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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

Redefining fluency: the value of language classes for everyone

Redefining fluency: the value of language classes for everyone

By Simon Llanos June 17, 2024

Growing up, I thought there was no way a high school Spanish class could ever challenge me. As a Colombian with parents from Bogotá and Spanish as my household language, I was confident in my language...

piano

How playing the piano helped me find myself

By Asha Tallapragada June 13, 2024

As soon as I heard the ring of the school bell on a Wednesday afternoon, I raced to the cubby corner of my classroom, snagged my backpack and waited impatiently at the door for my teacher to dismiss me....

While I understand that not having a day off listed on the MCPS calendar can contribute to the lack of knowledge about Eid and Ramadan, being surrounded by people who don’t understand such an important celebration in my life is alienating.

My experience celebrating an ignored holiday

By Cate Cirivello May 1, 2024

As dawn spreads across the sky, a dim room awakens with the sweet aroma of freshly baked treats and the laughter of families gathered around cramped dining tables. Eid al-Fitr, “the feast of breaking...

My goal for the week was to connect with as many people as possible: no one was too big or small to converse with.

My experience as a high school sports writer at the Senior Bowl

By Ben Belford-Peltzman April 2, 2024

It’s 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, and I’m wide awake. Not because I can’t sleep or because I’m worried about an upcoming test, it’s because I have my computer and notepad beside me as I watch college...

“Minecraft” has become synonymous with childhood in the last decade, and for kids like me, it was both the ultimate creative outlet and the foundation of my earliest friendships. 

Real friends in a virtual world: My experience with video games

By Ichi Bai March 19, 2024

In first grade, I loaded into a “Minecraft” world for the first time on my mom’s computer. I’d already spent countless hours on YouTube watching other people play the game, and I was bursting with...

From my first year away from Albania until today, the surge of pride I feel at the mention of Albania, or the sense of comfort in meeting another Albanian, has yet to subside.

Far from Tirana: My experience as an Albanian immigrant

By Dea Rucaj February 14, 2024

As my family and I browse the grocery store shelves, we hear someone behind us speaking the familiar flowing sentences of the Albanian language. Instinctively, we all look at each other and knowingly smile,...

I’m glad I burned out of my sport

I’m glad I burned out of my sport

By Sonia Weliwitigoda February 5, 2024

When the summer sun beats down on a hot June afternoon, one thing always comes to mind: the pool. I started swimming nine years ago, hoping to expand my horizons and stray from more popular sports like...

 My doctor tried to explain to me what the diagnosis meant, but all my 10-year-old self could focus on was the word disorder. “Disorder” meant something was wrong with me.

How taking the label out of ADHD helped me find myself

By Annie DeLuca January 31, 2024

Staring at a screen, I sit and wait for the letter X to pop up. My doctor instructed me to hit the spacebar every time I saw an X in a sequence of flashing letters. It seemed so simple — all I had to...

My earnest reports of “special events” and day-to-day life reflect the innocence and purity of my childhood and allow me to relive these memories.

A journey into journaling: How writing helps me stay motivated for the future

By Yaela Teplinsky December 20, 2023

At the bottom of my nightstand sits a small orange and purple diary resting on a pile of books. I grab it from the stack, snatch a pen from my desk, prop myself on my elbows in bed, and begin writing....

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...

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