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

As I read them the newspaper and serve them daily snacks, the seniors repay me by sharing stories about the unique lives they have led.

Old timers and their stories: My experience volunteering at an assisted living facility

By Drake Poe December 8, 2023

Names have been changed for anonymity.  After the bell rings, most students rush out of school to participate in sports, complete homework or hang out with friends, but I make my way to Bartholomew...

I was outgoing and flamboyant with my friends, but when I was with family, I reined in my energy and presented a dull shell of myself.

How embracing my sexuality saved my relationship with my family

By Charlie Martin November 15, 2023

As I make the final adjustments to my makeup and put my eyeliner down, I look up at my reflection in the mirror. Feelings of pride rush through my body as I admire the rose-pink blush that seamlessly blends...

As someone who’s been through it, I can confidently say that things can and will get better.

“It is worth taking the winding path to recovery”: My journey on antidepressants

By Anonymous November 14, 2023

Content warning: This story contains language that pertains to mental health and suicide.   I couldn’t breathe. My lungs spasmed, desperate for air as my eyes darted across the room. The knot...

When I make my own clothes, I know exactly what I’m putting onto my body, and the pieces of clothing I’ve made are better quality and less expensive than fast fashion.

Crocheting for the environment (and my wallet)

By Deirdre Pryal October 19, 2023

On a typical Saturday night, most teenagers are hanging out with friends — but for me this isn’t always the case. On the weekends, I can often be found in bed, binging the latest reality TV shows with...

“Art History is more than just another credit

“Art History” is more than just another credit

By Kate Rodriguez September 12, 2023

Nearly every family trip I’ve ever been on has included a visit to an art museum. Or two. Or ten. For years, my parents would drag my brother and I from one piece of modern art to the next, praising...

Another Mans Cloth, by artist El Anatsui

How the Rubell Museum changed my view of contemporary art

By Grace Roddy September 7, 2023

Thousands of liquor bottle labels and shards piled up, each intricately woven and sculptured within a textile. Crumpled and folded metal pieces sourced a recycling station from sculptor El Anatsui’s...

I’m proud of my fishing hobby — here’s why

I’m proud of my fishing hobby — here’s why

By Ben Lammers September 5, 2023

It’s a hot mid-afternoon summer day. I sit on my dock in Cambridge, Maryland, the overwhelming heat of the sun reflecting off the river and beaming onto my skin. I carefully dart a grub lure across the...

He often has an iced coffee or donut waiting for me, and we chat for a few minutes, catching each other up on our plans for the day. As I leave my dad’s classroom, I notice a few stares and whispers from my peers, targeted at my appearance in his room. 

My experience as the child of a Whitman teacher

By Nicole Kenah August 30, 2023

At 7:30 a.m., I make my way into Whitman, waving goodbye to my mom as she pulls out of the carpool lane. My routine every day is the same. I greet my friends, go over last-minute preparations for whatever...

While supporting the players, excited to do my part for the team, I can’t help but notice the unmistakably judgemental looks from the crowd. Being a female football manager is a recipe for the wrong kind of attention.

The harsh reality of being a female football manager

By Deirdre Pryal June 15, 2023

As the Friday night lights beam onto the football field, the routine to aid the football players begins: filling water bottles, carrying equipment and creating graphics for social media. Hype music blares...

I developed new habits like skipping breakfast on weekends and excessively exercising. I convinced myself that there was nothing wrong. Eventually, I began to skip breakfast every day, ignoring the constant growling of my stomach and neglecting my body’s needs.

How intuitive eating helped heal my relationship with food

By Anonymous June 13, 2023

As my annual team banquet draws near, my pre-celebration preparation process begins: blowing out my hair, applying makeup and finally, putting on the dress. As I slip into the bright blue fabric, I ask...

Throughout middle school, I constantly worried about the morality behind my actions and how God would feel about them. Anxiety was the sole basis of my religion; I didn’t pray because I wanted to but out of fear.

Learning to follow Judaism out of love, not fear

By Rebecca Waldman May 29, 2023

At 11 years old, I sat at my synagogue’s annual Rosh Hashanah service, my eyes floating through the room, focused on anything but the bema. My feet swung impatiently beneath me as my fingers traced the...

As people cultivate a passion for the adventure of life, this includes adventuring into new cuisines.

Eating outside my comfort zone: How spicing up my palate spiced up my life

By Lucia Gutierrez March 16, 2023

“My favorite food is spicy cow tongue.”  My second-grade lunch table momentarily froze before bursting into a chorus of laughs, and “ew’s.” I knew that my spicy beef tongue leftovers stood...

Load More Stories

Comments (0)

In order to make the Black & White online a safe and secure public forum for members of the community to express their opinions, we read all comments before publishing them. No comments with personal attacks, advertisements, nonsense, defamatory or derogatory rhetoric, excessive obscenities, libel or slander will be published. Comments are meant to spur discussion about the content and/or topic of an article. Please use your real name when commenting.
All The Black and White Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest