This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on The Southerner. It was originally published on January 11, 2025.

As a hostess, it’s her responsibility to serve everyone. From wealthy politicians to struggling workers. From old men who ask for her number to a family of three who she invited to her graduation. From...

ight green walls with fruit paintings, white ceilings and the smell of beeswax are what customers first see and smell as they enter Freshness in a Bottle, a juice bar on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border,...

Imagine waking up on a chilly winter morning and looking out the window to see your front yard covered with a foot or more of fresh snow. While this may seem like a realistic Massachusetts morning in winter,...

Katia Thomas (‘27) began her journey with Grades of Green, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental initiatives, while composting at her old school. Now, she partners with the Green Organization...

The clock ticking at three hours and 31 minutes before the start of the upcoming new year, Speech and Debate Co-President Pranav Balakrishnan ‘25 was hunched over his computer screen, repeatedly refreshing...

Teachers typically have students for one or maybe two school years, but physical education teachers Tom Coleman and Marcus Owens have taught some of this year’s senior class since they were in preschool. “The...

Despite being the first-born U.S. citizen in his family and growing up in a predominantly white community, American and World Literature teacher Shozo Shimazaki never felt particularly marginalized throughout...

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on Harker Aquila. It was originally published on December 23, 2024.

Walking down the hallway with her arms bursting with color, a student enters a teacher’s classroom. The teacher smiles from ear to ear and the classroom oohs and ahhs, as a beautiful flower arrangement...

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on The Standard It was originally published on on January 7, 2025.

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on West Side Story. It was originally published on December 19, 2024.

As Ellie Pagan, junior, walks into the prep room, she’s greeted by an unusual sound: squeaking. Pagan is using mice to research the role of anxiety in gut bacteria makeup in her Authentic Science...

Creativity and passion Flye high. Ceramics teacher of room 406 pedals through class, clay, and everything in between.  On the Flye with Mr. Flye. Flyeing through the day. All of these headlines ring true...

West High has the smallest black student population of all the Parkway District high schools at 11% of students — 5% lower than the district average, as recorded in Parkway’s Tableau Database. While...

From the field to the auditorium, Riordan's family spirit runs deep within the veins of the school. Through friendly house rivalries, purple and gold pride, and a shared affinity to the alma mater, the...

Eighty-five million jobs are expected to be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) across 15 industries and 26 economies by 2025, according to a 2020 publication from the World Economic Forum. The...

Hadi Zaquot stands outside his house in Northern Gaza with a few other children, waiting to fill his bowl with water. Suddenly, he hears a bang as the ground beneath him shakes, throwing him to the floor...

Darkness filled the sky as plumes of smoke rose and enveloped the city. Fallen trees torn from the ground laid scattered. Buildings were left in ruins. Destruction from relentless bombings by Russian military...

Apocalypse BBQ with the warmth of a pit master dedicated to his craft. The Class of 2006 Coral Gables Senior High alumnus has made a name for himself in Miami’s culinary scene, combining his passion...

The barrier "No dogs, no blacks, no Mexicans." As an immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico, looking upon this restaurant sign in El Paso, Texas, a young Ruben Smith began to understand that the promised...

On Nov. 2, 2024, band senior Michael Feuerborn woke up to $4,655 in donations. His father, Christian Feuerborn, had been working as a private chef for a family for over three years, but he was laid...

Christmas comes early to Elk Grove—but instead of reindeer and elves, giraffes and lions are preparing to move in. The Sacramento Zoo’s long-awaited expansion from 14.7 acres to roughly 65 acres is...

This story contains an alternate format that can only be viewed on the original site. View this story on The Southerner. It was originally published on December 19, 2024.

Thirty to one.  That is the ratio senior Kezia Sunil stared at when she stepped into the room for the first time. It was not new — by now, it was something she was used to — but it still stung....

The treacherous hike of Mount Kilimanjaro is a monumental feat that less than 0.005% of the world has accomplished. A recent addition to this exclusive group of people who have completed the hike is Sioux...

When holiday spirit meets fierce competition, West High’s social studies department turns giving into a game. This year’s season of giving brought West High’s 12th year of decking the halls with...

Since general artificial intelligence platforms became widely accessible to the masses two years ago, AI has become for many students a valuable learning tool that streamlines answers and sifts through...

In just a few years, all Parkway Central High students taking German will have either finished or dropped the course, which will bring an end to its presence in the foreign language department. As of...

Exploring the Power of Social Media Influence on Health and Wellness Trends From high school students testing out the newest workout routines to jumping on the newest diet bandwagon, young, impressionable...

Sophomore Marisa Estrada started high school in 2021 with plans of graduating with all her friends in 2025. But plans change. Now, after leaving school for a year and a half, Marisa will graduate...

It’s test day. Mahmud Jayanta* ’26 has been preparing for days, reviewing notes, retaking formatives, and watching AP Classroom videos. But for him, the real preparation begins the day of the test,...

As dark clouds loom, not all are prepared for financial storms. Saving for a rainy day starts to feel impossible with rising costs and expenses. In a world where people are immediately influenced by what...

At Granite Bay High School, the halls echo with the stories of students from diverse backgrounds. Among them are Nadia and Saba Ahmadi, Afghan siblings who came from Afghanistan to America. Before arriving...

Most people are aware of the 24/7 hotline phone services available to anyone needing help in an emergency. For example, numbers such as 911 and 988 (Suicide prevention lifeline) are open at all times for...

Thunderous crackles reverberate through the air, piercing the curtain of smoke that veils firefighter engineer Ruri Kobayakawa. Her boots crunch on shards of glass as she hoists her fire axe and shuffles...

A dimmed bedroom filled with the soft hum of fluorescent lights and the faint laughter from the television screen showing "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was social activist Ron Blake's turning point...

It’s 9 on a Saturday morning. The sun is rising over H-E-B on Kingwood Drive, popcorn can be heard popping and the sweet smell spreads through the air. The source of this environment is coming from one...

Southern Lehigh senior Lilian Hope Driscoll was born in June 2007, seven weeks early, at just 2 pounds, 12 ounces. She suffered from many birth complications and spent over one month in the NICU. When...

Setting up her table at the local farmers market, senior Elena Weeks prepares for another day of greeting customers and sharing her love for specialized cards. Weeks’ business, “Elena’s Handmade...

A mile and a half away from City High is the University of Iowa campus, a Tier-1 public research university and one of three major universities in Iowa. Despite this, Kenji Radley ‘25 has still had trouble...

Sometime this past summer, seniors Dylan Choura, Henry Schwarze, and Jakob Terpstra loved taking trips to the local Forest Hills Foods for chocolate milk. Not just any chocolate milk: TruMoo. That’s...

Spanish teacher Rene Hinojosa was surrounded by his family’s smiles and laughter on the night of Dec. 7. Of those, his was the biggest. He spent the whole night singing and dancing; it was his niece,...

Many of WJ’s international students were able to experience American Thanksgiving for the first time during the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program’s Thanksgiving Luncheon on Nov....