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VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1 – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER – 2026-27

Dear Readers,

While the tree leaves redden, brown, and eventually fall unlike the increasing workload, The Sting is delighted to present our first issue of the 2026-2027 school year! We hope your first semester is on a fantastic (and not sleep-deprived) start, and we sincerely hope you appreciate the hard work that The Sting's exemplary staff writers and editors have poured into this packed issue. 

In this issue, you’ll find out how Holmdellians are responding to the many changes taking place in the township and school district. From students banding together to get to and from school (see: Kim Hong’s feature on student drivers carpooling peers), to the proposal of new controversial facilities (see: Brian Zhang’s article on the data center proposal near Bell Works), and the upcoming elections for new BOE members (see: Andrew Hum’s article on your BOE candidates), this year has already begun on an unfamiliar road, even to those of us who’ve been here for years.

Amidst unprecedented change in our community has also arisen unprecedented progress in the omnipresence of artificial intelligence. Whether that’s in the games we play while procrastinating doing homework (see: Lucas Chin’s article on AI bringing together video games), or the very places that govern us (see: Akshara Srinivasan & Cheryl Nolan’s article on AI going rogue), artificial intelligence is here and it’s here to stay. Whether or not that’s a good thing will be up to you. 

Serious matters aside, you’ll also find some of the arts and entertainment that The Sting has been playing on repeat, whether it came out in the last month or so (See: Sofia Biccari’s article on Lizzy McAlpine’s Angel), or the past summer (see: Sarina Patel’s article on you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love). Chances are, you might’ve heard some of these songs in your friend’s car on the way to school. 

The Sting is also excited to announce a website of our own on the horizon! Although we are bittersweet to anticipate this beautiful issue to be the last one of its kind, we cannot be more ecstatic to transition to our new home. Please check our Instagram (@thestinghhs) for more updates on our transition to a digital website. Website or not, though, we continue to ask that you read our staff’s quality work with an eagerness to hear the voice of the students and, as always, with an open mind. 

Happy Reading!

Kim, Andrew, Akshara, Amishi, and Andy

The Sting Editors-in-Chief