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...
Column: A new era of activism
February 4, 2020
Editor’s note: this column was named as a superior personal opinion column in the TAJE Best in Texas contest. Climate change. #MeToo Movement. Hong Kong protests. Rohingya Muslim ethnic genocide. Civil war in Sudan. Last year was characterized by the rise of protest culture, especially amongst teens. Time Magazine recognized 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg as ...
Children having children
Madi Olivier and Ayra Charania
February 1, 2020
Editor’s note: This story was a part of the in-depth package of our Jan. 31, 2020 issue, which was named as an honorable mention for online in-depth news/feature package in the ILPC contest. Even though the teen pregnancy rate has declined in the past 25 years, Texas had the seventh highest teenage birth rat...
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...
Pregnant pause
January 31, 2020
Editor’s note: This story was a part of the in-depth package of our Jan. 31, 2020 issue, which was named as an honorable mention for online in-depth news/feature package in the ILPC contest. Former LISD student Blaklee Briggs felt her throat tighten as her mom parked the car. “You k...
Coach comes full circle
January 30, 2020
Editor’s note: this story was named as an excellent sports feature in the TAJE Best in Texas contest. It also won third place for sports in the Press Women of Texas high school contest and first place for print sports features in the ILPC contest. April 14, 2007 On the windy Saturday night, th...
LISD considers rezoning students
January 30, 2020
Editor’s note: this story won first place for news in the Press Women of Texas high school contest and first place for print news in the ILPC contest. It was also a finalist for news reporting in the Dallas Morning News high school journalism contest. In December, LISD started discussing moving st...
Health, physical education TEKS revised for first time in 22 years
Madi Olivier and Ayra Charania
January 29, 2020
Editor's note: This story won second place for online news writing in the ILPC contest. For the first time in 22 years, the Texas State Board of Education is revising the physical education and health Texas Essentials of Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. These changes will determine if...
Flying past the competition
December 12, 2019
She could see the blinking lights of instruments in the cockpit and hear the muffled transmissions of the plane through her headphones. As the plane lifted off, senior Emma Eidmann felt the ground fall beneath her as the sky opened up. To her, the earth from above was calming. Climb. Gain altitude to ...
Shoot for the stars
December 12, 2019
“Can I look at this stuff?” senior Carol Anne Starks said. She had just arrived home from a long day of middle school. Only 11, she had recently began sixth grade. Starks was talking about the old computers laying on her kitchen table among other stray parts. Her dad had brought them home from...
Butterfly effect
December 10, 2019
Editor’s note: this story was named as a superior feature in the TAJE Best in Texas contest. It also won third place for print features in the ILPC contest. LISD Locksmith Debnes Magnes often goes unnoticed as she walks through the halls, pushing her cart of tools from room to room with a bright smile. Sh...