Seeking value in fashion
By Anna Velazquez, Lewisville High School - TX
February 20, 2020
He sits in his garage, music blaring throughout the room as he rummages through the endless amounts of fabric. All the materials he needs are scattered around the table in front of him, but none of them are what he’s looking for. None of them are spontaneous enough. After referring back to his original...
Demonstrators call for impeachment on street corners around Bay Area on the eve of historic impeachment vote
By Kathy Fang, The Harker Upper School
February 20, 2020
On the eve of a historic House vote on two articles of impeachment, activists voice their support for impeachment at demonstrations around the Bay Area, joining over 600 rallies and protests nationwide organized by the advocacy group MoveOn. The rallies and demonstrations took place across the na...
Château en Gâteau: A student bakery on the rise
By Ayah Ali-Ahmad, Monta Vista High School
February 14, 2020
Senior Ethan Hu has always loved watching his aunt at work, cooking in her home kitchen while occasionally stepping in to help. As he grew up, his interest in food enhanced, and he started making his own creations and sharing it online with friends. His personal Instagram page became so flooded with...
Students Weigh-in on Trump’s Impeachment
By Yoav Pinhasi, Beachwood High School
February 12, 2020
On Dec. 18, 2019, President Donald J. Trump joined the likes of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton when the House of Representatives voted to impeach him on counts of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump was accused of making military aid to Ukraine contingent on their investigations of...
Soled Out: Senior’s business built from passion
By Kathryn Broderius, Greeley West High School
February 12, 2020
Everyday, trending brands release new shoes and clothes that will be swiped off the market quickly and for high value, with few prospective buyers actually able to add them to their shopping carts in time. For West senior and young entrepreneur Oscar Perez Luna, it’s those short-windowed opportunities...
The man behind the merch
By Natalie Dunlap, West High School
February 12, 2020
All it takes is an Instagram story from Chris Kim ’20 directing his followers to wear their Chong’s shirts and the next day more than a dozen students, and on occasion, a teacher, can be spotted in long sleeve black tee-shirt with a tiger on the back. Their peers might be sitting in class wonderi...
Impeachment explained
By Talia Lissauer and Marta Hill
February 12, 2020
Below are the transcripts to the two animated videos. The videos are available on YouTube and embedded in the transcripts below. In the midst of this historic impeachment of President Donald Trump, Echo is here to clear up confusion around the process. On July 25th, Trump called President of U...
House impeaches Trump; Senate acquits him
By Grace Nugent, McCallum High School
February 11, 2020
With a new decade comes political history being made. Until Dec. 18, 2019, there had only been two presidents in U.S. history who had been formally impeached. On Dec. 18, president Donald Trump became the third, joining Andrew Johnson (1869) and Bill Clinton (1999). President Richard Nixon was facing impea...
Insta Funds: Students turn to social media for entrepreneurship
By Preksha Kedilaya, Pleasant Valley High School - IA
February 10, 2020
At first thought, a typical high school part-time job sounds like the epitome of a dreary minimum wage job that is rarely thought provoking. Recently at PVHS, students are finding a creative outlet that allows them to earn money and save the environment by thrifting or reselling clothes through the platform...
Stephen climbs higher with Higher Attyre
By Paris Ye, Richard Montgomery High School - MD
February 10, 2020
Within one year, sophomore Art Stephen transformed a doodle he drew in his freshman government class into a profitable clothing brand. Driven by his personal mantra, “go higher,” Stephen’s business, Higher Attyre, creates unique clothing that inspires teenagers to make a difference. Most of...
Jupiter High students start their own successful businesses
By Nicole Christie, Jupiter High School
February 10, 2020
Jupiter is home to two successful entrepreneurs who aren't even out of high school yet. Senior Luke Shaw has his own painting business. Junior Austyn Roth has his own landscaping businesses. Both students are hugely successful in the area and have plans to grow their ventures in the future. In Oct....
Trump becomes the third president impeached in US history
By Faith Cheung, Grace Burwell, and Rachel Wang
February 10, 2020
On Jan. 22, 2019, the Senate held the third impeachment trial in history. In the month prior, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump, charging him with high crimes and misdemeanors to merit his potential removal from the presidency. The trial, taking place Jan. 22, will...
Impeachment as Seen Through the Eyes of Students at La Salle
By Maddie Khaw, La Salle Catholic Preparatory High School
February 7, 2020
Tensions between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been growing since September — and never have those tensions been better represented than at Trump’s State of the Union address last night, where Pelosi shredded the paper copy of his speech, which he had previously hande...
