The Black and White

I’m not just checking a box, I’m acknowledging my heritage

Identity isn’t just a box to check on college applications. It’s a connection to family and culture

By Cate Navarrete

September 18, 2020

When brought up in conversation, my ethnic background usually gets two different reactions: “Wait, you’re Hispanic? But you look white,” or “You’re so lucky; it’ll be so easy for you to get into college.” For most of my life, I considered myself Spanish and Irish; my paternal grandmo...

Celebrating Ramadan virtually: how quarantine has forced new traditions

The Ilias family delivers sweets to friends for Eid in the time of a pandemic.

By Iman Ilias

August 15, 2020

Eating dates and samosas with friends at the mosque. Listening to the imam’s sermon late at night. Choosing what to wear on Eid. Praying side by side with people of all different backgrounds and ages. That’s what usually comes to mind when I think about Ramadan, the holy Islamic month durin...

Mourning during a pandemic

By Isabella Brody

July 2, 2020

Content warning: This story contains language that pertains to suicide. I never expected I would live through a global pandemic in my lifetime, and I never expected to lose my best friend either, let alone at the same time. Two things that seemed nearly unimaginable to me happened just months ago, an...

Branching into a new hobby: The art of tree climbing

Four pine trees at Ferwood park. A storm knocked down the tree second from the left two days after I climbed it.

By Alex Schupak

June 27, 2020

With Tyler the Creator’s Igor blasting through my earbuds and the orange light of the summer sunset warming my face, all my worries seemed to drift away; this was the highest I had ever been. Two days later, the 80 foot pine tree that I was so proud of summiting lay strewn across the neighborhood park...

Why Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” matters

By Tara Davoodi

June 26, 2020

As a little kid, Cinderella was my idol. One Halloween, I even dressed up as her: sparkly blue dress, tiara and all. It seems like typical behavior from a five year old immersed in Disney princess culture. I didn’t know anything different. My selection of role models was pretty limited. Like cou...

Learning from questions

This year, I participated in an academic bowl for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Though COVID-19 derailed the tournament a bit, the Montgomery County team still managed to win.

By Caroline Itzkoff

June 18, 2020

For the past couple of months, I’ve had about the same quarantine routine as everyone else; sleep in, stay in sweats and pajamas all day, watch tons of Netflix and Zoom with friends. But my quarantine schedule also included something different from most: I competed in the 2020 Deaf and Hard of Heari...

How I stopped worrying and learned to love ‘The Hog’

By Jack McGuire

June 13, 2020

All great politicians have nicknames. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sported the name “The Milk Snatcher” thanks to her decision to remove free school milk (which has contributed to higher rates of osteoporosis in Britain today). Former President Martin Van Buren’s short stature and cunni...

My experiences with the college process during COVID-19

College test prep books sit on a shelf in the CIC.

By Eve Titlebaum

June 9, 2020

Junior year is infamous for AP classes and tests, SATs and ACTs, homework and college visits — or at least it’s supposed to be. When doctors reported the first case of COVID-19 in the US in January, I didn’t think much of it. But then, everything changed so quickly. Our first sign was when the Col...

Seven for seven: My quarantine journey of waking up early

A picture I took on one of my walks. After I started waking up early, I tried to find more activities to make each day seem “normal” again, and going outside was one of them.

By James Marzolf-Miller

June 1, 2020

“Honey, it’s time to get up!” My mom entered my room and casually opened my windows Tuesday morning in early April. Although she had been awake for a few hours she was still her energetic and vibrant self. I, on the other hand, had just barely opened my eyes when she walked in. My disoriente...

Last week, my grandfather passed away from COVID-19. This is my story.

By Maeve Hagerty

May 28, 2020

“There’s always a time to say goodbye, and this is that time,” he said to us as we huddled around the phone on our kitchen table. He was leaving us, possibly forever, and yet it was the first peace that I had felt in weeks. When my grandfather was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early May, my family was...

Reteaching myself to play the recorder ends on a high note

My recorder from third grade, still adorned with the colorful belts I earned in elementary school.

By Emily London

May 17, 2020

I hit the peak of my musical career playing the recorder in third grade music class. I practiced tirelessly, annoying my dog nightly with the instrument’s high-pitched squeaks and eventually mastering my performance of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the school’s end-of-year showcase. Unfortunately, my rec...

On my own terms: my experience dealing with pregnancy and abortion as a teenager

By Anonymous

May 12, 2020

Alone in my closet, I was afraid of what was going to happen tomorrow. I couldn’t hold back the gushing stream of tears, knowing that the moment I walked inside, that would be my decision. There was no going back. I was scared: not for my own safety, but because I was going to lose something tomorro...