite this, we still can’ t write about all we would like to- we have only so much space, and Winchester College is never not busy. So if you’ d like to write something, please do not hesitate to send it in to the email address on the next page.( NB that we do not accept political content of any form.)
Starting in Cloister Time, we also intend to include letters to the Editor – so if you’ d like, do write one and send it in. Letters to the Editor, unlike other sections in The Wykehamist, are under no obligation to be written by pupils – any don or parent can contribute. We look forward to hearing from you.
This new chapter of The Wykehamist will not be defined( just) by us – it will be defined by you. A publication, after all, is only as strong as those who engage with it. And so, with that in mind, we welcome you into this new edition, and the many more to come.
Happy reading.
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