Dave and his daughters
By Charlotte Heinrich, Kirkwood High School
March 27, 2020
This story is dedicated to the Geeting family. Dave Geeting had a way with words. When he entered a party, he’d let everyone know he had arrived. He was convinced that his Tame Impala songs were superior to his daughters’ love of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. And he could write a hell of a rev...
Just one bite could kill
By Kiana George and Saya Deshpande
March 26, 2020
Her group of friends had planned one last late-night dinner before they embarked on their college adventures. The trees that lined the street twinkled with lights as they walked toward the restaurant. "Are there any nuts in the pasta?" she asked. She had asked this same question at least a thous...
Mandayam, Schussheim code stuttered speech recognition algorithm
By Audrey Bernstein '20, Staples High School
March 26, 2020
It was summertime when Rishabh Mandayam's ’21 phone lit up with a text from Benji Schussheim ’20. “I want to create a machine learning algorithm for stuttering,” it said. “Are you in or are you out?” In the months following the text exchange, Mandayam and Schussheim coded a prototype algorithm...
Sips and Smiles: A look into Southwest Sips: a student-run business
By Rebecca Suku, Blue Valley Southwest
March 26, 2020
Spreading smiles and delivering drinks, Southwest Sips is a business managed by the students in the connections class. Connections class teacher Jackie Malec started the program three years ago. Malec said she got the idea from another teacher at Blue Valley North High School and decided that it would...
The college that students attend may not matter in the long run
By Wyatt Binnard, Carlmont High School
March 25, 2020
Many students and parents think that attending a prestigious college is a golden ticket to success. While students from elite schools may have an easier time finding their first job, research shows their advantage doesn’t last. “What the data tells us is the first year out of school, the biggest...
Instagram images
By Ava Duggin, Kirkwood High School
March 25, 2020
It’s the weekend. Taylor Losse, junior, is headed to her friend’s farm. While envisioning the flower field she plans to take pictures in, she looks in the mirror and asks herself, “Have I posted in this outfit before?” She double checks her appearance because after adding a VSCO filter, she will post the pictures on her Instagram account. “Perfection i...
Loveland Listings
By Luke Steiner, Omaha Westside High School
March 24, 2020
Across the street from Westside High School on Pacific Street sits a construction site for a new luxury housing development, to be named Loveland Estates. Starting last October, seven homes on the south side of Pacific Street were beginning to be torn down to make way for an 18-home gated community...
In a Heartbeat
By Kathleen Ortiz, Kingwood Park High School
March 24, 2020
For 27 minutes, sophomore Kate Tiedtke lay on the floor, her gray Nike sweatshirt cut in pieces at her side. For 27 minutes last December, it didn’t matter that the sophomore was ranked first in her class or that she was one of the best soccer midfielders in Texas. It didn’t matter that she was...
Students “ride-along” the track to becoming firefighters
By Meera Shroff, Walt Whitman High School
March 24, 2020
During junior Stella Hamman’s first day at the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service Training Academy, she lined up military-style with other teenage cadets in the engine bay, the section of the station that holds all the ambulances and vehicles. Instructors placed hefty bags full of hoses and gear...
Adoption through a different lens
By Maya Kim, Kirkwood High School
March 24, 2020
From the little girl meeting her forever family for the first time, to the first time mother finally getting to sign the adoption papers. Adoption is a life changing word that impacts many people, and it is completely different for everyone who goes through it. The adoptees aren’t the only ones who...
Ready Set Teach aid rescues student
By Cade Spencer, James Bowie High School
March 24, 2020
On Mondays and Wednesdays, senior Cyn’torreya Smith spends first and second period as a teacher’s aid for a second grade class at Baranoff Elementary. Although Smith spent weeks in CPR and First Aid training, she never believed that these skills would be called upon in the classroom. However, on Dec. ...
Inside a conversation with Christine Pelosi
By Mia Rheineck, Benilde-St. Margaret's School
March 24, 2020
Picture Nancy Pelosi. Is she standing, gavel-in-hand, in the House of Representatives, where she presides as Speaker? Or perhaps she’s cocooned in her red coat, exiting the West Wing of the White House with her sunglasses on? Or maybe she’s seated at a conference table, surrounded by hostile (and...
A stroke of good fortune
By Alex Carlon, West High School
March 20, 2020
The enthusiastic ramblings of host Pat Sejak and tender smile of Vanna White are two comforts that many Americans tune in for on a weekly basis. The high-stakes competition and fun-loving spirit of the program makes Wheel of Fortune a must-see for millions of people daily. West paraeducator Farren Ke...
