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Politico Society Hosts Fireside Chat with Mayor Francis Suarez
December 5, 2023
Students hold up peace signs while others raise the Palestinian flag. November 1, 2023.
Breaking: P-CEP students organize humanitarian walkout in support of Palestine
November 30, 2023
The Activist Club discusses school safety and how MCPS can keep students safe.
Fake bomb threats cause safety concerns in MCPS
November 30, 2023
The exterior of the Frenchtown Bookshop, located at 28 Bridge St, Frenchtown, NJ.
Frenchtown Bookshop stands up to local government
November 29, 2023
Public comments reflect fear, under-representation at Board meeting
November 29, 2023
A Los Angeles Police Department officer directs traffic on Balboa Boulevard in front of the entrance to the Daniel Pearl Magnet High School parking lot on Aug. 17.
Traffic congestion raises safety concerns for school community
December 5, 2023
In breaks of action during a spring golf tournament, coach Angela Chancellor threw her portable fishing pole in the ponds on the course.
Gone Fishing
December 5, 2023
Grade inflation has become an increasingly large problem at Latin in the past decade.
Are Latin Students Getting Smarter or Are A’s Getting Easier?
December 5, 2023
A student waits inside of Starbucks, holding a matcha drink and strawberry refresher. Starbucks is a popular destination across Los Angeles and the U.S. that enables students easy access to caffeine. Teenagers caffeine consumption has greatly increased over the past few years.
More than a cup of coffee: Rise in caffeinated drink consumption, advertisements negatively affects teenagers
December 1, 2023
Michelin inspectors visit fine dining establishments frequently, remaining anonymous in compliance with the guide.
Behind the Michelin star: Anonymity of Inspectors
December 1, 2023
Tyrone Alum Sees Success on the Links
December 5, 2023
The Final Game
December 5, 2023
IN COMBAT: Freshman Quinn Loyd spars with her father. Quinn was first introduced to Muay Thai, a form of mixed martial arts originating in Thailand, by her father.
Father-daughter dancing in ring
November 29, 2023
CROSS COUNTRY STATE OF MIND
November 29, 2023
A lunch tray consists of turkey and rice from Mexican Fiesta, swedish meatballs and egg noodles from Main, fresh fruits from the salad bar and a cookie from the Auxiliary Gym. “Because teen athletes are still growing and developing, it’s important to ensure they’re getting enough nutrition and hydration,” registered dietitian Sara Leung said.
Finding fuel formula for teenage athletes
November 28, 2023
The hidden Evanston board game community offers fun friends and connections.
Game on!
December 5, 2023
Told through several perspectives, “Mascot” is aimed at middle-grade readers, introducing them to the complexity of tradition and discrimination through accessible literature. 
Award-winning authors Charles Waters and Traci Sorell visit Politics & Prose
December 5, 2023
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” came out in theaters on Nov. 17 featuring a young and ambitious Coriolanus Snow in the defining moments of his life. Viewers watch throughout the film as Snow progresses from a relatively innocent student to a cunning, driven person that goes on to become the despotic leader from the original films.
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Review: A Compelling and Thought-Provoking Prequel
December 1, 2023
STRUMMING AWAY: Junior Knox Cannon poses while playing his guitar outside. Cannon has recently ramped up a large fan-base on TikTok, acquiring over 150 thousand followers.
Junior jumps into the world of music
December 1, 2023
TOURNAMENT READY. Senior Megan Elliott has the cover designed for her novel The Tournament. She worked all month to complete the book as part of nanowrimo, a writing initiative.
Senior set to finish first novel
November 30, 2023
In a world where Instagram-worthy salads often overshadow childhood classics, diet culture has reshaped the snacks that once fueled our youthful spirits.
The bitter aftertaste of diet culture
December 5, 2023
Everyday that those with power and agency do not attempt to address this issue is an active acceptance that this is normal. The simple truth is this-children fearing for their lives in school is not normal.
Students are too apathetic about school violence
December 1, 2023
Editorial: What the Israel-Hamas war means for journalism
December 1, 2023
Three Messenger staffers collected their college mail for less than one week and it filled a recycling bin.
Colleges Disregard Environment
December 1, 2023
WSPNs Ryan Chase shares his thoughts on the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and how it has impacted Jews around the world.
Opinion: Hamas’ effect on Jews everywhere
December 1, 2023
New age of technology
December 1, 2023
Jim “Jamaica” Hawkins, played by senior Olivia McMahon, is shocked when she discovers that a hole was cut into the treasure map to steal coordinates that reveal the location of the treasure on Skeleton Island, which Jim, Long John Silver, and his pirates are after.
