The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

LGBTQ+ students at MSD struggle with recent targeted legislation

By Brynn Schwartz and Andie Korenge November 17, 2023

*Names indicated with an asterisk were changed to shield the identity of the student or faculty member to protect their privacy Conflicted, a student pauses outside the bathroom entrance. Weighing the...

Generation Under Fire

By Georgia Grad and Eden Conner November 17, 2023

Everyone is in Taper Gymnasium. It’s an all-school assembly, and students are packed on the bleachers: sophomores and juniors on one side of the gym, and seniors on the other. Head of Upper School Beth...

According to the Bs survey, 71% of students feel they do not get enough sleep.

Sleep deprivation takes a toll on students

By Arda Inegol, Burlingame High School - CA November 17, 2023

Sleep. It is something that everyone needs, but few high schoolers seem to be able to get, especially at Burlingame. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that high school-aged teens...

Coppell High School English Honors II teacher Ericka Cansino gives sophomore Solomon Lee feedback and corrections on his timed writing on Nov. 1 at the CHS Library. Cansino stepped into her teaching role two months into the 2023-24 school year with her unique background in education.

Cansino’s new beginnings

By Sabah Uddin, Coppell High School November 17, 2023

After an unexpected vacancy for a Coppell High School’s English II Honors teacher, the scramble for a new teacher began amidst a teacher shortage two weeks into the school year.  Ericka Cansino took...

Venezuelan migrants pose for a photo outside of the 18th District Police Station.

A Sanctuary City: Exploring Chicago’s Migrant Crisis

By Rohin Shah and Cherish Curtis November 17, 2023

Disclaimer: This article contains quotations that were translated from another language and edited for clarity. In addition, for privacy reasons, The Forum is using only the first names of some of the...

Elementary school teacher Abigail Peterson strolls on Oct. 15 through the park she use to play in as a kid. As she walked, she came upon a surprise orchestrated by math teacher Gabe Owens. Who would have thought a school hashtag would allow us to meet, Peterson posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Oct. 16. Now he’s my fiancé.

Love at 1st Tweet: Hashtag unites teacher & basketball coach

By Gracie Archibeque, Prosper High School November 16, 2023

Using the hashtag "#ProsperProud," last April, elementary school teacher Abigail Peterson tweeted  about Baker Elementary's Musical Theater Club, showing off her kids singing a "High School Musical" song. ...

Just a few weeks ago, culinary teacher Anthony Chevalier moved his classes into the new kitchen built on campus. The cooking started shortly after, along with the life lessons he mixes into each recipe.

Chef Chevalier adds spice with culinary master class

By Luke Cavallo, Kingwood Park High School November 16, 2023

As a major part of the recent construction, a new kitchen has opened to accommodate the newly created culinary arts program. At the head of the program is instructor Anthony Chevalier. Chevalier brings...

During the 2019 investigation into Belmont resident Paul Farmers disappearance, Belmont Police Department officers such as Corporal Brian Vogel, coordinated with the Belmont community to assist with the search. So when we get a missing persons case its going to take high priority. Were going to take all of our available officers and as many community members as possible to get into the area and start looking for that person, Vogel said. Thats where social media has been great. Being able to use platforms like Twitter and Next Door, those are our two primary uses of social media to be able to get that persons picture out, be able to get their description out, because that really helped in terms of us getting a lead on where he may be.

Gone but not forgotten

By Erik Cheng, Carlmont High School November 16, 2023

One out of 26 in San Mateo County. Yet one of very few in Belmont. An evening stroll turned sour as Paul Farmer left his home in 2019 and vanished, spawning a citywide search and a collaboration to ensure...

Trash cans at WHS overflow with trash every day. Food that could be saved is often thrown into them, causing them to overflow and leading to more food waste. Photo by Emma Lynn.

Waste: Is it a Problem at Wadsworth High School?

By Alex Banks, Emma Lynn, and Reagan Riggenbach November 16, 2023

With overflowing trash cans and food left across the lunch tables of WHS, the question arises; does WHS waste significant amounts of food? Because they never know exactly how many students they...

Senior Dana Zafarani poses in paint reading “Women, Life, Freedom” and “%23BarayeAzadi” as a protest against the Iranian government. The experiences of Iranian women inspired Zafarani to assist in any effort to protect women’s rights. “The world should live in peace. Every woman deserves to be equal. Every woman deserves love [and] kindness,” Zafarani said.

Woman, Life, Freedom

By Will Gonsior, Parkway West High School November 16, 2023

An oppressive republic On Sept. 16, 2022, Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini passed away in custody of the Iranian government. Amini had been arrested three days earlier for improperly wearing her hijab. Although...