Teachers reminisce on their senior years
By Piper Bacon, Granite Bay High School
March 20, 2020
As the semester drags on, the days getting longer and longer, seniors begin to wonder if everything interesting has just been drop-kicked out of existence by the California Department of Education. Calculus just isn’t what it used to be. What ever happened to the epic high school adventures that...
Sophomore Mac Baker Reaches New Heights in Her International Circus Arts Career
By Olivia Galbraith, La Salle Catholic Preparatory High School
March 19, 2020
The summer before her eighth grade year, Mac Baker’s mom encouraged her to become more active and leave her house more often. After taking a circus class, her attention was hooked. Now a sophomore at La Salle, Baker has been a part of a circus performing troupe for three years and traveled across borders...
‘Team Zeena’ Project
By Heba Bounar, Granite Bay High School
March 19, 2020
Stories about victims of the life-threatening disease of cancer has become all too common throughout the world. In fact, it’s almost become too common to the extent that feeling the direct emotions that should be a logical response to such tragic stories is sometimes a helpless case. However,...
Seeing double: the life of a twin
By Lindsey Brown and Katherine Kim
March 19, 2020
How would you feel if you were a twin? Between sharing a birthday, being compared to and having someone next to you constantly, being a twin is no easy feat, but attaining a lifelong friendship is a gift that can’t be beat. For sophomores Bella and Jack Batts, being a twin perhaps makes them closer...
The effects of turning problems into memes
By Chelsea Chang, Carlmont High School
March 17, 2020
Your timeline blows up with breaking news. A few hours later, you're still struggling to keep up with new posts. But this time, they are memes. Already trending, they have taken the internet by storm, and their popularity grows by the minute. Whether you find the memes funny or insensitive, one thing remains the same: the internet loves to turn a time of cris...
Hall of Honor inductee reflects on years at McKinley
By An Vo, McKinley High School - HI
March 17, 2020
Until this year, Leilani Okuda was highlighted for umpiring at the Olympics. Now she can add onto her titles Hall of Honor member. She was inducted during an assembly in McKinley High School’s gymnasium on Jan. 31. Okuda was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended Kauluwela Elementary...
A Voice to be Heard: WHS students play key role during presidential primaries
By Garrett Spooner and Jonathan Zhang
March 17, 2020
Voters from 14 different states flocked to the polls on Super Tuesday, and for Wayland, this meant the Wayland Middle School or the town building. WHS’s AP Government & Politics students volunteered and helped voters at these locations throughout the process. “It’s very very powerful that...
Woman to Watch for March 15: Noelle Lambert
By Olivia Windisch, Londonderry High School
March 16, 2020
The Lancer Spirit is celebrating the women of Londonderry during the month of March in honor of Women’s History Month. For each day of the month, LSO will be highlighting an inspiring woman within the Londonderry community who has demonstrated strong leadership and influential behavior. Today’s “Woman to Watc...
Living through a revolution
By Jonathan Novak, The American School in London
March 16, 2020
“It was announced one morning, and in the next week, we were gone,” Social Studies Teacher Lanting Xu said. “My parents were gone. We started living with this family.” Xu was born in Beijing, China, three years before Chairman Mao Zedong took over and began the Cultural Revolution. When ...
Undocumented
By Yasmin Haq, Hebron High School
March 16, 2020
Editor’s note: To help protect her identity, the pseudonym “Lin” is used to refer to the main source in this story. They had minutes to cross before border patrol would be back. 11-year-old Lin and her mom ran toward the chain link fence that seemed to tower over them and began climbing. As they reached the top, Lin’s pants got caught on the c...
The Silent Cycle
By Hannah Welch and Maddie Currie
March 16, 2020
SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING: This article contains content about child abuse that some may find disturbing. A Note From the Editor: The names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the victims. OTR verified accounts through court records and arrest reports. Wheels rolled ...
More than a head covering
By Carmela Cohen Suarez, Jillian Prescott, Cymry Hieronymus, and Paras Bassuk
March 13, 2020
For some women, leaving the house without having their favorite ring, watch or scrunchie is an abnormality. For many, there is a specific article of clothing that they would not feel comfortable going in public without. For some Muslim girls and women, that item of clothing is their hijab. Although so...
