Lulu Butler, Section Editor

1. “Braving the shave,” Kelsey Carroll

This heartwarming story features Julie Boardman, who volunteered to “brave the shave” and shave her head in support for cancer research. Although Julie wasn’t personally affected by cancer in her family, she wanted to support the cause anyway. I loved the way Kelsey elegantly portrayed the story of Julie’s journey and the message it gives to the readers.

2. “A date for the dance,” Nnenna Nchege

Fallon is a beloved student at the high school and the story was a sweet tribute to him and his friend Aubrey, who offered to go this year’s Homecoming dance with Fallon. The story was sweet, lighthearted, and sure to make anyone smile.

3. “Support for the soles,” Alexis Russell

This story was published in the midst of the controversy concerning the debate on whether prominent athletes should be given the choice to either stand or kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance. Although a difficult topic to articulate opinions about, Alexis understood the importance of explaining her views in an intelligent way that informed readers who might not of known about topic. I really enjoyed seeing Alexis excel as a columnist as she always impresses with her weekly sports stories.

4. “Why we are leaving GT,” Lily Hager and Benjamin Nopper

GT is a very controversial topic especially at the high school level, and Lily and Ben handled the touchy topic with elegance. Their points changed my perspective on both positives and negatives about the GT program and helped me to understand the struggles that came through their experiences.

5. “The hardest two years,  Lulu Butler

This was a really hard story for me to write and articulate my thoughts about. It was something that made me nervous and I felt as though many people wouldn’t fully understand my experiences, yet I learned a lot and grew immensely during the process of completing my story. I grew to love expressing my views, thoughts, and what I had learned through this story and it even helped bring a new confidence to myself as a writer.