Treasure Island: Behind The Scenes
December 1, 2023
Ziad Ben-Gacem (’25) speaks to Clarisa Gomez Rodriguez (’24) in the show’s opening scene during dress rehearsal Nov. 13. Rodriguez sang the first song of the musical, “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
GALLERY Students perform High School musical ‘Anything Goes’
November 30, 2023
The Makerspace Project brings innovation to Redwood City community
The Makerspace Project brings innovation to Redwood City community
November 28, 2023
The Urban Stream Research Center is part of the Blackwell Forest Preserve system. Students in AP Environmental Studies are able to visit this site as part of a field trip in the fall.
[PHOTO ESSAY] WEGO water testing
November 28, 2023
People, Politics, and Perspective Ep. 2: Asian Americans, admissions, and the affirmative action debate
People, Politics, and Perspective Ep. 2: Asian Americans, admissions, and the affirmative action debate
November 27, 2023
JJ Buzz
Podcast Editors Dive into a Conversation with Hannah Snow and Nurse Layne Shoemaker: Exploring the Impact of Diabetes on High School Students
November 17, 2023
A MathMagician member participates in one of the activities the summer camp has to offer. This summer program created by two juniors helps kids with learning disabilities develop a love for math. (Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Markham)
Gator Tales: Xavier students create summer program called MathMagicians
October 27, 2023
Getting on track: Michele Abbate brakes through barriers in racing
Getting on track: Michele Abbate ‘brakes’ through barriers in racing
October 25, 2023
Prepcast 2.2: Striking Through Hollywood: The Breakdown
October 7, 2023
Ziad Ben-Gacem (’25) speaks to Clarisa Gomez Rodriguez (’24) in the show’s opening scene during dress rehearsal Nov. 13. Rodriguez sang the first song of the musical, “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
GALLERY Students perform High School musical ‘Anything Goes’
November 30, 2023
The Urban Stream Research Center is part of the Blackwell Forest Preserve system. Students in AP Environmental Studies are able to visit this site as part of a field trip in the fall.
[PHOTO ESSAY] WEGO water testing
November 28, 2023
Head bent, head coach Tyler Moore laughs after the team dumped the water on his head, in celebration. This is Moores first year as head coach. The team has earned multiple iconic wins and accomplishments under his guidance.
Column: Football season through my lens
November 10, 2023
WATER BALLOONS AND SMILES: Senior Peer Assistance and Leadership program member Jude Masoni holds up his fellow PAL, senior David Herring, as a human shield to protect himself from the path of an incoming water balloon. Students paid to throw a balloon at the PALS on Tuesday as part of the shooting PAL-ery, one of the Pink Week fundraisers intended to raise money for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Central Texas, an Austin-based non-profit that provides personalized support to those affected by breast cancer.  Year after year the PALS put on Pink Week in order to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The PALS put on a variety of different events the whole week at lunch in hopes of both bringing in profits and bringing an exciting week of fun to the McCallum community.    Herring was made a target of the water balloon by his cross country teammates. “I enjoyed seeing my teammates coming out to donate as I was telling them about it the week prior,” Herring said. “I was also just having fun on that nice day with my fellow PALS. Some of them that did the pallery that day, like Jude, I’ve known since elementary school.” Caption by Chloe Lewcock with reporting by JoJo Barnard.
Pink Week soars to new fund-raising heights
October 31, 2023
The mall has been abandoned since 2017 and is often nicknamed The Quad.
Photo Essay: Charlestowne mall: once booming, now abandoned
October 20, 2023
New age of technology
December 1, 2023
Jim “Jamaica” Hawkins, played by senior Olivia McMahon, is shocked when she discovers that a hole was cut into the treasure map to steal coordinates that reveal the location of the treasure on Skeleton Island, which Jim, Long John Silver, and his pirates are after.
Treasure Island: Behind The Scenes
December 1, 2023
The Makerspace Project brings innovation to Redwood City community
The Makerspace Project brings innovation to Redwood City community
November 28, 2023
Video: Project Life prepare students for independent living
Video: Project Life prepare students for independent living
November 28, 2023
Americas National Churchill Museum: A Midwest Treasure
America’s National Churchill Museum: A Midwest Treasure
November 21, 2023
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
All content by Ingrid Smith
Campbell plays viola for their senior portrait. This fall, Campbell will attend Oberlin Conservatory where they will study viola. With classes on everything from chamber music to music theory available, Campbell believes that Oberlin will allow them to grow as a musician and person.

