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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

Senior Peter Ashline poses with friends Asher McNeil and George Kotke - and reporter Eli Sampson - after a long day working on the treehouse. (Photo courtesy of Peter Ashline)

Humans of WEGO: Building memories, one plank at a time

By Eli Sampson, West Chicago Community High School May 21, 2025

High school is often a whirlwind of memories—shared laughter, late-night study sessions, and fleeting moments of connection. As graduation arrives, the bittersweet reality of moving on begins to set...

The Canal Alliance is San Rafael is a non-profit that offers support to immigrants.

ICE in Marin: Advocacy and action amid Trump’s immigration policies

By Parker Fee and Jasper Stromberg May 21, 2025

As the Trump Administration intensifies efforts to address illegal immigration, Marin County residents have responded with a mixture of fear and opposition. Due to the county’s large undocumented immigrant...

Ms. Gradek celebrates the election of Pope Leo XIV alongside fifth grade band students.

Bridging Classroom and Cathedral: Ms. Gradek’s Ties to the Pope

By Lucia Meno, Latin School of Chicago May 21, 2025

When most people think of the Pope, they envision him in gilded buildings at the Vatican or making appearances on a velvet-covered balcony, not attending a student concert conducted by Latin School band...

An individual struggling with addiction sits in despair over whether or not to continue with this lifestyle. Cocaine, a highly addictive party drug lies in lines in front of them.

Paths of addiction

By Chloe Taylor, Carlmont High School May 21, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on Scot Scoop News. It was originally published on May 19, 2025.

Naomi Herman with her family at the Northwestern Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk in June of 2013.

Hope, One Tote at a Time

By Cece Burt, Latin School of Chicago May 21, 2025

Sophomores Naomi Herman and Myles Antelis started Carrying Hope 4 Chemo this April, which is a project aimed at bringing joy to cancer patients going through chemotherapy. To achieve this goal, Naomi...

Across the globe, reliance on cars
continues to create transportation
challenges for pedestrians. 
Originally published in The Stampede: Issue 6.

Narrow path to safety: Car dependency threatens individuals

By William Donofrio, Metea Valley High School May 21, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on Metea Media. It was originally published on May 19, 2025.

Wisdom for Wisdom is a student run non-profit organization that offers technological support to elders. Started by Wayland High School juniors Ryan Chase and Kalena Imura, the organization relies on local high school volunteers to make an impact in senior citizen communities. “Service is enjoyable to me when I know that I'm making a difference, and I truly believe Wisdom for Wisdom does,” Imura said.

Local students click into connection by bridging the generational gap

By Maddie Zajac, Wayland High School May 21, 2025

Many of us have seen or had a grandparent struggling to figure out how to take a picture or accidentally texting the whole family group chat about their arthritis. We typically make fun of them for not...

Coppell ISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt announced his retirement on April 3 effective the end of the 2024-25 school year. Hunt has worked in CISD for 35 years and served as superintendent since 2017. Photo illustration by Vibha Viswanath and Sofia Exposito

Dr. Hunt hangs up his hat

By Sukirtha Muthiah and Rhea Choudhary May 21, 2025

When Coppell ISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt first stepped into Coppell High School room B112 as a special education teacher in 1990, he could not have imagined the impact he would one day have on the...

El jefe de conserjes David Chávez y la conserje Adriana Bonilla andan por el campus en un carrito de golf, platicando sobre su día mientras van a su próxima tarea.

More than maintenance: meet the crew behind campus upkeep

By Matilda Haney Foulds and MC Teixeira May 21, 2025

Lee este artículo en español: https://lahstalon.org/la-columna-vertebral-de-la-escuela-conoce-al-equipo-de-mantenimiento-de-lahs/ The foundation of Los Altos High School is its dedicated maintenance...

Senior Emilie Efendy is the salutatorian of the Class of 2025.

Driven by Wonder

By Karen Wei and Shubhi Bhagat May 21, 2025

Emilie Efendy finds wonder in the ordinary.  “I think my biggest motivation is just curiosity,” Efendy said. “I’m really interested in the fields that are still in their early stages. Seeing...

As part of a Valentine’s Day photo shoot at West Chicago Community High School, two male students pose in costume, recreating a romantic gesture. Moments like these challenge traditional expectations of masculinity by celebrating vulnerability, creativity, and emotional openness between boys - without shame or assumption.

