As the fourth period bell rings, Ely Cardenal prepares for her performance. The music starts. Castanets in hand, Cardenal begins clapping and dancing to the fast-paced rhythm, attracting viewers and cheers.

On…

When junior JJ Carbon left his friend’s house, he expected to go home and have a fun night before the school year started. He was helping his friend figure out how to play a phone game when, out of the…

“We have a first-time voter!”

Met with claps and cheers, senior Cat Bunn stepped into the Riverside Park Center with one goal in mind: filling out her first ballot, an important step into her adult…

“I suck at math, I’m gonna fail this test.” 

“I literally look so bad in this, I’m so ugly.” 

“I’m so sick of this, I’m literally gonna kill myself.” 

Words of self-deprecation,…

Just weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act and “Don’t Say Gay” bills into law, the Florida Department of Education has rejected 41% of adopted math textbooks, and according to the…

When junior Karina Ostashchuk first came to Florida during the summer of 2019, her future was uncertain: her family had secured neither a job nor a home before the move. Surrounded by suburbs dotted with…

From not making the starting team in tenth grade to earning the school’s first weightlifting scholarship, senior Chloe Varady has come a long way. In her third year, she became a captain, won fifth at…

The lights dim. The crowd stills, waiting. As the music begins to play, freshman Emiaj Jaime’s foot follows, her heart beating fast. She recites the rehearsed steps in her head, and begins to dance. 
…

Exhaustion. Collapse. Fatigue. Weariness. Consumption. Stress. 

According to author Lexi Wright, burnout is a state of mental, physical, or emotional exhaustion. Burnout in children happens when kids…

You arrive at a big family reunion. It has been years since you have seen your aunts and uncles, and you have looked forward to catching up. As you walk in the door, you are greeted with a hug and a long…

Walking into the school bathroom, sophomore Mason Kretzschmar was met with a cloud of smoke. Two boys moved back from the sinks as he went to wash his hands, the mirrors foggy from their breath. After…

The accident happened the evening of Jan. 4, 2019. A tanker truck pulled out in front of the family’s truck, a mistake that crushed assistant principal Angel Rocha’s family under a water tank and left…

Jess* wanted justice after what happened to her. She looked for help from the legal system, but could not find it. She had pictures of bruises and marks on her body. Jess* was told by the legal system…

Huddled on the Marriott World Center dance floor, the Unleashed varsity dance team listened to the announcer list the results of the Dance Team Union national competition. As she reached the final two…

For many sophomores, 10th grade is just another year of high school, the year before the stress of college admissions and SAT scores. For a young Amany Bekheit, it was the year she discovered her passion…

Coming back from winter break, students expected to resume their normal school schedule – riding the bus, learning from teachers, working with peers – but the new semester has not quite followed the…

Trying to educate 2,356 different students the same way is like trying to paint a rainbow with only one color. Whether a student is eligible for the Exceptional Student Education program, an Individualized…

In his final deadlift, senior Devon Hawkins raised 265 pounds, held the bar for a second, and dropped it. Silence surrounded the arena as the final decision of the referees was reached. All three referees…

A whole month of pink socks, pink football games and pink pom-poms all for breast cancer.

Now imagine a month with a different color every week or even every day, showing support for a different…

Yelling out “I am a truck” or “I hate the British” seems like a normal day for the class clown and an easy way to get a laugh. However, sophomore Kay McAdams is not laughing. McAdams lives…

Instead of an alarm clock, sophomore Joelle Jackson wakes up to the sound of a military horn, blaring at spaced time intervals to signal soldiers of roll calls, meal times and personal training.

That…

Empanadas Argentinas, dough filled with meat or ham and cheese, cooked in the oven till golden and crisp. A savory aroma and taste that satisfies hunger, when sophomore Juan Karpow thinks of a good meal,…

No talking. No conversation. No sound at all, just hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate and hold a conversation. At the lower food court in the Oviedo Mall on Sept. 14, the American Sign…

Last year, after being online for half of the semester, John* (he/him), a transgender student, walked into his first in-person class. He, like many freshmen, looked forward to new friends, engaging classes,…

We spend every minute of every day with ourselves. Privy to the knowledge of our favorite food and our darkest secrets, it seems that we should know everything about us, yet the popularity of personality…

A 280 character tweet. That’s all it takes for a well-accredited creator to be reduced to nothing in the eyes of the public. 