From A to Z

By Ingrid Smith, McCallum High School
May 24, 2023
‘ONE TWO’ THREE GO: Seniors Nia Wayman, Sophia Kramer and Olivia Falcon lead the team’s formation in hip hop number ‘One Two Step,’ choreographed by Caroline Cullers. Wayman enjoyed conveying the intensity of the number to the audience.  “My favorite part would have to be the headspring whackpack kip-up,” Wayman said. Overall, though, Wayman found this year’s spring show to be bittersweet as she said goodbye to the people and program that had been a part of her life for so many years.  “I was excited throughout but I was also sad that it was the last time I would dancing as part of Blue Brigade,” she said.  Caption by Francie Wilhelm.

A Knight of glitz and ‘glamour’

By Kate Boyle, Naomi Di-Capua, Chloe Lewcock, Caroline Owen, Charlie Partheymuller, Ingrid Smith, Priya Thoppil, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
May 18, 2023
PINK FOR PROM: Seniors Vaughn Vandegrift, Peter Wiseman, Max Yehaskel and Alex Gold sing and dance their hearts out at Saturday’s “Under the Knight Sky” prom. Yehaskel and Wiseman stood out in the sea of black and navy suits as the pair opted for bright pink with contrasting, yet coordinating, shirts and ties. While the style decision seemed big to onlookers, for Yehaskel it was a simple choice. “I like pink, it’s a solid color,” he said. “It almost melted when I ironed it actually. It’s 100% polyester, and I got it from Kohl’s.” Yehaskel enjoyed prom overall, except when it came to the royalty announcement. “Someone stole prom queen from me,” he joked. “It was very tragic. But other than that, it was fun.” As prom marks another milestone at the end of senior year, Yehaskel is ready to sit back, relax and enjoy his last few weeks as a Knight. “My grades don’t matter anymore [and] after AP tests I’m done,” Yehaskel said. “I’m going to go nuts, and I’m going to start cooking more.” Caption by Francie Wilhelm.

Students shine like stars ‘Under the Knight Sky’

By Kate Boyle, Morgan Eye, Meredith Grotevant, Chloe Lewcock, Sophie Kessler, Gergő Major, Helen Martin, Caroline Owen, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Grace Vitale, J. Frank Webster, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
May 17, 2023
LOVE AND JOY: As she dances in her beautiful dress, sophomore Amy Love reflects on the joy it brings to see her father so happy during the McCallum Quinceañera. I think that this event was really beautiful and fun to experience especially for my dad, seeing him so happy and having my family experience this, Love said. My family isn’t big on doing huge celebrations so me and my sister weren’t able to have a quinceañera, but we loved being able to share this day with all the other quinceañeras and their families. Despite the stress of daily meetings and practices leading up to the event, Love found it all worth it for the fun and memories made on the quinceañera day. It was really stressful doing the whole entire meetings and practice because it was every single day, but whenever it was the actual day of it, it was actually really fun, Love said. Overall, Love found the quinceañera event to be a very meaningful experience, which could not have happened without the hard work of Spanish teacher Juana Gun. I want to give a huge thank you to Ms. Gun for making it all possible and being such a sweet person to all of us, Love said. Caption by Gergő Major.

