This past week, I’ve spent my afternoons adjusting the lights up the grid of the Black Box theater. The older, halogen lamps reach hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit, and I find myself contorting my body into odd angles on the mesh of wires to focus the beams of light, hoping to avoid burns on my exposed forearms. The lights get so hot that I sometimes have to fan my hands to clear the air of smoke; spotlights burn dust.

By the time we will have published this issue, the election has already occurred. Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States of America. However, beyond the simple fact that President Trump will take office in a couple months, I can make not further predictions about what the next four years of history hold.

However, I can say with utmost certainty that in the weeks to come, journalists from across the nation will be working overtime, publishing opinions and news articles about all the prospective cabinet members. Regular citizens will be loudly declaring which policies they think are evil and which they think are created by God to save our broken nation. Common rooms will grow raucous with debate long after curfew. The spotlight of the election will shine brightly on the various political figures, yes, but it will also shine brightly on the personal beliefs of every person invested in the future of this nation.

The sheer omnipresence of the election may cause us to question our own political opinions and critically shape our thoughts about our nation for the first time in our young lives. An election can, even at Deerfield, burn away the obfuscating dust of daily routine and insignificant worries. It shines a focused and piercing light on what you value, how you deal with ethical dilemmas, and how you choose to navigate difficult conversations. And as any seasoned actor or techie might tell you, that light will cause you to sweat.

Deerfield, I ask that you handle the spotlight of the election with grace and humility. When someone inevitably says the wrong thing at the wrong time, be graceful enough to let your peers have another chance to get the line right. When the play reaches its inevitable cli- max in the second act conflict, re- member that you are friends once the curtain falls. When the lights begin to dim, don’t forget the clos- ing lines of the play.

This election matters, Deerfield. But on our campus, what matters most is how we conduct ourselves in its midst and in its wake. Do not abandon the principles of kindness and open-mindedness toward your fellow students in the name of a tax policy. Do not reduce intellectual curiosity and breadth of interest to a footnote in the name of following the party line. And above everything else, don’t turn off the spotlight because it gets too hot.

Politics are uncomfortable. We are told from a young age not to discuss them around the dinner table at home, and politely (if wordlessly) asked to refrain from them at the sit-down table. In our increasingly polarized society, calling into question someone’s political views is beyond rude: in high school, it can be socially ruinous. I would hope that we all find the courage to embrace this discomfort. It’s healthy to feel confused, angry, or upset when discussing such contentious and emotional issues as abortion, immigration, and gun violence. While it’s pertinent to be mindful of expressing these emotions in a controlled manner, don’t avoid these discus- sions to avoid feeling them. To continue my long-winded, theater-kid metaphor, actors don’t ask to turn off the spotlights if their costume is getting a little stuffy. Otherwise, how else would the audience see the show?

I am looking forward to the in- auguration day; I am just as eager as the rest of you to see what the next four years of American history will entail. But even more than that, I am looking forward to the night of sitting in an abandoned class- room with my friends and watch- ing Trump’s second first State of the Union address projected over half erased geometry problems turn red and blue. I am looking forward to community time in the weeks to follow, debating my friends over coffee and bagels in the D-hall with the ferocity of professional parlia- mentarians. In the months to follow, I am looking forward to editing OpEds covering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s possible appointment as the Dirctor of Department of Health and Human Services. I can’t wait to see the spotlight shine on us, and to have it reveal the thriving setpieces of curiosity and compassion that our community has meticulously built.

The lights are on, Deerfield. Break a leg.

Yours faithfully in writing,

Anna Jo Guerrini