Latin JSC meeting for students to show support and learn about recent Jewish holiday Sukkot.

War in Israel and Gaza Hits Home For the Latin Jewish Community

By Natasha Benjamin, Latin School of Chicago November 16, 2023

Sophomore Ellie Falk woke up on October 7 and felt suffocated by the news. “When I first heard the news that Hamas invaded Israel, my heart sank with worry and grief about what would happen to these...

Liberty’s Pizza owners Sam (middle) and Shery (right) Maksimous are pictured behind their shop’s front desk with a customer. On Oct. 3, the auto body shop in the Cochituate Plaza caught on fire, causing significant smoke damage to Liberty’s. “We lost our lives,” owner Shery Maksimous said. “The business is like our home [since] we’re not from here. My husband and I have fought to get a good life for us and our four kids. When [the fire] started, it [hurt us because] our whole family’s [sacrifices] were in the store. My kids grew up there.”

Liberty’s Pizza: Wayland community supports owners as they rebuild lives after fire

By Selena Liu and Tina Su November 16, 2023

For many immigrant families, coming to America is the ultimate sacrifice. With their entire lives behind them, rebuilding their life in an unknown environment in hopes of improving their family’s future...

“I’m the type of person who’s drawn to excitement, can’t sit still or always has the next crazy idea. It’s not in my nature, but I learned to sit down and enjoy the process of what I’m doing, the process of tackling issues or looking at unexpected results in a positive way,” Kaitlyn Wang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: No door left unopened

By Ella Yee, The Harker Upper School November 15, 2023

Ever wondered about how we got to planet Earth? Curious about exoplanets that endure extreme conditions to orbit their host stars? Kaitlyn Wang (12) is the person to talk to. But she’s also someone who’s...

Senior Alex Funk leaves school in the afternoon to hangout at a friends house. Funk served as a page in Washington D.C. last fall for Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Alex Funk selected for Senate Page Program

By Cole Nuss, Stillwater Area High School November 15, 2023

Beep Beep Beep! The alarm clock goes off at 5 a.m. for senior Alex Funk. She stumbles out of bed on her way to breakfast, the warm smell of coffee fills the air as she nears. She packs up her stuff for...

Mishra (third from left) and Hommez (right most) pose with their fellow elementary Science Olympiad coaches and teacher adviser before a tournament, located at Sierra Vista Middle School. “The [original] idea for OCAST was elementary Science Olympiad,” Hommez said. “We were planning on creating that at Woodbury, but due to COVID, we were unable to, so we started OCAST instead. But a year later, we were able to get in touch with the principal.”

OCAST “Casts” A Love for Science Upon Young Scholars

By Michael Sun, Portola High School November 15, 2023

Every problem has a solution — you just have to find it. Emergency Distance Learning, back in 2020, was exactly that problem, with seniors Zara Hommez and Siya Mishra discerning a divide between...

In AcLab, freshman Max Ottinger types his notes on a BrailleNote. SSD teacher Laura Beckhard reads to him from the textbook so he can transfer the notes.

A different view

By Samantha Haney, Lafayette High School November 15, 2023

“Max is like any other kid, he just can’t see,” Ed Ottinger, freshman Max Ottinger’s dad, said. Max lost his vision due to a brain tumor cutting off blood pressure to his optic nerve when he...

Talan Nelson photographing the University of Iowa football game against Purdue on Oct. 7 2023.

Finding Comfort Behind The Camera

By Ali Parkhurst, Waterloo West High School November 15, 2023

Senior Talan Nelson, typically seen in his maroon and white overalls, has earned a permanent front row spot at all the Wahawk athletic events. As a student section leader, Nelson brings energy to the crowd...

Leo Horton and Shawn Pichardo workshopping one of the students beats that they made on FL Studio. Through their course, Horton and Pichardo went through every single students beats with the entire class and they were all able to celebrate each other and their hard work.

Horton and Pichardo bring their beats down South

By Matthias Jaylen Sandoval, The Masters School November 15, 2023

When teen songwriters, singers and producers Leo Horton and Shawn Pichardo ‘24 started Beats 4 Justice, their mission centered around teaching underserved students across the United States how to...

Senior Truth Dukes pours syrup on her pancakes during Texas High Schools annual Bacon fry at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 7, 2023. The bacon fry has been a tradition for years in preparation of the Texas vs Arkansas game. However, the game has not been played since the 2019 football season. Texas High continues the tradition regardless of if the game takes place or not.

