Author: Ellie Bruno, senior editor, 2020-21
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The Era of Greatest Hits
A lot of new music crashed into the scene on Friday May 21: twenty-one pilots released their highly anticipated album Scaled and Icy, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR left fans of all ages in awe, Lil…
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Student body herd immunity
Moderna, Pfizer, J&J. These three companies made history by developing the COVID-19 vaccine in record time. Since their emergency approval from the FDA, 190 million doses have been given (as of Sunday 11) across…
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Homecoming Scramble
The end of the week marks the homecoming game for the Pride. This will also be the last home game at Marshall L. Hamilton football stadium (photo taken by: Kyla McGhee). Homecoming: an American…
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Cyber Nightmare
YouTube content creator Onision — Gregory Jackson — is under a massive firestorm from the release of Discovery+’s latest documentary. Onision: In Real Life explores his complicated behaviors, suspicious relationships, and fiery downfall. (Photo…
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What’s a Super Straight?
Kyle Royce, the proud founder of the “Super Straights”, is playing a dangerous game on Tik Tok. His comment section is filled with supporters and haters alike, as he veils his transphobic tendencies as…
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Primal: A Prehistoric Must-watch
My entire childhood was full of prehistoric dinosaur adventures: movies like The Land Before Time and The Magic Treehouse books painted a vivid (and very inaccurate) picture of prehistoric Earth. While incredibly nostalgic, dinosaur…
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Walking empty halls
Delays, cancellations, and confusion muddled Wake County’s original plan to reopen campus, but the fateful week finally came. Cohort B entered a changed Leesville on Wednesday 17, walking the halls to a brand new…
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Liberal QAnon
I can’t write an article about conservative think-tanks and conspiracy theories without looking at the other side. While not as sensationalized as QAnon or Parlor, left-leaning politics have their fair share of unsightly ideologies…
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The Conservative’s Truth
DISCLAIMER: Conspiracy theories and statements later proven to be false are discussed in this article. You’ve probably heard the phrase “post-truth society” when someone describes our current disposition as a nation. No matter what…
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New Virtual Open House
Evolution is the theme of student’s lives through this pandemic. Adapting to virtual learning, adjusting to new learning environments, and juggling mental health on top of grades challenges us every day. Now, our parents…
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The Virtual Rift
Online learning is a new experience for most of the Leesville student body. Some grade levels are adapting better than others, but surprisingly, success is spreading across the board. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Bruno)…
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A New Hope
“It’s just like the light at the end of the tunnel has shown us how stinky and bad the tunnel is.” Breaking character on SNL Saturday 12, veteran comedian Kate McKinnon let loose that…
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New SCOTUS, new precedents
The Supreme Court of the United States — the highest court in the land. The new 2020-2021 term is starting, and each new case brings new questions in need of answers. (Photo used by…
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The LGBT+ Guide
Here are a few of the LGBT+ flags. Many have gone through years of changes, but the rainbow flag is universal for the entire community. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons). Millennials and Gen Z…
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A Justice for Justice?
Amy Coney Barrett, 48, has been under heavy controversy since her appointment to the Supreme Court. Her views and interpretations of the law will be put to the test once she is approved by…
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Politics and Fly Swatters
Not even 24 hours after the Vice Presidential Debate on October 7, the Biden Harris team created a blue fly swatter, joking about the bug that sat on Pence’s head that night. Merchandise like…
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Quick Bites: Internet’s Latest News
Contributors: Asis Johnson, Jacob Smith, Lauren Taylor, Amelia Collado Billie’s Beginnings On September 8th, Fender released the official Billie Eilish signature ukulele. The ukulele, made in collaboration with Fender– a popular guitar company– is…
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Looking Beyond: A Senior’s Guide to International College
2020 has been an incredibly tense year for us seniors. COVID, SAT and ACT, college applications, and all the typical stress that comes from the final year of high school thrown into a few…
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Make masks mandatory
The News and Observer wrote an article in mid April regarding people wearing protective masks in NC, and the truth is that we aren’t wearing any. Even now in May, if I walk into…
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Internet horror’s hold on social media
I know I’m not alone when I say cheesy ghost-hunting shows are my guilty pleasure. Ghost stories and horror movies were made to rile up the animalistic fight-or-flight instinct in every person. Clowns, spiders,…
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dawn: mxmtoon’s elevating EP
mxmtoon — aka Maia — is a musician from California who took the internet by storm in 2017. Her self-produced EP plum blossom blew up in 2018, and her cult following grew exponentially. Her…
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Coronavirus split: open up or stay shut?
When news first broke about the Coronavirus in December 2019, I personally wasn’t super worried. I think I speak for a lot of young people when I say I didn’t think 2020 would start…
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Neighborhoods battling isolation
Depending on who you ask, this “corona-cation” is an extrovert’s nightmare, a chronic shopper’s disaster, and a good samaritan’s obstacle. There is one way many North Raleigh neighborhoods are connecting their isolated residents, providing…
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The age of internet music
TMG landed themselves on the cover of the “Internet People” playlist, an honor for many musicians. It’s hard to think that a pair of comedians could actually pull off a successful rap career, but…
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Advice to the broken-hearted
Broken hearts and goodbyes always hurt the most, and even though it feels like the end of the world, you’ll be stronger in the end. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Bruno) This is the last…
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Icon reborn: Hayley William’s Petals for Armor I
he aesthetic for Williams’ solo project is centered around the blocks on her fingers — squares that cover up the initials of her ex husband she got tattooed during their whirlwind romance. This hints…
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Clouded 2020 vision
Don’t lose sight of hope: while January seemed very doom-and-gloom, the rest of the year is bursting with potential. Who knows what next month’s headlines have to offer? (Photo courtesy of CNN, Insider, The…
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What about the rest of Leesville?
