The Case for Cursive

by Anna Haas ‘23 Many teens have probably noticed the difference between their writing and their parents’ or grandparents’ writing. Kids today are usually only taught how to print, while the older generations spent hours learning how to get their cursive just right. Currently, 41 states do not even require handwriting instruction, let alone cursive instruction.  While shifting focus to … Read More

Licensing System Is Gun Control That Works

by Kate Diuguid ‘22 On March 16, 2021, eight people were shot to death at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area. This horrific attack comes as the latest symptom of America’s gun epidemic. A mass shooting is defined by the FBI as an incident involving multiple victims of gun violence, and these specific types of tragedies often bring the … Read More

Our Society Is What Ray Bradbury Feared Most

by Peyton Blumenfeld ‘22 Living in a world where books are burned and outlawed in order to suppress a group of people from knowledge seems like a dystopia unlikely to happen in a democracy such as the United States. Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” portrays that future and although we’re not burning books, many people simply have stopped reading them.  Books … Read More

‘Blue Lives’ Never Really Mattered to Capitol Rioters or Their Enablers

by Hailey Sepulvado ‘22 “Blue Lives Matter” is a phrase that is used by many MAGA supporters as a response to Black Lives Matter. They shouted it in counter-protests all throughout the summer, made it into flags, merchandise, and have continued to use it as a way to show what they say is their support to law enforcement. As long … Read More

Maybe Humans Aren’t Ready to Colonize Mars

by Ella Casey ‘21 On February 18, NASA landed the Perseverance Rover on Mars, a robot with the goal of exploring the planet in search of evidence of past–or even present–signs of life. With these observations comes the potential to unlock clues to the planet’s habitability not only for potential martian life, but also for us humans.  The idea of … Read More

‘I Want the World to Witness Our Pain’

by Naomi Bang ‘23 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee was attacked on January 28 in San Francisco. Ratanapakdee, a Thailand native who lived in San Francisco, died of his injuries a few days later. Why was an innocent man attacked?  Ratanapakdee was walking through the neighborhood when a young man charged up from behind, using his full force to shove the elderly … Read More

Time to Rethink Language Learning

by Riley Sandoval ‘22 School has been anything but normal lately, and how we learn is completely different than before. As we begin to undertake the process of safely returning to school, it may be the ideal time to reconsider what we are learning and teaching. The coronavirus pandemic has provided us with the opportunity to improve learning once we … Read More

The Fix: The Death of Capital Punishment

by Apurva Mahajan ‘22 Earlier this year, the Democrat-majority Virginia House and Senate approved legislation to abolish the death penalty. Governor Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, said that he plans to pass the bill into a law as soon as it reaches him. Over centuries, the death penalty has proven itself to be riddled with injustices, particularly racial disparities in … Read More

ADHD and Autism in Females Highly Overlooked

by Paige Werden ‘21 Autism, though less common in females than males, has been shown alongside ADHD, which is very common in females, to be highly overlooked by parents, schools, and healthcare professionals. This barrier acts as a huge detriment to the ADHD and Autism community, hindering women with these conditions from succeeding in life. Autism, characterized by inappropriate social … Read More

So Close to a Dose … But Still Not There

by Lexi Kimmel ‘21 If you ever have tried to get tickets to a major concert, you probably understand what educators are going through as they try to score a vaccine. Slots for online registrations at local hospitals and grocery stores fill up in less than a minute, disappointing thousands  in the area, including teachers, as they miss yet another … Read More