Annual bacon fry held at Tiger Stadium

By Haley Waddell, Texas High School November 14, 2023

The smell of bacon fills the field as people file into the stands, carrying plates piled with pancakes and bacon. Seniors stand at tables to the side, helping those who come up to get a portion of this...

CHS9 student Varshita Nidamanuri places a sticky note with an encouraging message on the mirror in the F hall restroom. Hope Squad is a suicide prevention program to reduce youth suicide through education, training and peer intervention. Photo by Sukirtha Muthiah

Hope Squad shining light on teenage suicide

By Manasa Borra, Coppell High School November 14, 2023

Every two hours and 11 minutes, one person under the age of 25 commits suicide. It is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and takes the lives of 5,000 kids every year.  School grades,...

Boredom Fuels Success

By Liz Sleper, West Delaware High School November 14, 2023

Senior Zach Wenger is not a fan of boredom. During the fall season alone, he was involved in varsity cross country, marching band, choir, and swim team. Despite his split focus among these activities,...

Sexual assault survivors can often feel invisible in the midst of everyone elses lives.

Confronting the silence surrounding sexual assault

By Anushka Anand, Lynbrook High School - CA November 14, 2023

This story contains references to content that may be difficult for those who have experienced trauma or are sensitive to topics concerning sexual violence and assault. *Names changed for privacy ...

Some teachers make the effort to include phonetics beside unfamiliar names. When teachers properly learn and welcome diverse names, every student feels included and welcomed, which leads to better student-teacher relationships and a more productive education.

Lost in pronunciation: Mispronounced names unveil lack of respect for students

By Laura Chen and Prerna Vanga November 13, 2023

Student experience As students walk into their first day of school, they feel a mix of anxiety, excitement and confusion. Along with these feelings, some students are plagued with an added emotion:...

Retired engineer and German immigrant Norbert Frueh visits German classes to converse with and help students.

Herr Ye, Herr Ye: German Teachers Bring In Help To Coach Students

By Alisa Kovaleva, Cherry Creek High School November 13, 2023

German teacher Susanne Smith annually registers students for the Goethe-Institute International German Exam, an official assessment of German abilities recognized by schools and employers worldwide. ...

Harper and his wife, Vickie Harper. Photo courtesy of Kimberly Maxon.

A name to remember

By Saraphina Wambi, BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL November 10, 2023

For former building substitute Bruno Harper, Blue Valley Northwest wasn’t just his place of work but was also somewhere he enjoyed being every day, principal’s assistant Dianne Waldo said. Harper passed...

The Downfall map is used for one of the current campaigns of the Dungeons and Dragons Club. The dungeon master’s role is to create a world and story for their campaign, which can entail mapping out specific elements of their story.

A dungeon master’s guide to exploring worlds

By Kate Metcalf, White Station High School November 10, 2023

The night is peaceful. Not a sound is heard save for the gentle and rhythmic buzz of cicadas and the crackling of a fire within the ancient forest. A group has stopped to rest for the night, sleeping soundly...

Mr. Rudy Bilka served in the Unites States Army. One of his most memorable experiences was a deployment to South Korea, where he patrolled the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. (Inset photo courtesy of Rudy Bilka)

Service to Students and Country: Honoring TASD’s Veterans

By Alyssa Houck, Tyrone Area High School November 10, 2023

Veterans Day is a time to honor the service of past and present members of the US military, and the Tyrone Area School District is fortunate to have several teachers and staff members who also served the...

Burned remains of a car ravaged by the fires

Lahaina fires: The recovery

By Ellie Fink, Mid-Pacific Institute November 10, 2023

On Aug. 8, a wildfire rapidly consumed the homes and lives of citizens residing in West Maui. Experts said the fire was potentially caused by an electrical pole that had been knocked down by the gales...

Quintuplets wear matching school spirit t-shirts to football game. The number 11 t-shirts were a node to former player Graylan Spring for the black out football game against Cedar Park.

A quint’s quest to individuality: The Jones family takes on high school

By Katherine Dale, Vandegrift High School November 9, 2023

Quintuplets - five offspring born from a single birth - are an atypical phenomenon, happening in roughly every one out of 60 million births domestically. Since the first set of quintuplets, society has...

The semicolon is used as a symbol for individuals who have gone through depression or other mental health issues.  It represents that despite hardships, instead of ending their story with a period they use a semicolon and continue.

Community members share experience with suicide prevention, awareness

By Jumana Alsaadoon, Harrisonburg High School November 8, 2023

Kevin Long and his daughter Molly walked together. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) holds walks citywide, where individuals can go to support and raise awareness for suicide prevention....

