Students don’t give a pass to online exams
By Elise Hsu, Carlmont High School
June 1, 2020
Natalie Nielsen was almost done with her Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus test. She had already finished the first question; all she had to do now was submit her answer to the second question. With over four minutes left on the clock, she attached an image of her work and hit the "submit" button. ...
Add Pulitzer Prize to resume
By Cole Hume, Cathedral Catholic High School
May 29, 2020
Los Angeles Times immigration and security reporter and University of San Diego High School alumna Mrs. Molly O’Toole ‘05 received a life-changing email from her top editors last week. The subject of the email simply read “Molly.” “I thought that I was in trouble,” Mrs. O’Toole said. ...
After a State Title and Seven Years of Helping Students, Counselor Mr. Seth Altshuler Departs From La Salle
By Carlie Weigel, La Salle Catholic Preparatory High School
May 28, 2020
After moving to four different countries alone and learning four different languages, all by the time he was 30, counselor Mr. Seth Altshuler said that he had finally developed trust in himself. Now, students, teachers, and staff members who are a part of the La Salle community trust him as well. ...
Local AC/DC tribute singer auditions for spot on tour
By Aaron Boehmer and Kyle Strickland
May 28, 2020
It’s likely the dream of most cover or tribute band singers: the chance to perform with the real band. For local AC/DC tribute band, Back in Black, it happened in 2016. That’s when lead singer Darren Caperna got the chance to audition as the temporary lead vocalist of AC/DC when the band’s singe...
Boy Scouts: core values, life lessons and bankruptcy
![Pictured above is junior Sashwat Das's troop during the Scout summer camp at Camp Yawgoog, RI, in 2018. “I think [the scouts] definitely shaped me into the person I am today,” Das said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-2.36.45-PM-475x293.png)
By Joanna Barrow and Katherine Kim
May 27, 2020
In 1924, Wayland was no more than a small farm town, with dirt roads and a single police officer. There are very few organizations that were established in that year that are still operating, but Boy Scouts Troop 1 Cochituate is an exception: they have been serving generations of Wayland boys for nearly...
Meatless meat companies: Reinventing the food industry one meal at a time
By Kaylene Lin, Carlmont High School
May 27, 2020
If the entire world were to become vegetarian by 2050, food-related greenhouse gas emissions would drop by around 60%. Imagine that. A world with only plant-based foods. A world that can eat it’s way to a healthier future. For many, this idea seems out of reach. Poverty in third-world countri...
Students soar in Civil Air Patrol
By Preston Kwok, Carlmont High School
May 27, 2020
"Semper Vigilans, Always Vigilant." This is the motto that defines Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the Air Force civilian auxiliary. Although it is similar to the well-known Scouts program, many are unaware of what CAP is and the impact the program has on its community and high school students. CAP was...
Photograph Of Fallen WWII Hero Emerges After 76 Years
By Bill Kaiser, San Juan Hills High School
May 27, 2020
When Express editor Brittany Christensen wrote a news story in 2014, she never thought it would help campus supervisor Bob Nietzel find a picture of his cousin Alfred, who died in battle near Heistern, Germany. Bob Nietzel, himself a Korean war veteran, had just accepted the Congressional Medal o...
In Memoriam: Wendall Zartman
By Ella West, St. John's School - TX
May 27, 2020
When AP World History teacher Wendall Zartman finished his last online class on April 16, he concluded as he did every day—by waving a warm goodbye to his students. Several hours later, after experiencing a bout of pain, he checked in to St. Luke’s Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. The next morning,...
The end of fast fashion
By Leanna Gower, Carlmont High School
May 26, 2020
Forever 21 was once the fashion empire feared by other retailers and grew faster than anyone could have anticipated; however, faced with the competition of fast fashion and internal collapse, the empire suddenly met its demise. The first store opened with only $11,000. Starting in a 900-square-foot...
Governments vs. climate change
By Katerina Gaines, Carlmont High School
May 26, 2020
Governments worldwide are facing a problem that no other generation of political leaders has had to face: climate change. Unprecedented warming temperatures, flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires are all attributed to industrial processes used to run society since 1760. However, progress was made...
A Journey From Another Hemisphere: EL Students Share Their Stories
By Lauren Pickett, Marquette High School
May 26, 2020
Victoire Lehee, sophomore, connects with her French roots by speaking her mother tongue at home and speaking either English, German or Russian outside depending on her global location. Lehee represents the almost one out of every four children in the U.S. who speaks a language other than English at...
‘Not adequate enough’: Los Angeles residents reflect on city’s beauty standards
By Chloe Fidler, Archer School for Girls
May 22, 2020
From flashy cars to green juices, West Los Angeles can seem like the perfect place to live. The Santa Monica beach always bustles with people because it is basically sunny year-round, and Rodeo drive is full of tourists and luxury shops. According to a U.S. News and World Report survey, Los Angeles is the 11th m...
