Dear Readers, 

 

As the Editor and the Art Editor of The Network, we are excited to share with you our summer issue.

 

Each issue we create focuses on a theme developed from current events. We want to inform our readers about relevant events, provoke them to think, and move them to act.

 

As we discussed current events, at first, they all seemed disparate and not to have a common theme. In June of 2022, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned its decision in Roe v. Wade from January 1973. In issuing this decision, the access to an abortion was no longer guaranteed to all women in the United States. Each state could restrict or limit abortions. A recent study conducted by the Society of Family Planning found that between July and December of 2022, there were more than 30,000 fewer abortions, or a 6 percent decline from the same period the year before. 

 

In March of 2023, Major League Baseball implemented a series of new rules for the 2023 season. Although baseball is a game of traditions, the bases are increasing in size to 18 inches per side, the pitcher will face a batter and a time clock by which he must pitch, and a defensive shift of infielders will not be allowed. These new rules are intended to shorten games and encourage attendance.

 

The War in Ukraine has sparked a new arms race in the World. France is increasing its military spending by one-third between now and 2030. Great Britain is building more tanks. The United States is producing more weapons to replace those sent to Ukraine. Russia is attempting to increase its military by 50 percent to 1.5 million soldiers. And for the first time, Germany has made a written commitment to meet NATO’s 2 percent defense spending target.

 

The one thing all these current events have in common is change. They are significant changes in domestic laws, game rules, and defense policies. These events lead us to ask the question, “Is change monstrous?”

 

Our feature article is a short story written by Caroline Mawhinney (’24). Change is a theme of her story. The main character of the story, a young woman named Sophia, must confront change in her life when her sister goes missing, and she must transform her grief into action to find and rescue her sister.

 

Read Callum Wyeth’s (’28) article about how the American Bullfrog, an invasive species in California, has changed many of California’s aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems. Next, consider Fiona Poth’s (’24) analysis of and call for change in the Indian Health System. Think about how several women have changed science while reading Coralie Ahrenskeaft’s (’24) article, "The Cure."

​

Also, please enjoy the striking and moving artwork featured throughout the issue. We are excited that in this issue we welcome two artists from the Avenues New York campus. Julia Hristov (’24) explores the idea of geographic change through an oil painting of the Brooklyn Bridge. Reneei Cai (’24), Avenues New York, reminds us that art is a catalyst for change.  

​

Discover the new Connect section. This section highlights student organizations that you can join across the Avenues school ecosystem.

​

We hope that this issue will inspire more students to participate in The Network. This journal is a student publication, and its success depends on student participation. As the student editors, we hope that it will grow into something far greater than we ever could have imagined.

​

If you would like to contribute to the next issue, please email thenetwork@avenues.org. We cannot wait to see and read what you are thinking about. Work created inside and outside the classroom is welcome. Submissions are open to all students in grades seven through twelve.

​

We would like to give a special thank you to our faculty advisor, Dr. Rebecca Conklin, for her unfaltering belief in this publication and untiring support of our efforts. We would also like to thank Ms. Amy Rosenberg, our first faculty advisor, for her belief in the idea of a literary journal three years ago. In addition, we want to thank Ms. Maggie Wollner, Head of School, for her support of this publication. Finally, we want to thank all the students who have contributed to this edition and their parents for believing in Avenues Online.

​​

We hope you enjoy this issue. May the pages of this publication engage, enlighten, and inform.
 

​

Editorially Yours,

Fiona Poth (’24), Editor, and Julia Hristov (’24), Art Editor