Changing tune
September 29, 2020
Like many other school departments, the performing arts will be making changes to their curriculum for COVID-19 to ensure student safety and productivity. “We are doing what we can to make this a growth year and not just a ‘survive and maintain’ year,” Assistant Choir Director Drew Howard said. ...
Going virtual
September 28, 2020
English teacher Ashley Gandy has taught classes full of students for the last 14 years. However, this year she sees an empty classroom as she gets ready for her day. The desks are stacked and pushed to the front of the room, and the students are at home in their pajamas. This year she only teaches ...
Crafts for a cause
April 28, 2020
Similar to many students in quarantine, junior Maddie Felan has been keeping herself busy with new projects. However, instead of spending her free time finding new hobbies, she’s decided to create a non-profit organization called All in for Children to help make masks for kids in hospitals. While...
Live out loud
April 28, 2020
A couple walked the waxed white floors of the mall as the scent of over-salted pretzels wafted through the air. In the bustle of it all, they held hands without rings as their kids joined the overall commotion, spiraling in and out of the toy stores and ever-distracting kiosks “Hey, are you guys sister...
Beyond the location
April 27, 2020
Junior Maggie Ku sat in her classroom, listening to her friends’ conversation while working on her assignment. They were discussing how the Corona beer stock dropped when the topic of coronavirus came up. While filling in her answers, Maggie faintly heard one of her friends whisper to the othe...
Life outside ‘the bubble’
March 15, 2020
Junior Angela Abraham’s mind was clouded with worries as she sat on the couch. The TV flashed images of her family’s flooded hometown, Kerala. Citizens were trapped, left to either starve in their houses or be bitten by water snakes. Abraham saw that some were able to escape by raft, but she was...
Over hurdles and fences
March 13, 2020
The Bridlewood stables were filled with horses. Senior Ashleigh Jooste, then 10, held on as her horse jumped over a fence in the ring. But she suddenly realized her body wasn’t in the right position, causing her to fall off. Jooste had been riding for a year and was thrown off before. A week earlier,...
Mirror image
March 12, 2020
Staring at the face in the mirror, tears rolled down Ryann Taylor’s cheeks. Her eyes continued to well up as she thought of the cute, button-nosed girls she’d seen in her classes. They were perfect. They’d never have to change. Ryann hated her nose. She had since she was 6. She had never liked...
Finding hope without a home
February 4, 2020
Leah* never thought she would find more safety in her car than her home. She was parked in the middle of the pitch black Walmart parking lot, laying in the back seat of her truck with only a pillow tucked below her dark black waves and a pair of thin clothes. The heat choked her breathing and the ...
Starting a new chapter
January 31, 2020
For the past 18 years, Marcus has been like a second home for English teacher Mindy Sample. In addition to working with students, she watched her daughters graduate and her husband coach the football team to one of the first Battle of the Axe wins. She was there when Marcus Smart dominated the basketball ...
A second chance
January 31, 2020
Editor’s note: this story was named as a superior feature in the TAJE Best in Texas contest and it won second place for features in the Press Women of Texas high school contest. It also won first place and Tops in Texas for online features in the ILPC contest. The man he saw in the mirror wasn’...
Small blessings
January 31, 2020
Editor’s note: this story was named as a superior news feature in the TAJE Best in Texas contest. Highland Village resident Kristie Baysinger went outside with her kids and called 911 while her husband tried to tame the flames in the attic with a water hose. After the operator told everyone to e...