As of the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, The Zephyr will no longer be in print copy. Stories will now be moved to fully digital, and bulletins will be continued, until further notice.
“…It’s a sign of the times,” says Principal Gary Henderson. He explains how he and Ms. Baker, new Journalism advisor, had, as he says, “…Mutually decided that it was too expensive to print.” He expresses his support for The Zephyr, print media or not, and understands that online-only is, “…Way of the world right now.”
Junior Jaelyn Randolph, Editor in Chief of the Zephyr, looks upon the change with positivity. “…People are starting to look online for newspaper stories in general,” she notes, “it could be a good switch, but we’ll just have to wait to see!” She also sees this development as an opportunity to go through cycles quicker, with the lack of a physical newspaper to design, print, and ship out, and more holidays and special additions could be an option with this newfound time.
Sophomore Rhea Naggi, an avid reader of The Zephyr, adapts as well. “I do believe the change makes the newspaper feel more modern. Today, everyone uses technology for many things.” Naggi, however, still preferred the aesthetic of the print copy. “…Overall, I prefer reading the print way more as I can easily annotate the article and do crossword puzzles.” Randolph worries, “I feel like our staff/club will lose its visibility and presence on campus… It was a way to advertise what our class was doing, and each staff’s writing and creative styles.”
Henderson can sympathize with this. “I’m old school, so I like the idea of the physical paper and the idea of students being able to design it. But again, you know, technology is taking over the world and almost everyone’s going digital, and that you’re designing a digital page is probably more beneficial for students than the hard copy.”
Despite this, The Zephyr stands strong, adapting to the change. Randolph says,“…This is still a chance for them [The Zephyr staff] to use their writing and creativity to the fullest and they shouldn’t let there not being a newspaper stop that.” When asked if The Zephyr will bring print back in the future, Randolph responded, “I honestly don’t really know. I feel this year will very much be trial and error. While I do hope to bring the newspaper back, if not every cycle at least for special editions, overall I can see us sticking to digital more.”
“If there’s a push of students that are missing it [the print copy], then we’ll find the money,” says Henderson. “We’ll do what the students want.”
With or without the print copy, The Zephyr continues to strive to write quality stories for informing the school. You can read our articles on The Zephyr’s website or visit our Instagram @whszephyr.
