Reading rates take a dive
Lulu and Alexa Clark
March 29, 2019
Eyelids droop as the final sentences of a story drift across a child’s bedroom. The lilting voice of a parent slowly lulls a child to sleep and to the dreams that await them. Dreams of clever foxes and crafty rabbits, of wicked witches and deadly dragons. Many people remember their parents reading ...
Food For Thought
Leah DeFreitas and Christina Luckett
February 13, 2019
Each day, over 180,000 students make their morning trek to a Fairfax County public school for their seven-hour school day. For many families, their daily routine is marked by after-school practices, homework sessions, and carpool, but getting a decent meal is rarely a concern. For the almost 24,000 ...
Gerrymandering: The defect of democracy
Devan Fink, Entertainment Editor
December 7, 2018
Thirteen years after his famous “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech, Patrick Henry and his Anti-Federalist colleagues drew the boundaries of Virginia’s 5th congressional district in an attempt to keep James Madison out of the House of Representatives. This was the first instance of gerrymanderin...
Teenagers experience three times the national average of dating abuse
Anna Brinkhuis and Madeleine LeTendre
October 24, 2018
This article was originally featured in the Oct. 19 print edition of The Hawk Talk. This year, nearly 1.5 million high school students will be victims of dating abuse, and only a third of them will get help according to LoveIsRespect, an organization dedicated to the prevention of abusive relationsh...
Gun control debate moves forward in wake of recent shootings
Matthew Nguyen and Stephen Desmarais
April 23, 2018
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” the Constitution asserts in its Second Amendment. Through the creation of the Constitution and the subsequent ratification of the Bill of Rights, Americans...
Coinciding with county, Madison takes strides toward sustainability
Ellie Renshaw and Bailey Moskowitz
March 11, 2018
On Jan. 15, 2017, the 13 members of the Fairfax County School Board met to hammer out the details of the Capital Improvement Program, which plans for the county’s facility needs for the next five years. The cycle of introducing, discussing and voting on amendments to the plan was routine; one amend...
The Common Affluence: supplementary educational services provide advantages to students from high-income households
February 14, 2018
A handful of the 1.7 million American students taking the SAT sit in a high school classroom, each possessing a different level of preparation for what is to come, each about to face the exam that plays one of the most central roles in their applications to attend college. Questions of readiness float ab...
Political polarization shapes distinct student views, identities
Devan Fink, Entertainment Editor
December 11, 2017
The room is tense. Questions are fired across the room; students are probing one another on their views. The discussion, although polite, becomes heated at times. At the conclusion of the discussion, AP United States History (APUSH) teacher Christina Palo asks the daunting question, “How many of you ...
Focus on what diversity Madison does have, eliminate lack of understanding between races
Philana Quan, Guest Writer
November 13, 2017
To the Editors (but really everyone): The Snapchat story in response to October 2017’s in-depth article entitled “fake news” was wholly unnecessary. Flipping through that story I could tell very few of those people actually read the article. I was not a fan of how the article was framed either...
Insufficient diversity impacts students’ global perspective, educational opportunities
Elsa Scott and Thomas Blackburn
November 13, 2017
Diversity is one of the most celebrated aspects of American culture. Throughout history, the American dream has inspired millions to come to America in search of a better life. This country was built by immigrants, and their different heritages, ideas, cultures and experiences have shaped the foundations of ...
Humanities teach life lessons
Dan Blanchet, Guest Writer
October 31, 2016
I can’t really imagine what my life would be without my decision to pursue a major in the humanities. As an optimistic 18 year old, I had aspirations of going to law school as vehicle for an eventual career in politics. But as I entered college, presented with a seemingly unlimited array of options,...
Future employment anxiety pushes students toward STEM studies
Siena Ferrick and Ellie Renshaw
October 31, 2016
The age-old saying that encourages people to be who they want to be is seen today as merely a mantra; both impractical and unattainable. Society posits that students can achieve success by simply following their dreams, but the reality is that they are confronted with two very separate paths for their...
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