Mirror image
By Samantha Thornfelt, Marcus High School
March 13, 2020
Staring at the face in the mirror, tears rolled down Ryann Taylor’s cheeks. Her eyes continued to well up as she thought of the cute, button-nosed girls she’d seen in her classes. They were perfect. They’d never have to change. Ryann hated her nose. She had since she was 6. She had never liked...
On the Spot: The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but how do you change a tire? (with video)
By Anjali Krishna, Coppell High School
March 12, 2020
Generation Z’s latest favorite activity: turning nouns into verbs. The new favorite verb: adulting. “Adulting Day is an opportunity for seniors to get the answers to the questions that they have about life and haven’t necessarily been taught in high school,” Coppell High School instructional...
A day without women
By Leanna Gower, Carlmont High School
March 12, 2020
Fátima Cecilia Aldrighetti had been standing outside her school in Mexico City, waiting to be picked up by her mother, who was running late. When her mother finally arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. The last sighting of the girl was on video surveillance, leaving the school with a woman that was...
Nonprofit ‘Gideon’s Promise’ provides legal counsel to public defenders
By Kamryn Harty, Henry W. Grady High School
March 12, 2020
By the fall of 2007, public defender Johnathan Rapping was fed up with the culture of the criminal justice system. He had worked as a public defender in Washington D.C for 10 years, assisted the creation of the first state-wide public defender system in Georgia and had seen the injustices of the system...
Filtered reality
By Madi Olivier, Adriana Pueskens, and Shriya Mukkavilli
March 12, 2020
Impact of social media The popularity of social media among teenagers allows smartphones to do what only scalpels and syringes once could. Apps like Snapchat and Instagram let users alter their facial features until they achieve their desired appearance. In August 2019, Instagram introduced an updat...
Nailed it: Nail art in the MVHS community
By Charlotte Chui and Aditi Dixit
March 12, 2020
Senior Jackie Yeung Since February 2017, senior Jackie Yeung has posted photos of her nail art and designs on her Instagram account, @jynailed, at least once a week. Two months earlier, Yeung had watched YouTuber Cristine Rotenberg’s — known better as Simply Nailogical — 100 layers of nail polish v...
Meaningless Values – How Students Manipulate Volunteer Opportunities to Appeal to Colleges
By Max Eaton, Fairview High School - CO
March 12, 2020
The education system is becoming increasingly competitive over the years, rendering clubs and volunteer hours a mandate in order for ambitious students to be considered for top-tier schools. In an environment full of these ambitious students, our school is not scarce in clubs and volunteering opportunities....
Differently Abled
By Sydney Kepros, Liberty High School - IA
March 11, 2020
A rough entrance into the world is an understatement for Maddie Schroeder, senior, and her twin Alexis. Most students may not know Maddie by name or her story, but could recognize her in the hallway. Maddie gets around in her wheelchair and passers by can hear many fellow students telling Maddie hello. ...
The Pressures of Cheating
By Hannah Chern and Steven Curto
March 11, 2020
Culture of Cheating Many external factors result in students to lean toward cheating to relieve the pressures they face As time is ticking down, a whole page of the test sits in front of you, left blank with questions you don’t know the answer to. Panic rises in your throat. Your hand slides in...
Emily Kim works against hospice stigma
By Francesca D'Urzo, Carlmont High School
March 11, 2020
When one thinks of hospice care, the first description that comes to mind is often somber; in reality, hospice care surpasses the negative connotation society has for the service. Hospices are not just places where patients await the end of life, but also a service where patients receive high-quality...
Behind the badges
By Kaylene Lin, Clarisse Bell, Erin Kee, and Ruya Yaman
March 11, 2020
When compared to the price of a car or a college student’s financial debt, $5 is relatively small. But, to an 8-year-old girl with two bags of Thin Mints, Trefoils, and Samoas, $5 can go a long way. After hitting the markets in 1917, Girl Scout cookies have grown to completely dominate the cookie...
Privacy under attack
By Marta Hill and Maggie Klaers
March 11, 2020
Following the release of YouTuber Shane Dawson’s hidden camera conspiracy video, some raised concerns about being watched. This, coupled with the increase in reports of hidden cameras in Airbnbs and other short term rentals, begs the question: is our privacy guaranteed? After a frightening encounter on a tr...
