The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

Bonded together by long hikes through the forest and poetry readings around the campfire, these are participants in Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, a program that seeks to “inspire individuals to live in a way that honors, values and strengthens relationships.”

From tough love to torture: Wilderness therapy rehabilitation programs leave teenagers traumatized

By Kate Rodriguez October 4, 2023

Trigger warning: discussion of suicide, drug abuse and violence   In the scenic mountains of Utah, worlds away from anything resembling civilization, lives a group of teenage girls. Bonded together...

The words “gay” and “girly” unsurprisingly continue to follow me, but I understand now that those juvenile claims are part of a larger pattern of people denying other men’s masculinity to assert their own.

Boys dance too: My experience as a male ballet dancer

By Jacob Cowan January 22, 2023

This story was published in print in December 2022.  The faint sound of pointe shoes echoes through a narrow walkway as I begin to ascend a set of stairs. With each step, the soft tapping crescendos...

While the Infinity Saga featured aspirational characters such as Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk as well as countless groundbreaking moments, the lack of diversity and female representation was difficult to ignore.

Are Marvel’s new projects “bad,” or are you just not the target audience?

By Maddie Kaltman January 13, 2023

Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson. Chris Evans. Their signatures scrawl from left to right as fans dry tear-filled eyes. The rolling of emotion-filled credits after “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) marked...

A legacy of achievement: Whitman alumni reflect on the culture of high performance

By Kate Rodriguez January 12, 2023

When writing her 2006 national bestselling book, “The Overachievers,” Whitman alum Alexandra Robbins (‘94) shadowed eight Whitman students in their day-to-day lives. She aimed to portray the extensive...

When they don’t “meet standard”: An inside look at evaluating teachers

When they don’t “meet standard”: An inside look at evaluating teachers

By Dani Klein December 6, 2022

Some names have been changed to respect students’ and teachers’ privacy. Every student knows that one teacher, at Whitman or elsewhere. The teacher who made their older sibling cry. The teacher...

From foster to family: Whitman boys embrace their role as foster siblings

By Grace Roddy November 29, 2022

After school, most students go home, grab a snack and unzip their backpacks to dive into a night full of homework. However, Bennett Browning (‘22) and sophomore Beckett Browning have something else on...

A single pill can kill: social media increases access to drugs

By Lauren Heberlee October 26, 2022

Trigger Warning: pertains graphic language related to an overdose. Some names have been changed to protect students’ privacy At 6:00 a.m. on January 17, Marc Hausman found his 16 year-old son,...

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Amish Dutch families make the journey from their homes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to the Lancaster County Dutch market in Germantown, Maryland.

‘We work outside, love nature and work for God’: an inside look at the Germantown Dutch Market

By Stephanie Solomon October 3, 2022

This story was published in print during the 2021-22 school year. In preparation for the Saturday morning customer rush, shopkeeper Kate dips ripe apples into a deep bowl of golden caramel, and then...

Senior Vera Zhong fell in love with figure skating from the moment her blade met the ice, and she’s since competed in local, regional, national and even international competitions.

Vera Zhong jumps ahead of the competition

By Lauren Heberlee March 30, 2022

Senior Vera Zhong gains speed as she glides over slick white ice. With a glance over her left shoulder, she brings her arms together and transfers her weight from the blade to the toe pick of her skates...

For years, Whitman’s drumline — a tight-knit group of 12 student musicians — has generated enthusiasm at football games, basketball games and even the spring talent show.

A ‘cymbal’ of school spirit: Drumline keeps Whitman’s heart beating

By Samie Travis March 21, 2022

“Let’s break it down now!” Amid crowded stands, students in black and blue letterman jackets bang on their drums, with the roar of the student section as their backdrop. The lively energy in the...

The DeMartino sisters emerged this year as a dynamic duo for Whitman’s girls soccer — a state champion team as of November.

The DeMartino duo’s rise to Whitman soccer stardom

By Stephanie Solomon March 17, 2022

Serena and Venus Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, Steph and Seth Curry. Over the years, sibling duos in sports have entertained, displayed undeniable chemistry and won championships — both together...

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