Do uniforms really create socioeconomic equity?: Designer items while in uniform
By Cydney Johnson, Archer School for Girls
May 22, 2020
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost half of all high school students wear a school uniform. Uniforms have grown in popularity annually since 1996, when then-president Bill Clinton said that school uniforms would give students the opportunity to "evaluate themselves by what...
York builds dream home from ashes of holiday fire
By Yesenia Montenegro, Linganore High School
May 22, 2020
Mary Jo York, retired special education teacher and current clerical assistant, is building her dream home--an exact replica of the one that burned in a Christmas nightmare. On December 25, 2019, York experienced a life-changing event that most people can't imagine. It had been a regular Christmas...
Remembering senior Carieal “L” Doss
By Zoe DeYoung, Parkway West High School
May 22, 2020
On April 17 our community lost senior Carieal “L” Doss. After transferring from Parkway Central midway into her junior year, she became known by teachers and peers for her jokes and infectious smile. As a child, Doss is described by her mother, Johnetta Doss, as curious and determined. “She...
Bengtson, Elkhal, Smith, and Wobig: This Year’s Valedictorians and Salutatorian Reflect on Their Time at La Salle
By Maddie Khaw, La Salle Catholic Preparatory High School
May 21, 2020
On Wednesday, May 6, four La Salle seniors got a surprise visit to their house from President and Principal Mr. Andrew Kuffner. When Mr. Kuffner showed up at their door, these four seniors found out that they had been selected as the valedictorians and salutatorian for the class of 2020. Although...
War reporter Ben Anderson shares stories from around the world
By by James Engel, Shaler Area High School
May 20, 2020
“Most trips, in the few days before I’m about to leave, I don’t sleep, I don’t eat, and I imagine everything that could possibly go wrong. I’ve had some real close shaves with IEDs, and snipers, and ambushes, and gunfights. Looking back over the past years, I think I’m lucky to be in one...
Junior Sri Jaladi Wins $500 in Spark! Pitch Competition
![Spark! mentor Xanthe Meyer, Bilal Danish, and competitors senior Emma Lee Francois, Parkway South senior Subah Shovik and winner junior Sri Jaladi pose for a photo after the Parkway Spark! Thomas Phelps Pitch Competition Feb. 6. Jaladi’s business, Nano Lending, aims to empower impoverished and homeless entrepreneurs by providing them with foundational products to help them start their own businesses. “It feels really good [running Nano Lending] because it's not necessarily just for money,” Jaladi said. “I think it's great to do something where this is not meant for profit and any money that's repaid back just goes back into the program.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-17-at-3.32.32-PM-475x307.png)
By Paige Matthys-Pearce, Parkway West High School
May 20, 2020
In the midst of anticipation and excitement at the Spark! Incubator, with $500 on the line, stands junior Sri Jaladi as he is announced as the winner of the 2020 Thomas Phelps Business Pitch Competition Feb. 6. Students from Parkway's Spark! Incubator program pitched a business idea to a panel of judges ...
Policy change results in lack of diversity
By Niamh Marren and Savannah Velschow
May 19, 2020
When most people hear the word diversity, many think about different racial ethnicities. One thing that is often talked about but never changed is how certain privileges or disadvantages are based on skin color. Such may be present at Carlmont High School, as some believe that the school stru...
Tapping into greatness
By Kelsey Carroll, Lovejoy High School
May 19, 2020
When Ray Cooper thinks of admirable teachers (and he knows he can’t name everyone), a select few cross his mind immediately. Keith Christian, who is “just a great teacher.” Andrew Stallings, another “great teacher.” Sadaf Syed, again, a “great teacher.” They’re the teachers...
A Rare Disease
By Zoey Beresford, Carlmont High School
May 18, 2020
Shortly after Cyl Beresford gave birth to her son, the baby was swept away into countless tests with the only report of heart murmurs that may or may not go away. Bryan Beresford was born with five defects in his heart, four of which aligned with tetralogy of fallot, a rare heart disease found most commonly in newborns. In 1972, this was a death sentence. T...
He overcame it all by being himself
By Jahlea Douglas, Elkhart Memorial High School
May 18, 2020
“I was abandoned first at 8 months old.” As a child, especially as a baby, we are innocent— we only know how to express simple emotions: crying when we are hungry, in pain, or needing a diaper change and smiling and laughing when another person plays with us. Furthermore, as babies we vi...
