We have just launched a redesign of the Lion’s Tale website. At the beginning of the year, we described the new kehillahs, new schedules and new administration that have already begun impacting our school. Following suit, we now have a new website, with a new focus on you.

We want to hear what you have to say. As is apparent, we’ve already begun to publish articles that we think you as students, teachers and faculty will want to read, and we encourage you to browse our website. Explore the interview with JTTP teacher Paul Blank. Learn about how your classmates will be spending winter break. Relive the experience of the first 2014-2015 promposal. We want to become the news source for you: for your interests and your opinions.

We recognize the challenge that we face as a website today. We’re competing against the news and media websites you already use – against Buzzfeed’s lists of delicious desserts, against the New York Times’ Friday briefings.

But The Lion’s Tale is doing more than simply competing with your other sites; we’re competing to give you the most up-to-date, balanced news about the CESJDS community.

The Lion’s Tale, as we explain in our ethics policy, aims to inform the JDS community and to express the views of our staff and readers. In order to do this effectively, we believe it is necessary to give you the full story, presenting the variety of opinions from both students and the administration.

We believe that today, far too many news sources present their stories in too one-sided of a manner. Yet these stories still have a tremendous impact on the population, influencing the way we understand major issues.

We recognize the inherent bias that exists in journalism, and how easy it can be to write an article that supports one’s opinions. We too have biases: as members of a pluralistic Jewish school, we are far more sympathetic towards Israel and the Jewish people, and we promote pluralism. But that doesn’t change our intentions of writing articles: to provide you with the most accurate and balanced information.

We don’t expect you to agree with everything we write. The Lion’s Tale website was designed with the intention of helping you form your opinions, not define them.

We hope the Lion’s Tale website will become a place that provokes discussions. We want our articles to make you think about the problems or information they present. We want our opinion pieces to make you think about the point the writer argues, and maybe even change your mind.

But we need your input for the website to truly become such a place that provokes thought. Write letters to the editor. Comment on our posts. Share your opinions on the articles that interest you. We want to hear what you have to say. The only way we can truly express your opinions is if you share them with us. So provide us with input: help us create a website dedicated to serving you.