Poll finds less than one-third of Shalhevet students favor removing Trump from office
By Sam Rubanowitz, Shalhevet High School
February 6, 2020
Seventy percent of Shalhevet students believe President Trump should not be removed from office in the current Senate impeachment trial, while 30% believe he should be. But there are significant differences in opinion by grade, which shows ninth-graders more critical of the president than the rest of...
Konesky crochets critters for a cause
By Brooke Scanlon and Mason Hurley
February 5, 2020
Crocheting hooks might remind some students of their grandmas, but for senior Riley Konesky, they are a tool for business. Konesky manages her own online toy business, Crayon Crochet Critters, where she sells crocheted animals for prices ranging from roughly $3 to $25. The website can be foun...
Tasty yellow snow
By Ryan Moore, De Smet Jesuit High School
February 5, 2020
Senior Alex Davis is the Founder and CEO of Ice Shack STL, a mobile dessert service that carters events for people of all ages. “I mainly do shaved Ice but I also have what an ice cream truck can bring,” Davis said. “To get started I needed to get a business license and health permit for ea...
Students React to Presidential Impeachment, 2020 Election
By Ben Kushner, Rockville High School - MD
January 27, 2020
Following a Congressional impeachment inquiry into allegations that President Donald Trump threatened to withhold U.S. aid to Ukraine unless Ukrainian President Vladamir Zalinsky opened an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden’s son, Trump became the third ever president to be impeached...
Students feel the impact of current state of government
By Calen Moore, Seward County Community College
January 23, 2020
It is a day that will live in hyperbole. Students in southwest Kansas can feel the impact of the impeachment process taking place currently in Washington, D.C. concerning the future of President Donald Trump. The first day of the Senate trial began on Tuesday. The day was spent with opposing side...
Impeachment reverberates locally
By Noah Orloff, St. Louis Park High School
January 16, 2020
After the full House voted to officially impeach President Donald Trump, the recent political discourse has called into question the effect of national politics on Park. According to social studies teacher Jill Merkle, impeachment has generated varying degrees of interest among students. “In gener...
Francis Howell School District files a lawsuit against JUUL
By Mansi Mamidi and Waha Siddiqui
December 12, 2019
Francis Howell School District (FHSD) filed a lawsuit on Oct. 7 against JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL) for intentional harm out of the district’s control, joining many other school districts throughout the country. This situation isn’t a class-action lawsuit, but rather a multi-district lawsuit, in which...
HB joins the fight against vaping
By Hannah Riseman and Ella Mouradian
December 11, 2019
Across the country, the use of vape and e-cigarette products has been on the rise. The percent of students vaping recently rose from 11.7 in 2017 to 27.5 in 2019, a drastic increase Hollis and Brookline haven’t been immune to. On Nov. 13 and Nov. 21, Hollis-Brookline High School welcomed guest spea...
DGS still buzzed by Juul epidemic
By Ariel Oh, Teagan Smith, Alex Miranda, and Paul Szmanda
December 9, 2019
The presence of vaping at DGS has drawn attention from students, teachers and other staff. What used to be a social trend has evolved into something extremely different, and teenage vaping rates and injuries continue to rise. As of 2019, there have been 39 deaths linked to vaping, and for Illinois, 137...
Montgomery County sues Juul in latest effort to end vaping epidemic
By Sammy Heberlee, Walt Whitman High School
December 2, 2019
As part of Montgomery County’s ongoing efforts to curb teen use of electronic cigarettes and vaping, the Montgomery County Council authorized a lawsuit Oct. 16 against Juul Labs and Altria Group, a company that owns a 35% stake in Juul. The lawsuit claims that the e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors...
New research uncovers health risks of vaping
By Megan Neal, Piper High School
November 20, 2019
The teen vaping epidemic has taken a turn for the worst as new research surfaces, bringing into question if vaping is truly the safer alternative to cigarettes many companies claim it to be. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 26 confirmed vape related deaths, along with 1,30...
One simple ‘NO’ can save peoples’ lives
By Shree Delwadia and Regan Blood
November 19, 2019
The simple consent or thought to vape is all it takes for one to join the thousands in today’s society that are part of an epidemic called vaping. Many people can conclude that the rates of vaping, among teens especially, continue to escalate every day. It has become common place to hear about anothe...
