by Jeffrey Mu ‘24, Ronak Chadha ‘25
In earlier Letters we documented the improvements made to the Bell Online website, and the sense of community that the Online’s office fosters amongst its members. We’ve branched out with student-run clubs and the parent and alumni community, grown into the famous Bellarmine brotherhood, grounded the Paper with articles of all types, and dug for new stories. This past semester, we encouraged our writers to write from the roots, addressing the aspects that shape who they are and, in turn, the voices that make the Bell Online so resilient as an organization.
In a sense, old roots build new ones. The Online sought to cover the experiences of individuals whose presences have been continuous sources of joy for the Bellarmine community, and radiating sources of growth. Jake Kwon ‘26, our Academics Editor, wrote about the unique journey of Mr. Xavier Liu, an alumni of the Class of ‘17 and now a teacher at Bell, a mentor best known by his students in the Speech and Debate community as “Momma X.” In the classroom, Brenden Morrow ‘27 covered the new Ethnics Studies class with a passion, one which Mr. Liu happened to be teaching, rocking a brand-new curriculum. Outside, the transition from the old event of VEX to FTC meant a whole new chapter for the Bellarmine Robotics Team, one which Rayyan Mohamed ‘25 discovered put Bells onto the CenterStage.
Our community is composed not only of teachers, but also of tireless administrators who work to advise and guide students. Ani Janakiraman ‘26 introduced our new Assistant Principal Mr. Rod Jemison and his unique educational background, stemming from an entire ocean away. I welcomed Ms. Uribe, my college counselor and mentor who has guided me through the complicated process, every step of the way.
And as we delved deep, we discovered we were quite literally being ‘uprooted’ as Berchmans Hall took to the skies, with Ben Quach ’27 covering the changes to a Jesuit building that had stood strong for decades, and will now find its new home in the now-Matthewson Area. Understandably, such an operation required the resources of many, as Daniel Chu ‘25 interviewed Mr. Ron Miller on the new Jesuit Residence built at the back of O’Donnell, one which students have marveled at for the better part of a year, and is finally taking shape. In place of the demolished Wade Hall is to be an aptly-named Wade Academic Center, a building Administration projects will be completed in Winter of 2025.
Of course, readers can expect consistent coverage of sports this semester, returning to the roots of our most popular articles. Matthew Suh ‘24, Sports Editor, covered the highly anticipated Holy War Game, and though the game itself came to a disappointing end, our readers could cheer themselves up with exclusive coverage of football and basketball here on the Online. Bells could also expect to read a new series spearheaded by Janakiraman, who introduced Humans of Bell, highlighting student life and student projects, like a mask company founded by Harshil Ahuja ‘24. Students, faculty, and staff can expect podcast episodes hosted by Ronak Chadha ‘24, coupled with opinion and collaboration articles published in WGOTW, and in parent newsletters.
We hope that our readers will share in the enthusiasm of this past semester, and that they find comfort in returning to the roots of the stories where it all started. Together, we continue to grow strong.
Jeffrey Mu ‘24, Ronak Chadha ‘25