For decades, problematic creators have risen to fame. While some wealthy…

Your last boyfriend was manipulative, gaslighting or manipulating you psychologically into believing you were not enough. The $20 he spent on your lunch was not a kind gesture, but an unspoken agreement…

Interviewing for your first job. Working multiple days a week. Studying for a degree in a competitive industry. For the average high schooler, the idea of a career can be overwhelming and terrifying, and…

It’s like buying clothes from Brandy Melville. Their clothes are popular, and everyone has some. Even if the clothes don’t fit well, people will still try to wear them. Sounds like the 97%, right? 
…

29 million without boiling water. 4 million without power. Over 70 dead. 

The winter weather that crippled Texas in early February was not just a local story, but part of a disturbing trend of weather…

When I have a bad day, I drive home in silence. When I have a bad day, I go straight to bed and stare at my phone for hours. When I have a bad day, I rant to my friends, imagining myself as Keira Knightley…

The average cost of in-state tuition at Florida State University and the University of Florida is $21,000 a year. The University of Central Florida is slightly less at about $17,000 a year but that is…

The unrelenting onslaught of terms like “gender identity”, “preferred pronouns”, and “attack helicopter” have circled through most real-life and online interactions that involve the widely…

For years, junior Jada Llamido watched as her older brother won multiple trophies and medals for wrestling. Wanting to win herself, Llamido was motivated to start her own wrestling career. 

“My dad…

Social media has never been short of hypocrisy, controversy, and conflict.  Celebrities encouraging social distancing during the pandemic only to hop on a plane to the Bahamas a week later, is just one…

“Ten-year-old makes $3200” 

“Meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin worth millions” 

“Young investor pays off student loans at just 20 years old.” 

These headlines have become familiar as…

After a shopping spree at American Eagle, sophomore Tiffany Odimegwu’s excitement was cut short when her friends told her that the new clothes she bought were basic and boring. Odimegwu expected to be…

The level of talent on the baseball field hit an all-time high on Feb. 6, with Baltimore Orioles third baseman Ryan Mountcastle and Denver Broncos quarterback Jeff Driskel in attendance for a first-ever…

We all know one of our 45th president’s favorite phrases to insert into every press conference and interview: “fake news.” And whether you backed Donald Trump in his hatred for the press or laughed…

Educated with American Girl books and a vague definition from her mother on what the menstrual cycle was, senior Chloe Browning felt vastly unprepared for what she was faced with. When she got her first…

The fuzzy, carefree feeling of running home from school to catch the 3:00 p.m. special of their favorite Nickelodeon cartoon or Disney Channel sitcom, is something all teenagers can remember. Growing up…

The recent falling temperatures have appeased meteorologists and fashion gurus all over Central Florida. Weathermen excitedly explain the week’s forecast while a student gently folds his new vintage…

Eyes, skin and hair are among the most identifiable features of any person, but that is especially heightened when the combination of genes from both of your parents decides to bless, or curse, someone…

The evolution of the boy band is a tale as old as The Beatles. For some, the attachments to certain musically talented heart-throbs formed in early childhood or adolescence never quite fade over time….

A fresh listen
Next track. The song you were listening to an hour ago starts playing once again. Next. This time, the song does not change. Spotify’s free system only allows six skips and you have used…

Two new partners sit next to each other in Physics. Having never spoken before, they sit in uncomfortable silence before one of them decides to break it.

“… Nice weather we’re having.” 

The dreaded…

When senior, identical twins Brooke and Haley White come home everyday, they both have individual conversations with their mom. After having her daily conversation with her twins, their mom tells them…

Much of what we are taught through cartoons and books equates to one overarching message: looks do not matter, it’s what is on the inside that counts. Dr. Seuss’ Sneetches found peace on the beach,…

Appalachia: a region full of unique culture, but marked with hardships. Released in theaters on Nov. 11 and on Netflix on Nov. 24, “Hillbilly Elegy” tells the story of poverty-stricken working class…

Roles, voice and text channels, moderation, and video game streaming: all perks of the instant messaging platform Discord. Discord, created by Hammer and Chisel Inc., was released in May of 2015 and has…