Timothy Spencer (12, YPAS) recently created a Manual-based community on the popular social media mega-forum website Reddit.

The forum, known as a “subreddit” by users, already has 46 subscribers and is intended to operate as a hub for Manual news and student interaction outside of school.

The group also serves the potential purpose of allowing Manual alumni to reconnect with the Manual community and to stay updated with news that affects the school today.

Content on the subreddit so far has ranged from news postings to a discussion on mandatory ID wearing to a petition to allow teenagers to intern at the mayor’s office.

Spencer distributed flyers around the school to promote awareness about the subreddit, and says he intends for the community to be student-run.

“Reddit does a much better job of preserving the anonymity of its users than do other popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, making it attractive as a student-driven space where people don’t feel like administrators are stalking them,” Spencer said. “I want the subreddit to be an open forum.”

Some students have expressed concern that the school administration will tamper with or monitor the site. According to Assistant Principal Mr. Gregory Kuhn, this is not likely.

“We do not monitor Twitter or Facebook unless we get tips that something hurtful is happening,” Kuhn said. “We’re not going to track what people post on here.”