Strength, sensitivity, and the modern man

By Romeo Alfaro, West Chicago Community High School May 21, 2025

When Luke Davis was in middle school, his math binder was vandalized. Slurs were scrawled across it - words like "gay" and worse. He was harassed online, targeted in DMs and on social media pages. Now...

Novem Chua was rushed in for surgery after her brain aneurysm ruptured in 2017. During the surgery, the team of neurosurgeons had to cut her head open from the top, and it had to be stitched up, leaving a scar. She now has to check in yearly for annual surgeries at the hospital.

A heartbeat from death

By Ashlyn Wong, Carlmont High School May 19, 2025

She attended one of the most prestigious universities in Singapore, married the love of her life, and attained her dream job after years of hard work. On the outside, she has everything that one could...

English teacher Susan Spengeman stands in the back of her classroom, instructing her AP (Advanced Placement) Literature students.

Susan Spengeman: A Teacher’s Teacher

By Ananya Karthik and Maya Coleman May 19, 2025

English teacher Susan Spengeman’s work is easiest to see in hindsight. It’s in the way a new teacher adjusts to their first chaotic September. It’s in the habits that survive beyond a year: how a...

Senior Ethan Hsu (right) points at the laptop screen of junior Julia Kim (center) in his attempt to tutor her after school at the Algebra Center on Thursday, March 6, in Room 45. Also helping Kim is senior Sarah Patino.

Sine, cosine, tangent

By Caleb Kang, Sunny Hills High School May 19, 2025

Sin²θ + cos²θ = 1. For those who’ve never taken pre-calculus (also known as trigonometry) before, this equation may lead many to scratch their heads and mutter to themselves, “What the …?” Meanwhile,...

“I want to be known as the person who brought up difficult questions. In the best way possible, I want to be known as that person who not only stood up for everyone in some way, but also challenged everyone in some way, made people stop and question their beliefs," senior Fern Biswas said.

Humans of Harker: Voices unplugged

By Katie Tcheng, The Harker School May 19, 2025

Their hands trembled as they read and reread their printed out script. Their eyes flicking across the page over and over again. Senior Fern Biswas sits alongside the adult organizer and a youth panelist...

Native Hawaiian cultural historian Pualeilani Kamahoahoa leads an engaging discussion with Na Pua Onaona o Kewalo students at the oval, explaining the historical context and cultural significance of the newly installed plaque.

Kanaka Maoli Find Healing in Legacy of Annexation

By Dominic Niyo, McKinley High School – HI May 19, 2025

Beneath the statue of President William McKinley at McKinley High School, a new plaque offers a revised account of Hawaii’s annexation. Proposed by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the plaque...

Pulido enjoys painting a sculpture of a dog at an art studio. Pulido was 10 years old and experimenting with multiple mediums at the time.

Coloring outside the lines

By Jessica Wang, Bellaire High School May 19, 2025

The clock ticks past midnight as she strains her eyes, struggling to keep them open on four hours of sleep. The homework seems endless, piling up more and more each hour. But once junior Sophia Pulido...

Karen’s RoundUp Legacy

Karen’s RoundUp Legacy

By Grace Hu, Shubhi Bhagat, and Lipi Shah May 19, 2025

The driving force behind more than 70 published articles, five Best of SNO awards, and most recently, recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, only awarded...

Dan Ottenheimer walks the students through the story of his family's journey throughout Germany. Ottenheimer has visited to Wayland High every year to teach 9th and 11th graders about his families experience during the holocaust.

Born after, speaking before: Dan Ottenheimer tells his father’s Holocaust survival story to WHS

By Melina Antun, Emily Wyner, Karis Tam, Kyle Zhang, and Katie Collett May 19, 2025

On Thursday, May 8, guest speaker Dan Ottenheimer spoke in the Wayland High School auditorium about his father’s experience as a Holocaust survivor who grew up in Germany during the Nazi rule. He was...

Junior Simar Kaur presents four recent nail sets. “The first set I did was French, and I remember it looked really bad,” Kaur said. “I remember the Spider-Man set that took me six hours to do. I feel like after I did the Spider-Man nails, I got the hang of it, and after that everything got easier.”

Manicures With Meaning: Junior Simar Kaur Gives Back to the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital

By Nina Krish, Portola High School May 19, 2025

For many students, side hustles are a quick way to make some extra cash while pursuing their studies. For junior Simar Kaur, her passion for nail art has turned her creativity into compassion as she donates...