“It won’t happen to me”

By Karina Grokhovskaya, Liberty High School - TX November 8, 2023

It won’t happen to me. It's not even in my family. Words that go through a lot of women’s mind when it comes to cancer. Words that campus SPED Evaluation Clerk Regina Booth thought as well. “It...

Fatimah Hussain learned many skills necessary for Unicorn Lock outside of school. This included a mix between self-learning and learning from her mentors.

Learning by Doing: How Fatimah Hussain Journeyed Through her 1st 3D Printing Business

By Hebe Wang, Dougherty Valley High School November 8, 2023

Current DVHS senior Fatimah Hussain founded her first 3D printing business back in 2021. Despite continuing to make three more businesses afterwards, it was her first business where she really learned...

At the annual Out of Darkness Walk on Nov. 4, Jerry Craven, Nate Craven, and Rebecca Craven hold a poster, created by the Rushing cheer team to honor their son, Isaac Craven. Hundreds of people, as well as local businesses and teams came to support suicide prevention. The walk started at 9:30 a.m. in Prospers Windsong Ranch.

Prosper takes steps into ‘the light’

By Lauren Clayton and Tess Gagliano November 8, 2023

Different colored beads hung on the wall, each color representing a struggle. Every person – each student, each parent, each grandparent, each teacher, each child, each community member – had a...

One student talks about how attractive they imagine the main protagonist is, another describes the negative effects mental health can have on a student, and a third just blatantly states that she hates the ending of her book. The club Page Turners, led by President senior Ellie Knaggs, meets every Tuesday in the library and is a place for students to come and talk about books. “It’s just a place to come and bring so many ideas and opinions into play,” Knaggs said. “We have had some really great discussions in the past, sometimes it’s just talking about like ‘Oh yes, I love that trope’ or ‘this fictional couple is so cute.’ Sometimes the [author] talked about this really heavy topic like abuse or hunger or war and I think it’s something we should talk about and so we will.”

A Community of Book Lovers

By Kassidy Wilkinson, Cedar Park High School November 8, 2023

Around the table, smiles dance on the faces of club members. They laugh with each other and talk about the cliché boy-meets-girl romance tropes and the different perspectives books give on historical...

Flat Chris stands proud at a Marching Band event this fall.

‘Flat Chris’ contributes to school environment

By Lily Blower, Revere High School November 7, 2023

Most people think that having a reputation, a personality and even an Instagram account demands a third dimension, but Flat Chris disproves this theory on all counts. Flat Chris is a local celebrity at...

Some Jewish students feel the need to disguise their religious identities due to rising antisemitism. This is a societal problem. Can we completely eradicate hate? Campus Middle School Principal Lisa Staal said. Id like to think so. But in order to do that, we need allies and advocates.

“That’s What My Grandparents Did”: Jewish Students Force to Adapt to Antisemitism in Schools and Beyond

By Alex Gribb, Cherry Creek High School November 7, 2023

“ I was just speechless,” Tammi Gitin said. Gitin, a parent of a Campus middle school student last year, was reacting to an image she saw on Facebook. The picture was grainy, and taken near a set...

Junior Brycen Dillinger smiles with his younger brother, Lincoln, and his mom, Tracy, by his side. Community support was essential for Dillingers recovery.

Battling brain cancer

By Josephine Lim, Hagerty High School November 7, 2023

Levothyroxine. Hydrocortisone. Atomoxetine. Words you would only encounter in an organic chemistry textbook are a part of junior Brycen Dillinger’s everyday life.  “I had a port put in, I've...

Growing Joy

By Krista Fleming, Peyton Kuschmeider, and Lillian Walters November 7, 2023

There is a woman in Chicago and she is crying. In front of her, a floral display sits and Karen Marshall stands next to it. The woman works her way over and tells Marshall, “You reminded me what joy...

Chickens make wonderful pets if you have the right resources and time to accommodate to their everyday needs (this includes their little poops).

Old MacDonald had a what?

By Alessandra Arroyo, Middle College High School November 7, 2023

They are fluffy, silly, loud, loyal, cute, intelligent, affectionate and lay eggs. More than 12 million people in the United States own backyard chickens for different reasons and purposes. There are...

Pinkout month, a month celebrated across the country in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, hits close to home for two seniors on campus. Senior Kayla Winter (pictured second to the right) and senior Ryan Reid’s (pictured second to the left) mothers both suffered from breast cancer, and both won.

Pink ribbons hit close to home for some students on campus

By Haley Ward, Liberty High School - TX November 7, 2023

Pink ribbons line the halls every October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness, but these pieces of fabric hit closer to home for some students on campus, two of them being seniors Ryan Reid and Kayla...

