The Oracle may have some award-winning reporting but it’s not the only place to go to stay informed. By checking out some other school papers in our area, we caught up on local news and got educated on our fellow high schools.
According to TJ Today, WS is not the only school suffering from decrepit facilities. Their renovations have already begun, and have a target completion date of 2016. Other interesting updates from TJ include a freshman attempting nuclear fusion; and out of 21 Virginian semi-finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, 18 were TJ students.
In the most recent issue of The Bear Facts, Lake Braddock’s school paper, athletes and performers alike had their endeavors acknowledged. They even recognized one junior student-model, who recently traveled to Mexico for a modeling competition attended by international recruiting agencies. It’s clear LB is a school that enjoys highlighting personal accomplishments.
Based on Woodson’s Cavalcade, we can conclude they are a school of independent intellectuals. Their indie culture can be seen in their articles examining the alternative music scene, guiding beginners through the exciting world of thrift shopping, and hating on the mainstream lovers of John Green.
Edison High School celebrated the opening of Springfield Town Center with a full-page spread in their latest edition of The Current. They also concluded that the school system, which values grades over mastery of the content, may be to blame, by exploring the reasons behind why kids cheat. Their pieces on feminism and the DC “Slutwalk” advocate equality between the sexes.
At Chantilly, the Purple Tide joins The Current in the ranks of the modern activists. Their controversial articles support same-sex marriage, promote an end to both hate and domestic violence, and encourage us to open our eyes to the atrocities being committed in Palestine today. They call readers to action, saying, “Today’s teenagers will be tomorrow’s leaders, and we as a generation need to put forth the effort to become a more informed, active, and involved society.”
This message is relevant at here as well, where perhaps we could gain something by opening our own eyes and venturing outside the cozy world of northern Virginia. Through reading other news sources and trying our best to stay “informed, active, and involved,” we might be able to become a more accepting school as a whole.