On average, teens get 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep per night, but experts say they should actually be sleeping as much as 10 to 12 hours.

Catching Zzzzs

By Morgan Siegel and Zoey Srote May 19, 2025

After getting home from school, Avery Zink, sophomore, immediately starts working on her homework before going to soccer practice. She then gets home about 8:30 p.m., and by 9 p.m., Zink is asleep. “I...

The vanilla buttercream cake, which is one of the most popular cakes on the menu, can be decorated to match the specific occasion. Photo by Adan Chaudhry.

Spotlight: Adan’s Bakery serves up sweet treats

By Hansika Gautama, Chantilly High School May 19, 2025

Junior Adan Chaudhry pipes pastel buttercream on a fresh batch of cupcakes after spending hours in the kitchen, then packages them for her next customer. With students already juggling a variety of activities,...

Matthew Bounds reflects on his time at the School and looks forward to the future.

The name of the game: Bounds leaves a legacy of robotics, computer science and fun

By Sophia Kim, St. John’s School – TX May 14, 2025

There is a rumor that Matthew Bounds created Fortnite. It’s not true, but before working at St. John’s he was part of the exclusive group that tested a beta version of the game. “I played it,...

Sarah Schlapp relaxes on a lawn in front of Bryn Mawr College, the school she will be attending in the fall. Schlapp chose Bryn Mawr because of her positive experience feeling valued and included in classroom discussions in a predominantly-female environment.

Investigating the relevance of historically women’s colleges

By Allie Faber, The Masters School May 14, 2025

Senior Sarah Schlapp used to be quiet in class. “But coming to Masters and being in [middle school] classrooms, primarily with other women, I feel like I was never questioned about my worthiness of...

Plastic cups spill out onto the street from an overstuffed garbage bag. Fallen cherry blossom petals blanket the ground around it.

Petals beneath plastic

By Eugene Sung, Daegu International School May 14, 2025

Pink petals flutter through the spring air like confetti—but they land atop crumpled ramen containers and discarded coffee cups. Millions of Koreans flock to hotspots like Jinhae, Gyeongju, and Seoul’s...

Ms. Goetz wears the crown given to the yearly “Speed Trig Queen” in front of the wall of students’ perfect scores.

The 30 year reign of Laura Goetz

By Ian Chen and Anna Wu May 14, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on The Tide. It was originally published on May 13, 2025.

Portrait of senior Nathaly Arana

Senior faces pressure to succeed, does so through STEM

By Logan Day, Caney Creek High School May 14, 2025

Senior Nathaly Arana is everything her parents want her to be. She’s taken almost every science class at the school, her progress reports are rows of A’s and her teachers describe her as productive...

After nearly three decades of teaching, Latin teacher Mrs. Landvick will retire this summer. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Landvick.

‘In Loco Parentis:’ Celebrating Mrs. Ariel Landvick’s 29 Years at LFHS

By Anna Jasper, Lake Forest High School May 14, 2025

For the past 29 years at Lake Forest High School, Mrs. Ariel Landvick has embodied the Latin principle of “In Loco Parentis,” meaning “in the place of a parent.” “Whenever I say ‘my kids’...

Junior Betiel Elma prepared backstage to dance at the Bellaire International Student Festival. Elma, who is Eritrean, performed with other members of the East African Student Association.

Breaking the silence

By Emily Brams, Bellaire High School May 9, 2025

In Asmara, Eritrea, she knew silence better than her own voice. Obedience was expected in Eritrea— known as the world’s most censored country. Questioning authority was out of the question. She...

In Limbo

By Sofia Matin, FULLERTON UNION HIGH SCHOOL May 9, 2025

Editor's Note: This month the Tribe Tribune is featuring multiple stories about transgender rights. To ensure our sources' safety and privacy, we have opted to not use our interviewees real names. I first...

A sign left by an unknown homeless person on East Colonial Drive, four miles from Hagerty.

The invisible struggle: Understanding homelessness

By Luca Huff and Isaiah Macri May 9, 2025

You see a man standing on the median at an intersection, sign in hand that reads, “Hungry—Anything helps.” Often, people see this as a distant possibility, something that could never actually happen....

Senior David Gonzalez serves as the state president of HOSA as a senior. He will continue in the healthcare field at Duke in the fall.

Overcoming Obstacles

By Fallon Head, Kingwood Park High School May 9, 2025

A teacher told David Gonzalez in elementary school he wasn’t going to accomplish anything. Coaches in middle school shouted random Hispanic last names to get his attention. Classmates said slurs...

