The government might be shut down, but we at The Forum sure aren’t. Maybe the government thinks it’s okay to shut down after seventeen years, but we’re at about the same record and seem to be doing okay. In fact, after reading this issue, we hope you think we’re doing more than okay.

But maybe we, Frani and Hedy, shouldn’t just be speaking for ourselves. We as a Latin community are the ones who are doing more than fine. In addition to the ample quasquincentennial festivities (along with the festivity that is the incorporation of that word in our vocabulary in and of itself), this issue of The Forum has strikingly honest, funny, and insightful voices. Whether it’s Alex Kaplan’s brave editorial on why he returned to Latin after a few weeks at Lincoln Park High School, Chris Quazzo’s investigation into what Facebook does in our lives, or freshmen Grace Coberly and Iz Gius taking a stand on sophomority, the writers of this issue aren’t ready to back down, sit down, or shut down anytime soon. Mabel Slade would be proud.

Your editors,