Climate Stress in Students
By Julianne Berry-Stoelzle and Nina Lavezzo-Stecopoulos
May 18, 2020
For Avery Wilson ‘20, living with anxiety is a struggle, but over time, she has developed ways to cope. However, when it comes to climate change, she can’t talk herself down. “Climate anxiety is hard to stop. Because for lots of things I feel anxious about, I can talk myself down and realize...
Farming Green
By Shoshie Hemley, Iowa City High School
May 18, 2020
Iowa is a state known for farming, leading the nation in corn, soybean, pork, and egg production according to the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. In 2012, there were 30,622,731 acres of farmland in Iowa according to the Iowa Data Center. However, accordi...
Exclusive Interview With Bonnie Watson Coleman
By Katie Jain, Princeton Day School
May 18, 2020
Bonnie Watson Coleman has been a member of the House of Representatives for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District (which means that, if you live in Mercer County, Middlesex County, Somerset County, or Union County, she represents you) since 2015, and in her time there has advocated for criminal justice...
Alexandria Villaseñor and Her Fight Against Climate Change
By Keana Saberi, WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL - Austin
May 18, 2020
As the climate crisis morphed from the protests of a few determined teens to thousands of young and spirited protesters on the streets in a massive movement, the intentions for a brighter and more sustainable future became the rallying cry of young teens on a mission to activate change. Activists like...
Coppell’s blooming business scene: present condition, tackling COVID-19 and future ambitions
By Akif Abidi, Coppell High School
May 18, 2020
Coppell is a prime example of the tremendous growth North Texas cities have been experiencing the past few decades-- booming from approximately 16,000 residents to 42,000 residents in the last 30 years. As Coppell’s population boomed, so did its business sector. Coppell held approximately 2 mill...
The hidden side of cheating
By Cooper Perez, Carlmont High School
May 18, 2020
High school is a period in which teenagers can express their free-spirited attitudes towards life and ready themselves for the "real world." Students party and spend time together before they depart for college, they go to football games and get their faces painted and cheer when their team scores,...
The Depths of Water Pollution
By Julianne Berry-Stoelzle and Paris Fuller
May 15, 2020
Silvia Secchi often takes walks along the Iowa River with her dog Chiquita. She enjoys the fresh air, and watching the eagles, but also keeps a careful eye out for algae blooms and the water level. She worries about the contamination in the river, if the pH is too high for the fish to survive, or if...
Under the microscope: An inside look at DGS’s Research Club
By Jacqueline Barba, Downers Grove South High School
May 15, 2020
Stepping into Research Club, there’s a sense of controlled chaos. In one corner, students laugh with each other while pouring and mixing different liquids in beakers while in another, a student sits with their chromebook open, eyebrows furrowed as they scribble notes. Everyone is busy and focused,...
Pressures of fitting in
By Anna Velazquez and Andrea Plascencia
May 15, 2020
Fashion. It has no one definition, no one look and absolutely no rules. Fashion can be anything. Fashion is art, freedom and expression. But even in the midst of a revolution of change and progress, there is an underlying pressure to be thin. Desite plus-sized models and people from all walks of life...
Teacher gets inspired, helps students with ‘food insecurity’
By Matt Palmer, Londonderry High School
May 14, 2020
After reading the book No Place by Todd Strasser, LMS reading teacher Rachel Yakey was inspired to help students in Londonderry who suffer from food insecurity. “When I first joined the middle school, they were doing a summer book read and I chose the book ‘No Place’, and in that book the yo...
Sofia Algorri takes over TikTok
By Cerys Davies, Flintridge Sacred Heart
May 13, 2020
It was a random day during winter break, an overcast day with a slight breeze, the sun peeking through intermittently. In a big empty home in Sierra Madre, Sofia Algorri ‘20 had nothing to do. Netflix, YouTube and every other form of entertainment had started to look bleak. She simply couldn’t bring...
Heightism affects athletics, media portrayal, romantic relationships in contemporary society
By Vaughan Anoa'i, Archer School for Girls
May 13, 2020
In our society, the effects of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia have become prevalent topics of discussion, whether that be in Twitter threads or break room conversations. However, according to 5 foot 11 sophomore Shaun Milton, one form of discrimination is often "overlooked" and "pushed aside": height...
Family-owned 805 Goats protects the community from wildfires
By Olivia Horstman, Oak Park High School - CA
May 12, 2020
Until Scott Morris attended Toastmasters, an international public speaking and education club, he never considered starting his own goat-grazing service. Morris met Ventura County Fire captain, Vaughn Miller, in his chapter six years ago and was surprised to hear that the county had a short supply of...
Remembering Tyrone Alumni and World War II Veteran Vincent Hagg
By Tyler Beckwith, Tyrone Area High School
May 8, 2020
Seventy five years ago today, guns across the European continent fell silent for the first time in over five years. VE (Victory in Europe) Day brought a partial end to one of the most devastating wars in human history. More than 16 million Americans served in World War II, almost 11% of the entire...
