A Note from the Editors

It’s hard to believe another school year is coming to a close. Twelve months ago, the editorial team noted their hopes to release four editions in a year were thwarted by lockdowns and uncertainty. Since then, our team has stepped up, taking us to never-before-seen heights. And today, we are proud to deliver on those endeavors.

This marks our fourth Priory Press edition of the school year, a first in SAAS history. It is the culmination of our teams’ never-ending efforts, from transitioning to a sustainably digital-first publication to making our content more accessible.

For Ryan and me, this means the end of our time here at the Abbey. I am proud and humbled by what our team has accomplished but am optimistic about the future and look forward to seeing where future teams take student publications.

Thank you to Ryan, my right-hand man throughout this hectic year, Hugo for bringing bright ideas to the table, Giovanni for his speedy article reviews, and especially Mr. McCarthy for advocating and always being there for us.

Also, a special thank you to all of our other contributors this year: Anand Beh, Tim Burke, Jarvis Chen, Lucious Crawford, Stephen DeCarlo, Fr. Bill Foley, Charles von Goins II, Omar Hassan, Ashton Jadotte, Joseph Lang, Oscar Lloyd, Noah Mekonnen, Mr. John Montroll, James Paci, Connell Paxton, Adam Roush, Marc Sella, Frederico Simmons, J. P. Tampe, Percy Tonha, Aiden Wetterhan, and Abbot James Wiseman. We hope to see you contribute again in a future edition!

Reflections From the Team:

What a crazy year it’s been... Despite the hardships, I’m glad we were still able to publish multiple editions of the Priory Press. Working for the Priory press for the past 2 years has been an honor and I’m glad I was able to work alongside amazing people. I want to thank Jay who has contributed so much over the years. His dedication and work ethic towards the Press is unlike anything I’ve seen. I know next year will bring amazing content. Good luck Class of 2022!

Ryan Simpson, Form VI

This has been a transformative year for the Press. The switch to online gave us more options and flexibility, including the potential to publish video 'articles' (stay tuned). Despite the pandemic, I was very pleased with how we all collaborated online to make each edition come out on time, but none of that would have been possible without the amazing Jay Sella, who set up our group work in the first place, and set up the new website too. Special thanks to Mr. McCarthy as well, for reviewing every article and supporting us through the entire publishing process. The whole team this year has been incredible to work with, and I'd like to thank all of them for their efforts as well. Us juniors have some big shoes to fill, but I'm confident we can keep crafting great editions for you all to enjoy. Have a wonderful end of the year, and see you all next fall!

Hugo Filmer, Form V

This year has had its ups and downs, from the joys of getting to stay home and play video games to the woes of missing friends and not being able to go places. That being said, it has been an honor to work for the Press, and I hope when time is more merciful I am able to contribute more. It has been great seeing the writing talents that many bring to the table to be shared. I hope everyone enjoys the summer, and hopefully this year can begin to turn around!

Giovanni Bonilla, Form V