On September 8, 2013 — my 9th birthday — I was given a bright red CD player and, coincidentally, Taylor Swift’s album “Red.” Immediately after receiving the gifts, I spent hours dancing and singing...

At 5:30 p.m. — right on cue — I hear the crank of the garage door open from my bedroom; my parents are home from work. Before March of 2020, I would run downstairs and embrace each of them in a hug...

From the ages of nine to 13, I based my bedroom decorations on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Hogwarts house decals covered my walls, and a platform 9 ¾ sign hung on my door. My magic wand from...

I am not a sports buff, to say the very least. My peers always chose me last for scrimmages in gym class. I didn’t grow up watching sports, and even today I don’t tune into football or baseball games...

Communication is evolving and, over the last year, our relationship with technology has vastly changed. We’re all trying to stay close — from a distance. While we’re all grasping for a sense of normalcy...

Monty Python said it best: “Always look on the bright side of life.” Throughout our lives, we are taught to think positively as well as spread and breathe optimism. We are told that everything can...

Recently, I reached the pinnacle of my high school career: I became a second-semester senior. Though I had anticipated this moment since first starting at Whitman as a freshman, I didn’t anticipate the...

On Inauguration Day, my family and I huddled in front of our TV, eager to witness a new administration take their rightful place in the White House. In the sea of white faces and blond hair on my screen,...

I’m going to be honest: I didn't pay much attention in my K-8 weekly Confraternity of the Christian Doctrine classes, which were priest-run lectures about Catholicism to prepare us students for our Confirmation....

The uplifting holiday hit “Like It’s Christmas” by the Jonas Brothers is, in my view, the most iconic song ever produced — and that’s coming from a proud Hebrew school graduate (‘18). It’s...

At the dawn of the coronavirus pandemic, I struggled to find ways to stay active. I felt overwhelmed with schoolwork and rarely set aside time to focus on my own wellbeing. A few months into the first...

Some names have been changed to protect students’ privacy. Urban Dictionary defines “glow-up” as a process that focuses on the improvement of physical appearance, individual style and overall...