Editor-in-Chiefs 2025-2026 Sign Offs
Ainsley Benbow
“The world does not need an artificial intelligence that diminishes humanity. Rather it needs human intelligence enlightened by wisdom, political authority guided by conscience and technological innovation directed by charity. Only then will artificial intelligence become not a rival to humanity but a servant of the common good. Yet every technological achievement also confronts humanity with a moral question, not merely what can we do, but what ought we to do?”
Pope Leo XIV
Creativity in the 21st century has truly become an anomaly.
I don’t mean to prey on those poor Year 12 students probably traumatised from The Crucible, but when I heard this quote, it just made sense. Especially over the past few years, AI and technology has increasingly evolved, changing the way we communicate, create and consume information. With the ability to simply generate an essay, image, video or idea within seconds, creativity can sometimes feel like it is becoming less and less about creating, and more about producing. Where does it cross the line? When does creativity end?
We are constantly surrounded by technology that asks, what can we do? Yet perhaps, the more important question is, what should we do?
This is where The Mary Word comes in.
I can’t really remember when I joined the Mary Word. It must’ve been in Year 8 or Year 9 because my sister and her friends always went and I thought it would be a fun new activity and opportunity to try with a few of my friends.
While originally it was my sister than drew me to The Mary Word, I quickly realised that I had found something that was also entirely my own.
Throughout high school, as I soon learned when joining, was not only a space to write articles and each lunch with your friends in an air-conditioned room, but a creative outlet that inspires, encourages and allowed expression in every aspect of life and through every medium, whether than be writing, drawing, video editing or even comics!
Moreover, it has been an environment where I have been able to meet and talk to new people across different year groups, and even the beloved primary school, but it has allowed me to flourish creatively. It gave me the freedom to research topics I was genuinely interested in, experiment with different forms and most importantly, learn how to turn an idea into something you can show the world.
During my time at Loreto, I have tried an array of extracurricular activities, from Water Polo, Photography Club, Orchestra, Art Open Studio, Duke of Edinburgh and more! However, none have compared to The Mary Word - it truly is a treasure within itself.
Further, in working beside the incredibly smart and insightful Jo, Kenzie, and Mr Scali, I have learnt so much about leadership, collaboration, and mostly, organisation. For these reasons, I can’t truly put into words how grateful I am for The Mary Word, and it’s continual impact in my life, and beyond.
The Mary Word has reminded me that creativity is not simply about making something new, but having the courage to ask questions, explore ideas, express yourself, and, sometimes, create something that didn’t exist before.
Creativity in the 21st century sure is an anomaly, but one that can be protected, nurtured, and reinvented.
As I leave The Mary Word, I hope that spirit continues, as well as one of felicity, kindness and openness - through every article, illustration, video, idea, and slightly chaotic lunchtime meeting that follows.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed over the years and to everyone who me and the team has worked with, you are all so incredibly hardworking, and I can’t wait to see what you create in the future.
Because, ultimately, technology may ask what we can create.
But it is up to us to decide what we ought to create.
Joanna Cowan
Paris Geller once said: "Please remember that I am your editor. I am not your mother, or your hugger. If you need some love, get someone else. My door is not open to you, ever. You have five minutes to enjoy your cookies. Nothing less than perfect will be tolerated. Welcome to the Yale Daily News."
I hope I didn’t embody this.
This year, taking on the role of Editor-in-Chief beside the amazing, talented and passionate Ainsley and Mackenzie, was frankly daunting. I initially didn’t apply for the role, worried I wouldn’t be able to fulfill it, but after being encouraged by the EIC’s I decided to apply and I'm so glad I did. The Mary Word is full of such passionate, creative women who will no doubt shape our future with their strong sense of justice, integrity and grounded mindsets. It has been an honour to lead a group that rallies around each other at every opportunity and produces such intellectual and heartfelt articles.
It has been such a joy to witness how different people are passionate about different topics and how, without the constraints of school assignment guidelines, the girls' writing flourishes. It has always amazed me how we can be made of the same DNA, flesh and blood but end up being passionate about such different things. So my advice is to follow that passion, write about it, think about it, make mistakes when you're writing and reconsider your perspectives and most importantly enjoy it.
Further advice to all future Mary Word members is ‘don’t wait to strike then the time is perfectly right’; make that video now, write that article for a later issue now, you will regret it if you don’t. I personally wished I had made the time to film another ‘teachers guess the song’ video, or started my “Ask Mary” column earlier but these are regrets I will live with. The year gets busy very fast, don’t let it pass you by.
So I hope my time here looked more like this:
"Please remember that I am your editor. I may not be your mother, or your hugger. But if you need a friend I hope I can be there for a chat. My door is open to you, always. You have five minutes to enjoy your cookies. All mistakes and trials will be tolerated. Welcome to The Mary Word."
Mackenzie (Kenzie) Eyles
“I don't know if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to participate.” When I first read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this line stuck with me. There’s something about being so caught up in experiencing life that you forget to stop and document it. And I think, in a way, that’s what Mary Word has always been for me: a reason to stop, look around, and put our experiences into words.
I joined The Mary Word in 2021, and somehow, almost six years later, I’m writing my final sign-off as Editor in Chief. My time here hasn’t been completely linear, I came and went between 2021 and 2024 before becoming an editor for two years. But no matter how much time passed, Mary Word always felt like something I could come back to.
Becoming EIC alongside two of my closest friends is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Getting that email together, knowing that we were going to spend our final year of high school creating something we cared about, was one of those moments that made everything feel real.
Mary Word has always been more than just a newspaper. It has been a creative outlet, a place to turn half-formed ideas into something real, and, most importantly, a space where I never felt like I had to censor myself. It was a place free of judgement, where being passionate, weird, opinionated, creative or completely ridiculous was encouraged.
And while I’m so excited to see where Mary Word goes next, I already know I’m going to miss it. I’ll miss the meetings, the deadlines, the last-minute edits, the inside jokes, the chaos of putting an issue together and that feeling when you finally get to hold something you created in your hands. Most of all, I’ll miss having a reason to write.
So, to the future EICs, three things:
1. Don’t be afraid to make it yours.
Mary Word has a history, but your year doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Change things. Try something new. Let it reflect the people who make it.
2. Say yes to every idea.
Some of the best things come from ideas that sound slightly ridiculous at first. Give them a chance.
3. Enjoy it while you’re in it.
There will always be another deadline, another article to edit and another issue to finish. But eventually, there won’t be. So take the photos, laugh at the chaos, stay a little longer after meetings and appreciate the people around you.
I think that’s what I’m taking away from Mary Word most of all: sometimes you have to stop trying to make everything perfect and just participate. Write the article. Have an idea. Make a stupid joke. Create something just because you can.
Thank you to everyone who has written, edited, photographed, designed, contributed, read, supported and believed in Mary Word over the years. Thank you for giving me a place to create and a community to create with.
And if I don’t have time to write any more letters, I suppose it’s because I’ll be too busy trying to participate.
"And in this moment I swear, we are infinite."