Students of color, mentors reflect on Archer’s admissions process, diversity
By Lizette Gonzalez, Archer School for Girls
May 8, 2020
In the interest of full disclosure, Lizette Gonzalez is a part of Young Eisner Scholars, one of the non-profit organizations mentioned in the piece. When freshman Helen Solis began going to informational meetings about a non-profit organization called "A Better Chance," she hoped she would be accepted into th...
Yuppies 2.0
By Jordan Atkins, North Allegheny Senior High School
May 7, 2020
Madonna knew the truth when she sang, “We are living in a material world.” It was especially true in the 1980s, when her hit single “Material Girl” was released. It was the decade of the "yuppie," an acronym for young urban professional. “Being a yuppie meant that you had a good-paying job...
Dr. Jerry Friedman and the roots of Shalhevet democracy
By Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, Shalhevet High School
May 7, 2020
For Dr. Jerry Friedman and his wife, Jean, it all began at their daughter’s graduation from Harvard University. That day, Dr. Friedman -- successful Los Angeles real estate developer specializing in industrial warehouses -- heard Harvard president Derek Bok call for non-educators to join the field. Soon...
Legacy of action: The protests at Lab
By Grace Brady, University of Chicago Laboratory High School
May 7, 2020
“You can kill the revolutionaries: but you can’t kill the revolution!! Remember KENT!” reads a poster pictured in the May 12, 1970, U-High Midway newspaper. This attitude toward protest proved itself to be prevalent among faculty and students at Lab throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s with...
“It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to us”
By Jesse Rider, Walt Whitman High School
May 6, 2020
To a passerby, Rick Berke (‘76) and Michael Gill (‘76) would have looked like any other Whitman seniors going out for a quick meal at a diner in Bethesda in 1976. But they weren’t just any old high schoolers craving french fries or a chocolate shake — the two Black & White reporters were...
Behind the scenes
By Alishba Javaid, Coppell High School
May 4, 2020
One week Coppell freshman Matthew McCann is attending school and the next he is filming a CBS show in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles. McCann plays the middle child, Teddy Burns, on the sitcom “Man with a Plan” starring Matt LeBlanc who played Joey Tribbiani on the hit show “Fri...
How Teachers Deal with Academic Dishonesty
By Osaivbie Uhunmwuangho, Lake Ridge High School
May 4, 2020
A math teacher hands out Test A to every student in rows 1, 3, and 5. The remaining rows, 2, 4, and 6, receive Test B. In order to prevent cheating from happening in his classroom, he has created different versions of the test so that students cannot easily cheat off of each other. Academic dishones...
Stroudsburg High School welcomes back survivor of sex trafficking
By Taha Vahanvaty, Stroudsburg High School
May 4, 2020
Two years ago Ms. Sioni Rodriguez stepped into Stroudsburg High School’s auditorium to share her story as a survivor of sex trafficking. This February she stepped in once again to continue her story on her pain, her struggle, and her recovery. “It was powerful,” said junior Thomas Mathiesen....
Individual action can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
By Katerina Gaines, Carlmont High School
April 30, 2020
There's an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; many scientists refer to it as the slow destruction of the natural world. This is climate change. The Causes Carbon dioxide has been pumped unrestrictedly into the Earth's atmosphere from the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century to today. The leading causes of clim...
The debate over facial recognition
By Willa Blair, The American School in London
April 30, 2020
“The amount of information that it can provide is almost priceless, due to the fact that you can’t get that kind of info from anywhere else,” Dean Papayoanou (’21) said, when speaking about the concept of facial recognition. A new facial recognition company known as Clearview AI has gathered over three bill...
Overcoming obstacles
By Hanah Kitamoto and Isaac Young
April 29, 2020
Language is everywhere and it’s surely unavoidable. Homework, tests, socializing and even a quick trip to your local coffee shop will require you to use language. As English is the most common language in America, it’s not rare to be surrounded by English in our daily lives. Transforming thoughts...
He housed his smile in his eyes
By Alexis Perno, HB Plant Senior High School - Newspaper
April 29, 2020
Sophomore Travis Carney passed away April 15 after being hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital April 13. Sophomore Emma Hill described Carney as her best friend, brother and rock for the past three to four years. “He affected everyone around him and changed my life for the better in...
Live out loud
By Renee Gomez, Marcus High School
April 28, 2020
A couple walked the waxed white floors of the mall as the scent of over-salted pretzels wafted through the air. In the bustle of it all, they held hands without rings as their kids joined the overall commotion, spiraling in and out of the toy stores and ever-distracting kiosks “Hey, are you...