Coppell High School 2025 valedictorian Ashia Agarwal used her upbringing in India to inspire her journey in founding EcoSummit, a nonprofit aimed at expanding environmental awareness. Agarwal is committed to Duke University next fall, where she plans to major in environmental science and policy. (Photo illustration by Hannah Vipin and Katie Park)

Agarwal sustaining environment through application development

By Katie Park, Coppell High School May 9, 2025

Perfect grades. Stellar extracurriculars. Formula 1 race car driving enthusiast. One may describe Coppell High School 2025 valedictorian Ashia Agarwal as the all-knowing genius, but she is more...

According to College Board, the number of public high school graduates nationally who have taken an AP Exam increased from 31.5% of the class of 2013 to 34.7% of the class of 2023.

APs: Stress or success?

By Kaylee Hwang, Paige Cornelius, Josie Wettan, and Zachary Newman May 9, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on The Burlingame B. It was originally published on May 6, 2025.

Junior Sayansh Gupta presents the VEX robot he built with his team for a robotics competition. He has attended many in the past, including the Maine Lobstah Bowl Signature Event.

Student excels in his work with VEX Robotics

By Anistyn Lum and Christian Jung May 9, 2025

Since his early days building Lego creations, junior Sayansh Gupta has demonstrated a passion for robotics and problem solving that has led him to the top of the competitive robotics world. As a member...

Sophomore Shay Patel poses with a box filled with clothes ready for donation. In April, her nonprofit donated 210 pounds of clothes.

Her calling

By Mareya Tan, Hebron High School May 9, 2025

One hand after another, her team unloads the back of her dad’s truck with pounds of clothes waiting to be donated. As the months pass, the loads of clothes become heavier and heavier. What was once...

Junior Rachel Chen explains her solution to what she considers one of the most fun AIME problems. The problem asks for the number of rectangles that can be formed inside a fixed regular dodecagon, where each side of the rectangle lies on either a side or a diagonal of the dodecagon.

Solving for X

By Bethany Lai, Clayton High School May 7, 2025

Late at night, numbers and equations swirl across junior Rachel Chen’s page as she chases a solution that remains just out of reach. The clock ticks past midnight, but she won't give up. For Chen, this...

Although period products, medication and education have come a long way, there are still current issues and stigma.

Breaking the cycle

By Evelyn Kraber and Anna Greenlee May 7, 2025

Disclaimer: The term “woman” is sometimes used in the following article to refer to people who menstruate for the sake of consistency with sources. Not all people who menstruate are women, and not...

Lainey Hampton (12) poses in the hallway during the school day on April 17. Hampton recently moved to Michigan from Florida.

One in a million

By Elizabeth Gisholt and Anita Pereira Nunes May 7, 2025

Before: In gym class, she was always slower than her classmates during the Pacer test. In gymnastics class, her cartwheels never looked quite the same as the other kids. And a small push from her...

A person with tritanopia, also known as blue-yellow color deficiency, sees the world in mostly red, pink, grey, and turquoise. However, not every person with this deficiency sees the same thing. “It's not that people with the same deficiency are all the same. Some of them are almost color blind, and some of them have such a small change in color sensitivity that you'd have to do deep diagnostic tests to find it. It's a whole spectrum,” said Michael Marmor, M.D., a professor of Ophthalmology and Human Biology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Seeing in shifted shades

By Kathryn Winters, Carlmont High School May 7, 2025

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet: the rainbow. But what if that wasn’t it? Sophomore Ryan Evert experiences a different kind of rainbow. Where others see a sharp distinction between...

Theater teacher Marinee Payne sits on the set of "Lend Me a Tenor," the final TP Players production she will direct before retiring. Throughout her 32 and a half years at the school, Payne not only taught a wide range of theater classes but also developed curriculum, directed productions and created a supportive community for generations of students.

End of an era: Marinee Payne retires after 32 years

By Lana Weber and Sophia Gorba May 7, 2025

“Regrets I’ve had a few, but then too few to mention.”  These are the lines of Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way,” that Marinee Payne believes best embodies her time as a teacher.  “32...

Junior Olivia Page works at her family's well-known ice cream shop, Page Dairy Mart.