Vaping can lead to serious pulmonary illnesses
By Maggie Klaers, St. Louis Park High School
November 19, 2019
Years ago, senior Quentin Cloutier said he began vaping, but noticed adverse effects as his dependence on nicotine grew. “I was 16 when I started (vaping). I’ve been doing it for a really long time,” Cloutier said. “It’s for the buzz effect, honestly. It’s a stress reliever, but it’s a...
Vaping epidemic leads to illnesses, deaths
By Summer Rains, Willis High School
November 11, 2019
Watermelon, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry Pop and Tobacco Dream. Most students are just now coming to the realization that, “hitting it” is killing them. The death toll has risen to 39 people and hundreds of others are facing life threatening illnesses according to the CDC. Incidents like this are...
A deeper look into the district’s actions against vaping
By Anna Owsley, Mill Valley High School
November 5, 2019
The USD 232 school district was among the first across the nation to take such public and decisive action against e-cigarettes as its lawsuit against Juul Labs, Inc. However, the district’s objectives encompass far more than a settlement. With the occurrence of student suspensions related to e-...
The Blue Valley School District takes legal action against JUUL
By Megan Yates, Blue Valley Northwest High School
November 4, 2019
Joining the Olathe, DeSoto, Goddard, Concordia and Shawnee Mission school districts, Blue Valley has decided to sue JUUL. The Blue Valley school district is being represented by the Goza & Honnold law firm, located in Overland Park, Kan. Addressing Blue Valley staff members in an email,...
CDC links vaping to 33 deaths in U.S.
By Anna McClellan and Evelyn Griffin
November 4, 2019
Butyl hydroxytoluene. Crotonaldehyde. Diethylene Glycol. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon. Propylene glycol. Valeraldehyde. These chemicals are just a few of the thousands that go into e-liquid, which is heated up and inhaled using what most people refer to as vapes. All of these chemicals have an...
All-time high
By Avery Platt, Wylie East High School
October 30, 2019
It's bad for you. It's dumb. It's not cool. It’s a killer. It's addictive. The opinions adults have on teen vaping are well known but the opinions teens have on vaping are never discussed. Two teenagers opened up about the fact they vape and they answered a series of personal questions related to...
Head in the clouds
By Madi Olivier, Marcus High School
October 28, 2019
It was the worst case local pulmonologist Adekunle Adekola had seen. The patient — a woman in her thirties — recently walked into the hospital complaining of shortness of breath, coughing and a fever, but she was breathing on her own. Soon, she required almost 100 percent oxygen. Her history of...
Vaping outbreak worries students
By Valery Barrera, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
October 25, 2019
Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Youth vaping rates have been on the rise since 2017, with rates doubling in 2019, leaving parents concerned for their child's health. “The impact on the students and communities we serve, totaling nearly 5 million people, is very real,” Los Angeles Unified School Dist...
The Struggle To Quit
By Nathan Yon, Tyrone Area High School
October 23, 2019
Thanks to vaping, I am one of the millions of American teens currently struggling with nicotine addiction. I first tried a Juul when it became popular during my eighth-grade year. The buzz felt good so I would hit my friends’ when I was with them. Flavors like mint, blueberry, mango, and strawberry...
Vaping deaths spark controversy
By Savannah Dupper, Cathedral Catholic High School
October 22, 2019
When Cathedral Catholic High School student Cameron Nash ‘20 scrolled through his social media feed, he did not expect to see several news stories about teens dying from excessive vaping. “There wasn’t a lot of negative press on vaping for a while, but now it’s all over the internet,”...
District joins lawsuit against JUUL, while students and staff still struggle to handle vaping epidemic
By Hannah Chern, Steven Curto, Sophie Lecuru, Tanner Smith, and Ben Wieland
October 21, 2019
After Olathe Public Schools filed a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, Inc. on Monday, Oct. 7, USD 232 followed in their footsteps. The USD 232 Board of Education authorized legal counsel to file a lawsuit against JUUL, a manufacturer, distributor and seller of cigarette alternatives known as e-cigarettes or...
Vaping incident brings national problem to surface
By Ariel Leykin, Homestead High School
October 16, 2019
E-cigarettes, invented over ten years ago, are marketed as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. However, instead of transitioning from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, many teens are heading straight to e-cigarettes. The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) CDC has reported e-cigarettes being...
Opinion: Time to quit the Juul
By Jack Rosenblum, Vanderbilt University
October 15, 2019
For several decades, Americans have worked hard to reduce the presence of cigarettes only to see them replaced by something which could be far more dangerous. As of Sept. 30, 2019, 15 Americans have died from vaping-related activity in addition to 800 cases of lung disease. Emerging over a decade ago, the e...
