Dear Tatler Poll,

I’m compelled to write you a letter about how much I appreciate you. I’m a devoted fan: I check my inbox three times each day—perfectly distributed at 8am in the morning, 4:00pm in the afternoon, and 12:00am at midnight—constantly awaiting your famed, fabulous and fantastic monthly email.

I think you are amazing because you provide an exact snapshot of how and what we, the students, are thinking about many events in school, in the nation, and in the world. You make me laugh every time I read you; we all appreciate your hilarious questions and sardonic answers. With the Tatler Poll, who needs TikTok videos or Buzzfeed articles? You are refreshing and you resonate with all of us; how could you be so nostalgic and so forward-thinking at the same time?

You are unique. Unlike the millions of surveys that we either deliberately ignore or are forced to fill out, our answers to your questions are not just collected into neat crimson-and-gold bars and pie charts. Instead, they’re a means of self-expression, showing what we love (snow days), what we hate (Romeo and Juliet), and what we both love and hate (the MLK assembly).

You don’t just give us numbers and charts. You’re not about the average, the mode, the third interquartile range, or the correlation coefficient. Instead, you’re all about how we are dynamically evolving. Just look at how you’ve changed between October and February; it’s a perfect mood chart for our seniors. The number of senior responses skyrocketed from barely twenty to over fifty. Maybe the romance of February attracted more senior Tatler lovers?

What makes you insightful isn’t just the number of responses. Non-responses count even more. Recall one of your questions a few months ago: “are you someone with moderate, conservative, or underrepresented political opinions who would be interested in writing about their viewpoint for the Tatler? If so, please leave your email below.” Zero responses. Were you surprised?

As Vincent W. ’21, Tatler’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, says: “you are invaluable—your gathered knowledge is never just thrown away.”

You are the best place for us, the student body, to vent and rant. It’s the only place we dare to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Regardless of how we respond—a heated opinion on reopening, a yes or a no, random keyboard smashing—we know that the efforts are always appreciated, even if we’re just an insignificant little row in a Google spreadsheet.

Tatler Poll, you have an outstanding reputation. In a survey-filled world where polls survive through virtuousness and dependability, all of us should look up to your standards. You are of the students, by the students, and for the students, and for that, you deserve a standing ovation. Keep it up, Tatler Poll!

Sincerely Yours,

A Faithful Fan