She has the scoop

By Molly Gorman and Anne Hampton May 7, 2025

Junior Olivia Page has spent a lot of time at her family's renowned ice cream shop – going all the way back to just after she was born. “It was the first place my family took me when we left the...

Federal funding cuts under the Trump administration have left researchers uncertain about their futures and the value placed on science. Government agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are hit with layoffs, grant cuts, and cancellations due to budget threats. "The way that it's going to impact science in America is that there isn't going to be any science in America," said Colette Delawalla, founder and president of Stand Up for Science, a nonprofit organization.

Delaying progress: federal research funding on the chopping block

By Shiori Chen, Carlmont High School May 7, 2025

With the dismantling of scientific institutions nationwide due to broad reforms to federal science policy under the Trump administration, the future of American research is uncertain. Leading institutions...

Andy and Jayden Kim ('25) in the BOHS main office. The twins earned full-ride scholarships to Rice University and Colgate University, respectively, through Questbridge National College Match.

Kim Twins’ Parallel Paths Lead to Full-Ride Questbridge Scholarships

By Lauren Ko, Brea Olinda High School May 7, 2025

The day-to-day lives of twin brothers Andy and Jayden Kim ('25) are markedly different. Some weekdays, Andy spends his afternoons hoisting his trumpet on the grass fields of Wildcat Stadium as a member...

The popularity of catfish is clear statewide, but does its appeal carry over to MSMS and MUW students who eat it at Hogarth?

Giesen: At MSMS, Catfish Friday is more than just a meal

By Walt Giesen, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science May 2, 2025

For decades, students at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science have entered the hallowed halls of Hogarth Dining Hall on Friday afternoons met with the familiar scent of fryer grease. While...

David Conrads, director of the Iowa Raptor Project Shows one of the projects Red Tailed Hawks, Hercules. Hercules is famous for soaring over Kinnick Stadium before Iowa Hawkeye football games.

Bigger than birds

By Vera Tanas and Maddux Neukirch May 2, 2025

Lake Macbride’s gorgeous lakeside trails and the life-giving sounds of wind brushing through the thick, sun-filled forest breathe serenity like no other place. Tucked away in the middle of this land...

San José and
the larger San Francisco
Bay Area are home
to a variety of native
species such as the
California poppy, owl’s
clover and lupine.

The Bay Area’s complex web of native and invasive wildlife

By Angelina Feng and Crystal Zhu May 2, 2025

On the streets of San José, the Eastern gray squirrel is an ordinary sight. Complete with its bushy tail and cinnamon-tinged fur, it is a common visitor to backyards and porches. Yet this common creature...

In the home of 2011 WHS graduate Lauren Astley’s father and founder of the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund Malcom Astley sit photos of L. Astley, along with a stuffed dog. M. Astley thinks that loss is something that children should be learning how to cope with from a young age, as well as acknowledging that grief and loss doesn’t only come from human death. “Another is acknowledging the phenomenon of loss, which a breakup is,” M. Astley said. “Training early on around the silliest of things. You remember that first stuffed animal that you had, and if you lost it or left it at home when the family went on a trip and you went out of your mind as a four year old. The first goldfish that died, another pet, and the progression, which is inevitable, and we don't, we're not open about it.”

More than just a statistic: The role of education in combating domestic violence

By Vanessa Taxiarchis, Sofia Ciciarelli, Marissa Mendoza, and Bella Schreiber May 2, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only...

The buildings of Oracle Corporation in Redwood Shores stand imposingly against a blue sky. With 40% of the company’s total employees working at the Redwood Shores campus, it is a huge contributor to the Silicon Valley ecosystem, which is characterized by its competitiveness, fluidity, community, and inequality.

Climbing the ladder

By Anoushka Swaminathan, Carlmont High School May 2, 2025

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on Scot Scoop News. It was originally published on April 29, 2025.

Class of 1974 alumnus and former Spanish teacher Gene Bordy looks Wednesday, April 23, in Room 138 at the Pilgrim Tours website featuring his dream trip to the Holy Land of Israel. Bordy has been unable to go on his scheduled tour the past two years because of the Israeli-Hamas conflict as well as several airlines’ decision to no longer offer flights to that part of the Middle East.

ALUMNI ARTICULATION: Dream trip to Israel turned nightmare

By Amy Lim, Sunny Hills High School May 2, 2025

The Accolade continues with its feature that focuses on those who have graduated from Sunny Hills and how they are contributing to their community and beyond. In this latest segment, Journalism 1 cub reporter...

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