Unavoidable Read I’m fairly liberal about what I read; I can explore a range of literary topics. Though historical nonfiction and Middle Earth-type fantasy remain my favorite genres, I would never say no to a taut thriller, an insightful biography, or a brain-poking mystery. Even if a book is not [...]
Turning It Off Time is relative. One hour plagued by boredom is not the same as one hour engaged in excitement; one hour of anxiety is not the same as one hour of tranquility; one hour constantly distracted by communication devices is not the same as one hour focused on [...]
Unhappy Holidays For most of us, the holidays are filled with times of joy, leisure, and family. We relax in our warm, cozy houses surrounded by piles of presents under the tree. This December, as my family and I crowd around the dinner table for a feast of kings, [...]
Rain Flies at Home Stout, green mountains hover dominating over the bowing, metal roofed homes. It had just rained and from as far as the eye could reach, up in the sky, countless rain flies brilliantly flutter their fragile four wings while several cats and birds collect around them in [...]
By HANK SMITH HEALDSBURG HIGH SCHOOOL, 18, SENIOR Sometimes, it just can’t be helped. Whether it’s because of sports, family events, other homework or just plain procrastination or laziness, every student at one time or another has skipped on their reading homework. And at times like those, likely to the [...]
By ALEX WOOD HEALDSBURG HIGH SCHOOL, 16, JUNIOR Life is full of temptations. As anyone will attest to, there are times when the drive and desire to do what you know you should not do is overpowering. In high school, college and even in post-graduate studies, cheating has become one [...]
By MARTIN ESPINOZA THE PRESS DEMOCRAT For high-achieving students as accomplished as Montgomery High School’s Madison Bradshaw, picking the right college means weighing a number of priorities, including campus prestige and academic rigor. But for Bradshaw, a 4.85 GPA student who is first in her class of 434, [...]
By AMANDA KRALEY, 17, and KELSEY McCAFFREY, 16 MARIA CARRILLO HIGH SCHOOL ‘‘I remember it happening, but after that, nothing. It’s like it never existed,” Maria Carrillo High junior Alex Wrenn said of the concussion he suffered last August. Wrenn, a nose tackle for Maria Carrillo’s varsity football team, was [...]
By RANDI ROSSMANN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Petaluma born and raised, high school senior Jessie Peterson plans to be a lifelong resident and turn her agriculture interests into a local career. Active for most of her life in 4H and FFA programs, Peterson also works at a local veterinary [...]
Embrace the Chub Being chubby is awesome, not going to lie. I love being chubby. Chubbiness is one of my favorite characteristics and is also a very entertaining word to say. Along with being heavier set, there’s a lot of negative energy aimed at me. First off, chubbier individuals are [...]