Hello! Welcome to The Harbour Voice. I am a senior and excited to be the Editor-In-Chief this year. I was a staff writer in 10th grade, and the Assistant Managing Editor last year. I am delighted that you have chosen to read our stories. We cater to you, the students and staff of Oyster Bay High School, and seek to bring you the news that you care about. If there is a topic you would like us to cover, let me know. The Harbour Voice will gladly have one of the staff writers get right on it. It has been a wonderful experience for me to cover and write heartfelt stories these past two years and serve now as the Editor-In-Chief. I hope you are as excited as I am to read The Harbour Voice. Enjoy!
Kevin Biggiani
Legacy Editors-in-Chief
Ava Aschettino & Jillian Haguisan
Editor-In-Chief (2020-2021)
Ava Aschettino: I simply do not know where to start with this letter. I have stared at this page for a while now, and I just don’t know how I am going to explain the significance of The Harbour Voice in a few short sentences.
I have been a part of the Journalism elective and The Harbour Voice club since freshman year. My peers often wonder why I would take an elective four years in a row, fighting to keep Journalism in my schedule every fall. The truth is that this platform granted me a gift that I will always cherish: a voice. Through The Harbour Voice, I have gained the confidence to speak my mind and utilize a platform to share what I think is important. I have learned just how important it is to have a space to advocate for yourself and your opinions. Thanks to this publication, I will be pursuing a major in media and communications at New York University so that I can continue to share my voice.
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Co-Editor-in-Chief these past two years. I feel forever lucky that I got to share this experience and title with someone whom I call a friend, Jill. What a remarkable four years it's been together. While both Jill and I will be moving on, we hope that our dedication to the paper has left an impact on this community. What we both want you, our readers, to know is that you must use your voice. If you don’t, you may lose it. Underclassmen, please consider joining the staff of The Harbour Voice because, from a biased perspective, it is the best opportunity to share your truth. Thank you, OBHS.
Jillian Haguisan: When I first joined The Harbour Voice, it wasn’t by choice; my 8th grade English teacher signed me up for Journalism in my freshman year without my knowledge, and I didn’t even want to take the class. I stuck with it, though, thinking it was just another elective to put on my transcript. Over time, I fell in love with writing, editing, and publishing articles, and I soon found myself being more and more involved with the paper.
I have many good memories of working on this paper, and I also could not have asked for a better Co-Editor-in-Chief, Ava. Despite struggling to work with InDesign and staring at a computer screen for hours, I will miss staying after school with Ava well after 5 pm just so we could go to print on time. Being a member of The Harbour Voice has exposed me to new experiences--valuable ones. And I am so happy that I stuck with it.
Shania Kuo
Editor-In-Chief (2017-2019)
Dear Harbour Voice readers,
Thank you for reading, and I’m thrilled to be returning as your Editor-in-Chief this year! This is my third year contributing to the staff of The Harbour Voice and my second year as Editor-in-Chief. I’ve been writing fictional novels for the past six years, but I fell in love with journalism in my sophomore year. It seems like only yesterday that I shadowed Steven Keehner, The Harbour Voice’s 2016-2017 Editor-in-Chief. It’s even more surreal to have said goodbye to my former Co-Editor-in-Chief, Matilde Bechet last year. However, I’m excited to see what changes I can bring this year. Although it is bittersweet entering my senior year, I’m aiming to do all I can for readers. My goal has not changed. I want to provide quality articles that are worth your attention. This year we have promising writers amongst our midst, and I hope you’re just as excited as I am to read the news. Thank you.
Shania Kuo, Editor-in-Chief
Matilde Bechet Editor-In-Chief (2017-2018)
Dear Harbour Voice readers,
My name is Matilde Bechet, and all you need to know about me is that I am a senior, an avid reader, a candid person, and a dedicated student. I know these qualities will help me as I take on my role as Co-Editor-in-Chief, along with Shania Kuo, of The Harbour Voice. I understand that in the twenty-first century it is difficult to ignore social media and dive into reading a newspaper such as The Harbour Voice. Nevertheless, I intend to disintegrate this mentality with the goal of writing articles that serve the student body well. This year, The Harbour Voice will continue its journey of promoting its print and online issues. It is our staff’s mission to provide students and faculty with the opportunity to read the news our student reporters write regularly. It will be our goal to inform our community about critical events. The Harbour Voice staff welcomes contributions and commentating from all students in grades 9-12. Remember: you do not have to be an aspiring journalist to contribute to The Harbour Voice. You just have to have a voice.
Matilde Bechet, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Steven Keehner Editor-In-Chief (2016-2017)
Dear Harbour Voice readers,
Welcome back! I am excited to finally be your Editor-in-Chief for this school year. Ever since I began writing for The Harbour Voice two years ago, I knew that this was where I wanted to end up. I’m very honored to have this role, and while taking over for my predecessor, Wendy Finn, will certainly be a difficult challenge, it’s one I’m ready to take on. This is a huge year for The Harbour Voice, as we are launching our online paper, TheHarbourVoice.Org, along with our standard printed issues. I’m thrilled to lead The Harbour Voice into this new era, even if I’ll only have one year to make the most out of it. I want to make the paper something that truly represents the heart of OBHS: the students. With new additions such as our "Literary/Art" and "La Voz Hispana" sections, I hope to achieve this goal. I hope you enjoy our work this school year; we as a staff work very hard to ensure that what we write is of the highest quality for you, our readers. Thank you.