Teens Doin' Big Things! Running for State Representative!

 State representative candidate Ethan Flaherty

A 19 year- old ran to represent Westfield! Check out his story. 

Teen Book Review

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

            A memorable, passionate book that shows troubles in a sophisticated yet appropriate way. The main character is a 16 year old girl and faces so many struggles that teenagers  and adults can relate to which makes you want to continue to read.  Without relating to the characters you are still  so involved and intrigued. A truly incredible story from a teenage girls perspective. This book shows real troubles, real emotions that make you question and want to read more. Told in such a unfortunate and unforgettable way this is an amazing read. 

-"AP," Grade 11

"Bullying" -Teen Blog Article

       

          I wanted to write this article because at the Southwick High School we recently talked about bullying. They sent the guidance counselor in to talk about bullying and how to stop it or help. This happens every year, the guidance counselor talks about it and people listen but things don't get better. I wanted to write this so maybe people can understand what it feels like. It's not an article so you will feel bad for me or say oh she has had it rough. It's an article to help show what life is really like for someone who was bullied. When I was young like kindergarten age I wore clothes that didn't match, purple pants with an orange tee shirt… you get the picture. I was 5 I didn't know any better and it was more fun for me to choose my own taste. I remember being left out of groups or just being left out in general and at that point it didn't hurt. 

        Not until you're in 11th grade and finally thinking that purple pants with an orange shirt isn't a great combination. Yes I realize that now. I always thought that I could wear whatever and not care about what people thought because people are just mean. They judge without knowing you. Maybe the kid with the purple pants and orange shirt thought that her parents didn't have enough money to buy her clothes and never asked so she just wore hand me downs from friends. So yes when you wear purple pants and an orange shirt up until you're 16 people leave you out still. They don't give you any more chances. The popular kids or the athletic kids will never let you fit in. They will listen to the guidance counselor and say they will help and that they understand but at the end of the day they won't because it isn't their problem. I don't want to be mean or stereotypical. I do have friends that are nice to me that are also popular. It is just my personal experience. 

    Getting more to the point people these days will walk down the hall and make fun of the kid who gets free lunch because their parents don't have a ton of money to use on lunches. These people will think they don't hurt anyone but they do. Those kids whose parents work day and night just to feed their family get picked on. That kid who always is on their phone, they aren't addicted to it, they are waiting for that call to see if their parent is all right because they got into a car crash. That kid who has a black eye, they didn't get into a fight with a bigger kid and lose, their drunk parent beats them after-school everyday. So I guess the reason I'm writing this is to say that everyone is equal, everyone is human. I wrote this especially because no one should ever bully, because you do not know the backstory of someone else's life.

-"Dragon," Grade 11