Gen Z facing the vaping epidemic
By Ashley Yung, Granite Bay High School
October 15, 2019
As vaping becomes a more common and widespread practice, various ramifications are coming to light. Concerns have already surfaced about the addictive qualities of nicotine, but the most recent and concerning phenomenon has been respiratory failure. Ricky D’Ambrosio, a 21-year-old Rocklin resident...
The Vaping Experiment: Are We the Guinea Pigs?
By Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos and Noah Bullwinkle
October 10, 2019
Advertisements for e-cigarettes, including JUUL, the e-cigarette which represents 76.1 percent of the market (Nielsen), have been a contentious issue between vaping companies and the federal government. In a July 2019 congressional hearing on JUUL, information was released about a representative from...
Illnesses and deaths spark efforts to curb vaping
By Lindsay Ruhl and Marcus Johnson
October 10, 2019
Twenty-three people nationwide have died from vaping-related illnesses this year, according to U.S. health officials. Vaping has always been advertised as a “safe” alternative to smoking. However, with new studies showing people with severe lung problems, the safety of vaping seems not fully understood. “What...
Rising teen use, dangers of JUULs cause concerns
By Priyanka Anand and Sharlene Chen
October 9, 2019
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the early 2000s, adolescent smoking reached new lows due to realization of the health hazards of nicotine and tobacco within communities. However, with the rise of new technology such as e-cigarettes, teen smoking has began to skyrocket again,...
Vaping: Is Brentwood Hooked?
By Jonas Wall, Brentwood High School
October 9, 2019
Frequent trips to the bathroom to calm the nerves and groups huddled together with their heads down to fill the craving of nicotine are a common sight to see in any American high school. It is common knowledge that teenage vaping has been widespread in recent years. From the perspective of parents and...
“Vaping” becomes a dangerous trend among teens
By Olyvia Flemming, John Sevier Middle School
October 9, 2019
Tobacco has been an epidemic around the world since it was first harvested and used. The cancer-causing plant, filled with addictive nicotine, has had a major negative impact on the world. Alternative methods to smoking tobacco have been produced, such as vaping, juuling and smokeless tobacco. Vaping...
The stewing storm of sweet smoke
By Peter Dang and Cade Spencer
October 8, 2019
A teenage boy hides away in a bathroom stall as he slowly takes a small device from his pocket. Lifting the e-cigarette to his mouth, the boy inhales a puff of smoke. As he exhales, a light haze of sweet vapor fills the room. This very scene has become commonplace in high schools across the nation. ...
LETHAL VAPOR: At least 12 deaths so far from mysterious vaping illness
By Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks and Sivan Karz
October 8, 2019
There are lots of reasons not to vape. For one thing, it’s against Shalhevet rules, as Principal Daniel Weslow announced to the community at an assembly in the fall of last year. Vaping can also cause addiction to nicotine -- the most addictive part of tobacco -- even though it contains no tobacco....
“We’ve stopped keeping track” EHS school resource officer says vaping is a troubling and growing problem at EHS
By Vivian Cedillo and Julian Galvan
October 3, 2019
"We don't even keep track. It is so many now. It has grown in popularity. Back in the day, it was cigarettes. Now it is so incredibly common that we've just stopped keeping track," said Matthew Creaghe, the EHS school resource officer. Based on the number of e-cigarettes confiscated at Englewood High...
SCCC students speak up about future of vaping
By Calen Moore, Seward County Community College
October 2, 2019
A puff of steam escaped Hailey Logarth’s mouth and filled the room. The air smelled like strawberry, mint, watermelon and tasted like candy. However, behind the bubble gum exterior lies controversy. So much so, that Logarth asked for her name to be changed. The vaping controversy began in earnest...
Vaping illness sends alum to ICU
By Molly Burgener, Lake Forest High School
October 2, 2019
Marketed as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, the e-cigarette has come under intense federal scrutiny after being linked to 12 deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations this year. Alum Frank Phillips, 19, said he spent eight days in an intensive care unit because of complications connected...
Captain Marvel Analysis: Are Skrulls Taking Your Jobs?
By Riley Hull, Sage Creek High School
April 30, 2019
Disclaimer: This article in its analysis of the movie contains spoilers of the plot, so if you plan on seeing it, perhaps wait to read this article until afterward. This year’s smash hit of “Captain Marvel” is not only breaking records, passing fan favorite “Spiderman: Homecoming” in sal...