This story was originally published on Blueprint on April 4, 2019.

During my junior year, I decided to join DGS speech.

I was searching for a place to tell my story openly. Speech taught me the art of writing, speaking and mostly the art of poetry. But even with the…

This story was originally published on Blueprint on March 19, 2019.

My name is Ariel Oh. I am Korean; my favorite subject is math; I like eating rice; I play the piano and have a black belt in karate; also, I aspire to be a doctor, and if that doesn’t work out, I would…

The Japanese House released her debut album on March 1, 2019, and it’s the story of all my relationships ever. Except it’s actually my favorite album of 2019 so far and isn’t about a 17-year-old…

When The Aces, four girls from rural Utah with a killer pop-rock sound, announced their first ever U.S. tour– I screamed. I immediately got VIP tickets, rounded up friends, watched the date get moved,…

On June 15, 2018, junior Joey Ermel stepped into a plane by himself for the first time. After one last hug from his 82-year-old grandpa, Ermel secured his headset and took flight in a one-of-a-kind 1946…

On Feb. 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, killing 17 people and changing the conversation about gun violence. In the past year, DGS has made numerous…

This story was originally published on Blueprint on February 12, 2019.

The whistle blows and junior Addy Karmik tosses the volleyball into the air. She jumps up and serves it across the net for a perfect arc — a move she has been perfecting since the 5th grade. After six…

On Jan. 26, 2019, 25 participants of the DGS winter guard team quietly pitter-pattered barefoot onto a tarp together at Romeoville High School to execute their first performance in front of a panel of…

The cold air slices her skin as junior Dana Kozlowski glides effortlessly across the rink at the Downers Grove Ice Arena in the early hours of the morning. For the past 14 years of her life, Kozlowski…

Teen television is addicting. There, I said it. It’s true.

There are many TV dramas targeted to high school students that have gained immense popularity among the youth demographic, especially in…

The sun was out, but it was cold. The wind blew as sophomore varsity tennis player Gerda Jucys stared down her opponent at the other end of the court. She threw the ball up into the air, swung her racket…

In light of the national discussion on safety, DGS has made some changes, increasing the number of security personnel. However, instead of defending the school from external threats, these faculty members…

Wrestling was first introduced in 1905 in the St. Louis games as a freestyle sport, and for 89 years, it was considered a boys-only sport. Starting this school years, girls wrestling is considered an emerging…

Described by New York Times author Jon Caramanica as “the most vital and disruptive new movement in hip-hop thanks to rebellious music, volcanic energy and occasional acts of malevolence,” SoundCloud…

The Most Teens posters have come out and you know what that means: Watching middle-aged adults attempt to pick up the lingo of the #coolkids and everyone else cringing a little.

I mean, it’s not that…

At DGS, students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds have a multitude of experiences — good and bad — that affect how involved they can be in our clubs and activities.

During the 2016-17…

After urgently texting my friends, holding tickets for a half-hour and dropping $300, I finally got to see Florence + The Machine in concert at United Center on Oct. 19. As an avid Florence fan since the…

The band stared up at him intensely as he spoke.

“Do you know why I had you play the last note for as long as I did? — Because that is how long the last quarter note of the song is. I know it’s…

There is a new player on the court for DGS girls’ varsity volleyball: the new head coach, Kristina Conrad. Conrad has coached the sophomore volleyball team at DGS for five out of her seven years with…