McCallum Quinceañera celebrates comeback

By Kate Boyle, Tristen Diaz, Chloe Lewcock, Gergő Major, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, Priya Thoppil, Camilla Vandegrift, Grace Vitale, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
April 18, 2023
FIREFIGHTERS FEEL THE HEAT: Kessler performs another car extraction while the sun beats down and reflects off exposed metal car pieces. As the skill day, which started at 7:30 a.m., progressed into the afternoon, the temperatures rose. “Once we were like six hours in, holding tools got really hard because the ‘Jaws of Life’ are super heavy,” Kessler said. “I got calluses on my hands even though I was wearing gloves. By the end of it, I could feel my arms and I thought they were going to fall off.” As tough as the work was, Kessler felt accomplished at the end of the long skill day. “Getting physical confirmation that you did it right from the actual firefighters, and they congratulate you and say you did a good job, it feels good because its a hard skill,” Kessler said. Caption by Maggie Mass.

Fire Academy gets heated with ‘Jaws of Life’ exercise

By Gergő Major, Maggie Mass, and Ingrid Smith
March 10, 2023
SETTING THE STAGE: Senior Lauren Ryan-Holt (Leading Player) welcomes the audience in the show’s opening number, Magic to Do.  As a play within a play, Pippin has many layers to it, including the opening number which is performed as if the cast members were arriving at rehearsal and setting up for the top of the show “It’s the casts musical bait to the audience,” Ryan-Holt said. “We’re luring them into the production we’re about to put on. We describe the journey and all the magical, fantastic things that will take place along the way. We literally set the stage for both the show and the audience’s expectations.” Ryan-Holt opens the number and leads the other ensemble members until the song turns into a fully choreographed number. However, for Ryan-Holt, the opening seductive chords are her favorite part. “There’s just something so mystical and enticing about how it sounds,” Ryan-Holt said. “It’s the one part where you can feel the full focus of the audience.” Reporting by Alice Scott. Photo by Gergo Major.  

Like its title character, ‘Pippin’ evolving with each act

By JoJo Barnard, Chloe Lewcock, Gergő Major, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, and Francie Wilhelm
February 17, 2023
A worker for Asplundh Tree Expert Co., a private tree service company that works with Austin Energy, cuts branches away from power lines moments before Austin Energy restored power to about 20 homes in the Northwest Hills neighborhood late Sunday afternoon. The homes had been without power since Wednesday afternoon. A walk around the block on Monday morning revealed that two home were still completely dark, and one of them had a generator running in the driveway, a indicator that some homes in the neighborhood are likely still without power.

Ice storm leaves students, teachers in dark

By Ingrid Smith, McCallum High School
February 7, 2023
LAST TIME FOR THE TRIO: Seniors and chamber choir members Cate Thomason, Georgiana Murray and Stella Pitts perform “Landslide” in the style of The Chicks during a performance of the annual choir cabaret. This year’s cabaret production, themed “This is the Moment… Be a Light,” featured songs about the choice humans face to build someone up or break them down. Thomason said after four years of performing together, the trio’s personalities blend as well as their voices. For the trio, this Cabaret was bittersweet. “We weren’t that nervous this year because we’ve been singing together for so long,” Thomason said.  “We were mainly just excited and sad that it was our last year singing together.” Former choir directors Malcolm Nelson and Cheryl Lindquist returned to Mac to put on Cabaret this year. Thomason said Nelson and Lindquist’s fun taste in music made the experience even better. “Cabaret is a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun music and an exciting experience,” Thomason said. “We are really fortunate to have Mr. Nelson and Dr. Lindquist coach and help us with everything. I think they’re really good at picking fun songs and putting so much together in such a short amount of time.” Photo by Francesca Dietz. Reporting by Ingrid Smith.

