Weighing the Pros and Cons of School and Club Sports

Crew Norden, Staff Writer • May 22, 2024

I have been an athlete for my whole life. I began organized sports at 3 years old , and have played travel or club sports since I was six. I started school sports when it started being offered in 8th grade....

Navigating college recruitment first hand

Crew Norden, Staff Writer • May 20, 2024

Ever since I could remember, my dream has been to play baseball at the highest level. As a young kid, I never imagined how hard it would be to play at a Division 1 (D1) collegiate level.  From going through...

End of high school prompts reflection, exploration of memories

Nora Crutcher-McGowan, Editor-in-Chief • May 19, 2022

The global COVID-19 pandemic framed much of my high school stint. When I try to sort memories or events from the past four years of my life in my brain, I categorize everything into the “before times''...

Journaling journey, finding tranquility in writing

Josiah Anderson, Writer • April 6, 2022

Writing has always been an escape for me. Starting in elementary school, I would write because stories would fill my head and cramp the space inside my mind until I wrote them down and released them. The...

Online english renews desire to write

Josiah Anderson, Staff Writer • December 13, 2021

Starting in kindergarten, schools drill the basic subjects into the heads of their students. Math is taught starting with simple addition, and by the eighth grade, schools expose students to several branches of math, from pre-algebra to geometry. Likewise, in science, students start with the basics of a simplistic water cycle and cloud types, but by eighth grade are learning astronomy and the basics of biology. Yet, when it comes to English, schools fall short. Instead of introducing newer, increasingly challenging and complex concepts to complement the age of the students, schools seem to repeat the same idea again and again until students are bored out of their minds and, in my case, despise writing. 

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe

Ketti Horton • October 26, 2021

My most prominent memories of being a young child are those of fall afternoons. Perhaps it’s because my birthday is in October, or just because I love the changing colors of the trees. Even with the impending long nights and freezing temperatures, I think most people find comfort in the autumnal coziness. For me, getting off of the bus, cold air on my cheeks, wind in my hair and walking inside my house greeted with the smell of my mom’s pumpkin cookies really brought in the season. While she takes inspiration from the well known Nestle Tollhouse recipe, she has tweaked the recipe to make it her own.

Penpals preserve long-distance friendships

Anjali Noel Ramesh • April 13, 2021

Living in an apartment complex reserved specifically for graduate students with families like mine provided me with a plethora of playground mates. It seemed I only needed to walk to the nearest apartment to find a friend. The experience also came with the unfortunate knowledge that as soon as the graduates completed their degrees, they, along with their families, would pack up and leave, moving to wherever their job called them. Some of my neighbors moved states, while others ended up moving to countries halfway across the globe. 

Reading rehabilitation: A journey back to books

Sarah Ding • March 18, 2021

The books were my safe haven, my obsession, my hobby ⁠— in fact, the books defined most of the positive pieces of my elementary school experience.

Adopting self care habits helps hinder mental pressure

Anjali Noel Ramesh • February 13, 2021

before I started high school, all my older friends talked about was the torment junior year would give me. Standardized testing, high level classes, extracurriculars and mountains of homework were its challenges, and tears and mental breakdowns were the outcome. Naturally, I entered freshman year with a colossal fear of the impending 11th grade.

Brazil to Missouri: pathway to citizenship

Lais Campos • January 11, 2021

Immigration in the United States has shown to be a perpetually difficult topic to be discussed. Whether it's on a huge political stage or a common person’s point of view, our arguments and ideas impact the way people perceive immigrants in this country.

Staff writers share their 2021 resolutions

Multiple Authors • January 1, 2021

Bearing News and Southpaw writers look back at past resolutions and create new ones for 2021.

Birthdays on the web, isolation brings families together

Anjali Noel Ramesh • December 30, 2020

I have never been one to host extravagant birthday parties. The last one I can remember involved a massive, carefully constructed Barbie cake I devoured with my other five-year-old friends. I almost never celebrate my birthday with my family members, all of whom live outside of the United States.