Signs like this popped up left and right across the school during the week leading up to the final game. However, it raises the question of where is this support for the other sports?…
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The decade in music
As the decade comes to an end, people have taken to social media to reminisce on past memories of the mid 2000’s. Spotify users will be pleased to see that along with their yearly…
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‘Having Our Say’ — a historical play with NC roots
A photo of the playbill handed out at the theater. Inside is an in-depth look into the universe this world is set in. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Bruno) Not too many people know the…
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Is love for losers?
Highschool sweethearts are a concept almost everyone dreams of achieving. In reality, the likelihood of it happening is almost slim to none in most cases. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Bruno) In my AP Language…
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‘FANDOM’ — a middle finger to modern love and music
Oranges, clocks, toxic fans, broken hearts, and green hair. Somehow, these are the elements of another genre-bending album by Texas three-piece Waterparks, consisting of Awsten Knight (vocals), Geoff Wigington (guitar), and Otto Wood (drums).…
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The Younger Sibling Disposition
My older sister graduated from Leesville with the class of ‘18 — the same year I started my freshman year here. Both of us were in the Leesville Road school system since elementary school…
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Ground homes — NCMA’s rooftop exhibition
NCMA’s expansive park is full of unique sculptures and functional art installations; their latest is no exception to the idea of unique design with a new purpose. Back in May, artist Heather Hart added…
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Parking Lot Chaos: Split Lunch’s Impact on the Student Lot
The parking lot has been an important sign of independence for students. With this new schedule change, leaving campus is a daunting task that some upperclassmen are avoiding entirely. (Photo courtesy of Ellie Bruno)…
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Will “Personalization Time” Kill Fast-paced Classes?
The 2019-2020 school year kicked off with a rough start. Administration put in place a new bell schedule, taking 30 minutes out of structured instruction and replacing it with “personalization time”. Each department has…
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Pokemon: Detective Pikachu Trolled Us All
Ryan Reynolds can never take himself too seriously — the star of the Deadpool franchise (and was regrettably the star of the 2011 The Green Lantern movie) has always interacted with fans online: cracking…
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Conspiracy Theories: Their Odd Impact On Our Lives
If you’ve ever been on the internet, chances are you’ve been somehow exposed to the idea of “conspiracy theories.” Whether it be websites devoted to proving birds are fake or YouTube videos debunking UFO…
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Artspace: An Artist’s Hub for Outreach
Nestled in the streets of downtown Raleigh, an old Ford dealership stands tall as the home of Artspace — a non-profit organization that serves as a hub for unique art opportunities. As both a…
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Class Election Frenzy
As the school year starts to edge towards its final months, the hallways become a collage of different colored posters — a signal of the upcoming elections. Each sign has their own cheesy line…
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‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’: Track by Track Breakdown
After months of anticipation, Billie Eilish’s debut album ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ was finally released on Friday, March 29. The fourteen track album was gaining more and more hype…
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Behind a Leader: Dr. Dixon’s Term at Leesville
On October 19, Dr. Anthony Muttillo announced on the Bimonthly Bulletin that he was going to be leaving Leesville. Muttillo was approved by the WCPSS Board of Education to join the ranks in the…
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‘bury a friend’ — New Music from Billie Eilish
After the electric release of her first EP ‘Don’t Smile at Me’ in 2017, Billie Eilish announced her new album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ will come out on March…
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Floral Fever Coming to NCMA
One of the many previous installments that were on display during this annual event. These large, intricate, and organic structures are entirely unique and spectacular to witness. (Photo use by permission of NCMA) Springtime…
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Teens at NCMA
Art museums have a reputation of being bland and boring — an archive of paintings that aren’t that unique — and has become a place that don’t seem exciting to teens. Recently however, museums…
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Georgia O’Keeffe in North Carolina
On the sprawling grounds of NCMA, there is a constant cycle of patrons entering and exiting the East Building. Within the brick walls and past the snaking line for tickets, a new world sits…
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Twitter’s Thoughts on Therapy
Twitter takes on many different roles as a social media platform — from offering a platform for commercial businesses to connect to an audience, to becoming a space where people can just rant for…
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Honor in Investigating
Colorful chords against navy blue graduation gowns are worn with pride on the day of graduation. Each is a symbol of some honor society or highly regarded organization at Leesville. Now, there is an…
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Remembering Stephen Hillenburg
1999 was a year focused on the future — a turn of the century — bringing on innovation in music, toys, and especially television. This year was the premier of SpongeBob Squarepants which quickly…
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Raleigh: The City of Emo
Emo music has origins that reach into the mid-1980’s, slowly gaining traction with younger people who wanted music that they could relate to. About ten years later, bands such as Weezer and Jimmy Eat…