The Most Important and Most Common form of Writing: Expository Writing

by Yoanna Hoskins, age 17

Students are typically instructed to submit papers using one of the four major writing styles: expository, narrative, persuasive, or descriptive. Expository writing is one of the more commonly known forms of writing.

Expository writing focuses on explaining or exposing a topic; in other words, it is a piece of writing that is instructive. The goal of expository writing is to expound on an idea concisely and bias-free. This style is used throughout the world in a myriad of ways. It can be found in textbooks, directions, articles like this one, and other platforms of writing seen daily. When writing an expository piece, the author or publisher is not to state their own opinions on the topic. The piece should be neutral and inform a reader without attempting to persuade.

Analysis, juxtaposition, and cause & effect are not to be confused with persuasive writing. The first three all fit into expository writing because they logically explain topics without siding with one point of view of an argument. [Read More]

AP Classes: Beneficial or Harmful?

by Virginia Quach, age 18

A growing debate in today’s education system concerns the idea of Advance Placement (AP) courses and whether they are actually beneficial to students or simply funding College Board, the organization that founded the AP system, at the expense of student learning.

During the time I was enrolled in my AP courses, I never saw their benefits. I was constantly stressed over content and preparing for exams. It was not until recently that I discovered the importance of those AP courses. They helped me improve my study habits, prepared me for college-level work, and provided me with skills to be successful in multiple outlets of my life.

According to an article titled “Our schools will get rid of AP courses. Here’s Why,” The Washington Post highlighted how the initiation of AP courses in the early 1950’s came as a way to hasten college graduation by providing students with rigorous material and initial credit prior to the start of their college careers. However, recent data indicates that despite taking these courses, few students actually graduate in less than four years or stay aligned on a four year track. This raises the question: are AP courses actually helpful to students, considering that the initial rationale for providing these courses isn’t completely valid? [Read More]

J. Cole: From Trailer Parks to Platinum Records - A Rap Legend's Journey

by Zayn Khalid, age 13

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, also known as J. Cole, is considered by many to be one of the best rappers of all time. Cole uses rap and his platform to preach about racism, poverty, single-parent households, political corruption, and drug abuse.

Cole was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on Jan. 28, 1985, on a U.S. Army base. His father was an African-American soldier stationed there at the time. Cole's mother was a white postal worker. His dad left when Cole was a baby. Cole’s mother moved Cole and his brother, Zach, to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where they grew up often living in trailer parks. It was during this time that Cole fell in love with rap.

Cole began playing the violin in an orchestra and taught himself how to rap and produce music. Cole held part-time jobs while still working on his artistic craft. Cole attended St. John's University in New York and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2002 with a communications degree. [Read More]

A Reflection on Kobe Bryant

by Brandon Alvarez

Kobe Bryant died on January 26th, 2020. It's been a little over two years and I've realized it's still hard to believe. Not just because Kobe was among the greatest of all time (GOAT) in basketball. Kobe was also an iconic figure in modern sports and in our country.

Kobe Bryant was bigger than sports. His untimely death in 2020 stopped the world like nothing we've seen in decades. It stopped the world for at least one full day. Many people stopped their schedules and the world of youtube changed for at least 24 hours. Many others basketball fans decided to not upload on that day. This didn’t just happen on basketball or sports channels. Traffic on gaming channels slowed noticeably. Even the biggest news reporting channel on bodybuilding went all-Kobe all the time for at least two days.

Suffice to say Kobe was not supposed to die. [Read More]

Editorial: Abolish the Death Penalty

by Amare Smith, age 15

Should we have the death penalty? The death penalty applies to a prisoner who has been sentenced to die, but has not yet been executed. Capital punishment is the execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction of a serious criminal offense by court of law. People with such a sentence sometimes spend many years in prison waiting to be executed.

People who support the death penalty often think that if someone takes a life, their life should be taken as well. However, that is not the message we should be giving to society. There are many reasons why the execution of people should not happen. If a person kills someone, that person should learn about how wrong their actions were, yet their life should not be taken away. Jail should be a rehabilitation.

The death penalty has been proven to be racist and discriminatory against low-income people who cannot afford an expensive lawyer. George Stinney, an African American teenager, was executed for being accused of killing two white children who were ages seven and 11. There was no proof that Stinney had committed the crime, but he was bullied into a confession and sentenced to death by an all-white jury. He was just 14-years-old; he was too young to die. He could have focused on other matters and lived his life to the fullest. Stinney’s family is still trying to earn him a retrial and clear his name. Nothing will bring him back though. [Read More]

Make Reading Support Madison's Out-of-School Time Priority

by Helen Zhang, Sarah Useche, and Taylor Kilgore

Our community is long past due and immediate action is required. Madison kids can’t read. We will not successfully address this crisis, or the disparities that define our city, if we don’t first bridge achievement gaps. We will not bridge achievement gaps until all students can read.

Somewhat famously, Madison School Board member James Howard recently said “all the data around kids of color shows we have not gotten it right. Every one of us has a part of getting it wrong for students of color.”

We agree with Mr. Howard. [Read More]

Kids Should Get Outdoors More, Research Shows

by Valeria Moreno Lopez, 13

Technology plays a big part throughout humans’ lives, from young children to older adults. Kids are accused of being addicted to screens, but who gives them the example? Jaime Gonzales, Houston Urban Conservation Programs Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, shares his childhood stories and his opinions with the world.

Gonzales has observed that kids are spending more time on screens rather than going outside. Schoolchildren play outside for only minutes a day, compared to the seven plus hours of being in front of a screen (computers, TV, phones). That doesn’t mean they don’t want to enjoy the outdoors, though. Parents are easily convinced it’s the child’s choice to not go outside, but they don’t stop to think that they themselves might have raised their children to think like that. [read more]