Lynx Project performs Autism Advocacy concert at SHS
By Allison McElroy, Sycamore High School - OH
March 11, 2020
Lights up. The SHS auditorium fills with sound. But this music is not coming from Sycamore’s many musical ensembles, as one might expect. It is the unique concert experience created by the Lynx Project. On Sat., Feb. 29, the Lynx Project performed its third Autism Advocacy Series concert at SHS....
DHS Productions’ “Newsies” illustrates issues society currently faces
By Viktoria Wulff-Andersen, Danbury High School
March 11, 2020
The cast of DHS’s Newsies has clearly been impacted by the messages of the story they are performing. Director Michael Burnett, who has worked with DHS productions for the past 22 years, describes Newsies as a “high-energy, family-friendly show that brings people on their feet. The dancing and s...
Painted Poison
By Payton Carns and Justin Price
March 11, 2020
Roxanne Price pushed open the crimson curtains to reveal a window regularly smudged with her sticky prints. We watched as she pressed a small hand against the glass; her blue eyes stared longingly at the cars that whizzed past. Her nose was smushed against the window, leaving a foggy imprint behind in its...
“I wanted his DNA off me”
By Sierra Winder, North Platte High School
March 11, 2020
Warning: The following story may trigger memories and emotions in some readers. Continue reading with caution. Sexual assault is the most underreported crime among teenagers. The Rape, Abuse, And Incest National Network (RAINN) organization reports that people ages 16-19 are four times more likely...
“Ready for the fight”
By Lucas Barr, Liberty High School - TX
March 10, 2020
In over 20 years of teaching and four years of education, nothing could have prepared AP Literature and Humanities teacher Beth Evans for what she had to say. The news was unlike any lecture, lesson, or advice she had given before. Weighing her down for weeks, Evans gathered all of her Humanities...
Community rallies around senior Ben Lesser
By Jack McGuire, Walt Whitman High School
March 10, 2020
Senior Ben Lesser runs cross country and track at Whitman; this season, he placed 119th in the Great American Cross Country Festival and 79th in the Montgomery County Cross Country Championship in the 5,000 meter event. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive form...
Local change leads to global impact
By Lora Simakova, Carlmont High School
March 10, 2020
With the strike of the gavel, the president of the youth government board gets everyone back on track. After a short discussion, the meeting resumes, continuing with sub-committee reports and details of youth liaisons. Many youth government boards throughout cities take action to make a change. The San Carlos Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is one of many. As a part of the organization, youth are trained by mento...
Bea Rienhoff fights her genetics
By Katie Wheeler and Anna Wilkinson
March 10, 2020
Crying emerges from the newborn. The baby's curled fingers and toes indicate to the doctors that she isn't as healthy as they had hoped, and panic consumes the room. It would take years of tireless research to finally explain what was going on with Bea Rienhoff, and the diagnosis wasn’t like...
Ten Years Later: Still Waiting for “Superman”
By Emma Chiu and Taila Lee
March 10, 2020
In 2010, during her first year as Instructional Vice Principal of Woodside High School, Diane Mazzei was not expecting to face the press. But, following Woodside High School’s appearance in the award-winning documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” Mazzei found herself answering questions for re...
Astronaut visits STEP Club, speaks about experience on ISS
By Cameron Ederle, St. John's School - TX
March 10, 2020
After his second trip to space, unaccustomed to the effects of gravity on Earth, NASA astronaut Robert S. Kimbrough found himself accidentally dropping glassware around his kitchen. “My wife was way ahead of the game my second time,” Kimbrough said. “She had plastic cups and plates for me...
Walking on Sunshine
By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown, Iowa City High School
March 10, 2020
Reconnecting with your soul. That’s how Amanda Hardy, a psychologist who works at Healing Passages Birth & Wellness Center in Des Moines, describes what it is like to spend time in nature. This is in reference to the biophilia hypothesis stating that “humans possess an innate tendency to seek...
Chalkboard changes perspectives
By Addy Wachter, Grand Haven High School
March 10, 2020
Jennifer Gwinnup, art teacher at Spring Lake High School, is known for “just teach[ing] an elective” by the other staff members at her school. According to some, art isn’t as important as the other classes and it isn’t a hard class to teach; art is just an elective and nothing else. Even though...
Gender expression
By Sofia Leotta and Tam Tran
March 9, 2020
Community at Inglemoor For some students, gender is more than identifying as being male and female. It is about self-expression. It can be expressed through people’s actions, words and style. Inglemoor’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club works to promote a positive and supportive community around s...