Windy City or Rat City?

By Roxie Lara, Latin School of Chicago November 7, 2023

The year 2023 marks Chicago’s ninth at the top of Orkin’s Rattiest Cities List, with Los Angeles and New York competing for second place. This undesirable status of the United States’ most rat-concentrated...

Wearing her custom Wonder Woman drag costume, drag queen Kelly Kline poses confidently. Kline occasionally wears her Wonder Woman costume to protest for LGBTQA+ rights.

“We Battle People Every Day”: Lives of Drag Queens in Austin

By Alessandra Ashford, WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL - Austin November 1, 2023

Irvin Horn takes an hour to put on his makeup, and he’s not even close to being done with getting dressed. He still has to do his hair and get into costume. In a couple hours he’ll step on stage...

WSPNs Katya Luzarraga delves into the history and behind-the-scenes process of Waylands most memorable Halloween house.
You gotta walk close to everything because everything moves, Wayland resident and owner of the house Sean Flanagan said. All of the Halloween figures are animatronic so when you walk by everything, it’ll come alive.”

Decorated to the nines: An inside look at Wayland’s historic Halloween house

By Katya Luzarraga, Wayland High School November 1, 2023

Every hero has its origin story, and this Halloween hero’s origin story began with a zombie. 13 years ago, Wayland resident Laurianne Bonadino saw a zombie woman decoration in Spirit Halloween and decided...

“Now, my mindset going into everything is, no matter what happens, you have to know that you gave it everything you had. When I step up on stage and go up to play the piano, I make sure that when I get off that stage, I left everything I had on that piano. Then, if I lost, I couldnt make the excuse that I didnt try hard enough,” Edward Huang (12) said.

Humans of Harker: Pedaling through pressure

By Victor Gong, The Harker Upper School November 1, 2023

“Next up, Edward!” In front of a sea of eager listeners, Edward Huang (12) steps up onto the stage and sits down on the black leather piano stool. Taking a deep breath, he carefully places his hands...

Think big, dream big: Journey of Hydra comes to an end

By Meredith Ho, Archer School for Girls November 1, 2023

Archer's InvenTeam wrapped up the journey of their three-year invention, Hydra, this past summer. After facing a two-year delay, the team was able to travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...

Acacia Diniz has been a librarian for years, and has one piece of advice for all students. This is a time in your life where you have a lot of responsibilities, but you are also not getting that time back, Diniz said. So try to find that balance so [that] youre not putting too much pressure on yourself to be an adult,  but you are taking things seriously when they need to be taken seriously.

The trip to citizenship

By Bareen Abdulrahman, Walnut Hills High School November 1, 2023

On her study abroad program in Northern Ireland, Acacia Diniz immediately began bonding with a certain classmate - Michael Wilke, the love of her life. "We were both at our respective universities,...

Teachers Dr. Perry, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Gould have been teaching long enough that some of their students are the children of their former students from their beginning years at RM.

After 28 years, teachers who have seen it all weigh in

By Elena Parisi, Lincoln Reed, and Natalia Compean November 1, 2023

In the fall of 1996, a group of new teachers joined RM together. Instrumental music teacher Mr. Peter Perry, math teacher Mr. Matthew Davis and photography and digital art teacher Mrs. Kim Gould were among...

Each week, students from all across campus make their way to one of three stadiums to watch the football game. Friday Night Lights, however, is much more than that. These are the stories of those behind a high school staple, Friday Night Lights.

Redhawks flock together for Friday Night Lights

By Maya Silberman and Haley Ward October 31, 2023

A hallmark of the high school experience. An event that unites students from football, to Student Council and photography. Every Friday, Redhawks across campus flock together for a weekly staple:...

Adithya Chengalvala, sophomore, is in a group called RESULTS. They are advocating for ending Tuberculosis and improving global education in impoverished communities. 

Photograph by Eli Ferguson. Photo illustration by Layla Shockley

Sophomore Influences Policy on Global Issues

By Eli Ferguson, Marquette High School October 31, 2023

Adithya Chengalvala, sophomore, is looking for results. Specifically he would like to see the end of global poverty. To reach these goals, Chengalvala joined the international RESULTS group that teaches...

Alumna Maddy Israel, Class of 2023, was in Israel at the time of Hamas attacks.

Alumna Maddy leaves Israel in wake of the Hamas attacks

By Ella Black, The Masters School October 31, 2023

When the war began, Maddy Israel, ‘23, was living in East Talpiot, Jerusalem where she took classes in Hebrew, the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and much more. She was supposed to move...

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