Cabaret 2022 succeeds in bringing the ‘Light’

By JoJo Barnard, Francesca Dietz, Chloe Lewcock, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Camilla Vandegrift, and Francie Wilhelm
December 13, 2022
FUN WITH FRIENDS: Sophomores Hazel Trominski, Julia Rasp and Zalie Mann pose for the camera during Pink Week’s lunch festivities. Students in the science courtyard throughout the week enjoyed the activities while spending time with friends and sporting their best pink wear. Rasp went all-out during Pink Week, pink being her favorite color. “I think it’s awesome that they’re raising money for breast cancer awareness and doing fun stuff and that a lot of it is student-organized,” Rasp said. Caption by Camilla Vandegrift.

Pink Week 2022 sets standard for fun, fundraising

By Evie Barnard, JoJo Bernard, Isley Cameron, Jolie Gabriel, Chloe Lewcock, Gergo Major, Helen Martin, Emerson Merritt, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, Rio Sotelo, Sofia Thatcher, Elena Ulack, Camilla Vandegrift, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
November 7, 2022
Senior Maya Cidale (Mal) alongside senior Kathryn Dooley (Evie), junior Henry Mayes (Carlos) and senior Anderson Zoll (Jay) perform Ways to be Wicked, a number in which the four evils reunite to take over Auradon. For Cidale, developing her character was a significant aspect of her rehearsal process. “It was actually a very interesting process finding my version of Mal,” Cidale said.  “I started off by pretending to be Regina George if she had magic on her side, but then I took a closer look at how all of the iconic mean girls achieved that status. I realized it was all about making people second guess themselves. From that realization, I stemmed every tactic from wanting people to question what they know is right.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

‘Descendants’ brings Disney magic to life

By Jojo Barnard, Chloe Lewcock, Helen Martin, Alice Scott, Lanie Sepehri, Ingrid Smith, and Francie Wilhelm
October 26, 2022
Levin speaks at an abortion rights protest they planned with TX4Abortion on Sept. 4.

Levin finds their voice in the fight for abortion rights

By Ingrid Smith, McCallum High School
October 6, 2022
UNDER THE UMBRELLA: Junior Wilson Corbitt heads toward his dad’s car near the portables during Monday afternoon’s rainstorm. Corbitt faired better than some students, having the forethought to bring an umbrella to school. “In that moment I thought ‘I bet you all thought I was crazy for bringing an umbrella on a sunny day,’” Corbitt said. His intuition proved right, but Corbitt connects this occurrence to a larger issue facing Austin and the planet. “Every year the weather in Texas gets more and more unpredictable and severe due to climate change,” Corbitt said. “And that’s coming off the back of one of the hottest summers on record where today was the first day since May under 90 degrees, which is making it progressively difficult to tell what might happen.” Reporting by Alice Scott.

Flash flood strikes Austin as school dismisses Monday

By Isley Cameron, Naomi Di-Capua, Meredith Grotevant, Sophie Leung-Lieu, Oliver Harrington, Helen Martin, Caroline Owen, Alice Scott, Ingrid Smith, Francie Wilhelm, and Dave Winter
September 19, 2022
Orchestra director Ricky Pringle helps a sixth grader in the fifth-period beginner cello and bass class at Lamar Middle School learn notes and finger position.

Budget constraints force Mac orchestra directors to take over Lamar Middle School program

By Ingrid Smith, McCallum High School
September 13, 2022

Abbott edict threatens trans children, their families

By Ingrid Smith, McCallum High School
March 2, 2022
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The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

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The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

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