Created as an offshoot of the Sextant in 1953, Belmont Hill’s The Panel has a rich history that has led to the newspaper developing into what it is today. Over the next few decades, students from Belmont Hill and Winsor worked together on issues to produce many collaborative articles that related to the schools before splitting off just five years ago in 2019. As Winsor Archivist Ms. Warren said, “It is fascinating to see how, for over 50 years, Winsor students have shared their curiosity and opinions about their school community and the larger world via the pages of the school paper with Belmont Hill.” In this article, through a collaboration with Winsor and a deep dive into the archives, we examine the intertwined stories of both schools’ newspapers.
In 1924, Belmont Hill’s first copy of The Sextant magazine was distributed. The magazine included works of literature and art of students and updates of the school, while also serving as the alumni bulletin and yearbook. It was clear that The Sextant included far too many subjects, which consequently led to the publication of The Panel as Belmont Hill’s school newspaper in 1953. The Sextant continues on today as an art magazine similar to Winsor’s The Lamp.
In its early years, both faculty and students used the Panel to report any upcoming events or updates that concerned the institution, as well as sports news. The newspaper also housed “Letter to the Editor” articles, where students could write about opinions they felt passionately about in the school. The paper quickly gained traction among students, and as coordination became increasingly effective, Winsor girls joined the staff to report their own school’s news in the 1973-1974 issue of the Panel. An article in one of the very early issues of the collaboration between the two schools stated, “To handle the articles from Winsor, Antoinette LaFarge has been appointed news editor. Also, Christine Wilson is sports editor, Marjorie Gordon [is] feature editor, and Amey Witbeck [is] photography editor.” During this time, Mr. John Myers—the faculty advisor—strongly encouraged the collaboration of the schools, which led to even more involvement from Winsor; in the 29th Volume of the Panel, published in the early 1980s, a Winsor student was named co-editor-in-chief for the first time.
The first joint issue of The Panel had a short article on the first page explaining, “You are now reading a different and improved Panel. First, The Panel now serves the students of both Belmont Hill and Winsor, and is produced as a joint effort of students from the two schools.”
Sometimes, students from both schools would come together to research, report on, and compare topics, such as the academic integrity systems at both schools. In Harold Prenatt’s Belmont Hill School 1923: An Anniversary Album, the author mentions, “these joint projects would take months, and lots of research between the schools took place…They were a strong testament to the collaboration made between the two schools.” Along with these collaborative articles, the strong coordination between the institutions was apparent when observing the staff members of Volume 34 of The Panel: Out of the 22 editors, half were from Winsor. That same year, the newspaper won a certificate from the New England Scholastic Press Association for “highest Achievement In Scholastic Editing and Publishing,” and finished 2nd place in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s annual Contest Critique, the most prestigious contest for high school newspapers in the nation.
As time went on, joint articles began losing popularity and the two schools soon wrote the majority of their articles separately while publishing them in the same newspaper.While Winsor did separate themselves from the Panel to become the Winsor Banner, the schools still participate in crossover articles from time to time.
Despite the fact that Belmont Hill and Winsor are no longer connected by a joint newspaper, the two schools still write articles together from time to time, such as the annual “Switch Day,” where students from each school swap roles and spend a day at each other’s school.
The respective papers of The Panel and The Banner will always share a history, and collaboration between the schools will continue into the future.
