Junior Jada Cano’s definition of “normal” is unlike anyone else’s.

At the age of 2, she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), but she doesn’t let that stop her.

“You don’t know…

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Overwhelmed. Overworked. Underpaid.

After years of frozen salaries, coupled with increased stress, senior English teacher Amber Sladek decided to leave the classroom. Her last day was Sept….

After a Senior Night win over a longtime opponent, Selena Sifuentes Shaffer looked triumphant. Nothing about the match seemed out of the ordinary, save for a short scuffle afterwards. But as she beelined…

When freshman Chandler Fuller was picked up from school one ordinary Wednesday, she never imagined what they thought to be appendicitis would turn into something far more serious.

Alum Cody Fuller was…

With sweaty hands, I shook the hand of my neurosurgeon. I’ll never forget wheeling away from my mom, standing scared and alone. 

The image of my mother while her daughter’s surgery went over the…

Underestimation is motivation. 

These words ring through Sidney Coffin’s brain as she stares down the barrel of her 12-gauge Zoli Bella shotgun. In front of her, the bunker trap house holds 15 fixed…

The new variant of the coronavirus disease, Omicron, is spreading rapidly throughout the United States. USA Today reports the nation’s daily average of new cases as 550,000. Because this new variant…

Managing editor Emma Siebold sits down with S.U.R.E. club adviser Jimmy Wilson to talk about recent efforts to censor books in Texas public schools.

Here is a link to information and the list of books…

Managing editor Emma Siebold takes national and international issues and localizes them for the school community. In this episode, she talks with a local student who lives with diabetes.

This story was…

Managing editor Emma Siebold talks with local veterans about Veterans Day.

This story was originally published on Valley Ventana on November 9, 2021.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, but Tre’von Moehrig has both covered ahead of Thursday’s NFL draft.

Moehrig, an award-winning Texas Christian University safety and Smithson…

With two wrapped around both of his wrists, wearing bracelets is how senior broadcast producer Tim Tschoepe keeps a couple of his values close to heart: his faith and his memory of a close friend who passed…

Comal school trustees voted Tuesday to allow parents and teachers the choice whether to wear masks.

After the meeting, Comal ISD sent an email to parents explaining their new mask policy, which flew…

Radical supporters of President Donald Trump raided the Capitol building Jan. 6, wreaking havoc by breaking through windows and sitting at government officials desks to protest the counting of electoral…

The Suermanns have a beautiful house, three beautiful kids and a beautiful dog, but their lives will never be “normal.”

“Most parents think of being an empty nester one day, or watching their…

The metal bench sits behind the flagpoles facing the school where social studies teacher Stacie Younts taught for 22 years.

An engravement on the bench reads “In memory of Stacie Younts.”

Younts…

As the clock ticks down to the start of the game, two teams prepare for a 32-minute slugfest. But their first battle is the tipoff.

San Antonio Reagan sends out their champion: Will Carsten, their 6…

Within the first few days of Comal’s extended spring break, San Antonio has confirmed five additional Coronavirus cases, Scholastic Aptitude Testing has been cancelled and Governor Greg Abbott has waived…

From the concrete steps of Smithson Valley High School, to the nearly 400 year-old pathways of Harvard University, James Mendez will make the 2,000 mile journey to the prestigious university in Cambridge,…

As the clock hits zero, the ball slices through the net. The crowd erupts.

But it isn’t the players who are the most excited. It isn’t the coaches, either, nor is it the fans who have shown up in…

The heart monitor flatlines. A sharp buzz echoes throughout the room, piercing the ears of weeping witnesses. The lights go out on stage left.

Caleb Mosley plays varsity basketball, but his biggest…

Coughing and turning blue, the baby boy showed signs of distress. 

Without hesitation, waitress Natalie Bueno jumped into action, leaned the infant forward and placed his chest in one hand. With the…

In my house, the holiday season doesn’t truly start until my mom starts binging Hallmark movies in the living room.  Every so often I’ll indulge in watching one with her, and every year, she is overjoyed…

Months of preparation went into the Rangers’ 21-3 playoff loss this past week, all of it seemingly for naught. From an outsider’s perspective, wins are the only thing that seem to matter. But to those…

The quarterback snaps the ball on third down. It’s a tie game. The linebacker surges forward, ready to defend the run, but instead is pushed back by the opposing team’s fullback. Little did he know,…

Damita Mendoza knows what pressure is. Her heartbeat echoes in her ears as she ties up her cleats, fingers fiddling with the laces. She remembers these words to herself: Do not get discouraged. Do not…

Taking a deep breath, nerves on edge, she was unsure what response she would get. Walking through the halls, holding hands with her girlfriend, she knew what they were thinking: the smirks, the snarls…

Former star quarterback Levi Williams decommitted from the University of Houston on the heels of former Cougar head coach Major Applewhite being fired in lieu of former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen,…

Over the years, students have been questioning the lockers that are in the C wing hallway. Questions include, “Why don’t we have lockers anymore?”

Assistant Principal Dean Hofer said that due to the…