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Bullying
Grade 6

Let’s Take Down Bullying!

How would you feel if someone yells “Four-eyes!” in your face, or trips you making you drop all your stuff? I’m guessing mad. Yeah, I understand. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re about to explode with anger! I was once bullied because I was short and nerdy (and I still am!). Trust […]

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Justice System
Grade 7

Stop the Brutality, Wear a Body Camera

Why are police officers killing and being mean to black people in our communities? The police brutality in our communities is a very important issue to me as I am a young black male and hearing on the news how police are killing and abusing black people affects and scares me. I grew up learning […]

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Food and Nutrition
Grade 10

Food Inequality in DC

Can you imagine what it might be like to not have enough money to feed your family? Or, what if the nearest grocery store to your home was five miles away, but you did not have a car? These are real-life problems faced by people in Southeast, Washington, D.C. everyday. In this part of the […]

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Gender Equality
Grade 10

Gender Roles in Modern Society

I have personally been pressured to behave and dress in more traditionally feminine ways by my mother and sisters. This often goes against my nerdy, tomboyish nature, especially since I do not enjoy wearing things like earrings, high-heels, (most) bright colors, or frilly clothes – the types of things that are equated to femininity. I […]

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Video Games
Grade 8

Video Games Bad? I Don’t Think So

Have you ever played video games? I’m sure you have. According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, 67% of U.S. households play video games. I play them all the time. One day I might be playing some Call of Duty, the next might be playing Madden NFL 15, or even simple games like Candy Crush […]

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Gender Equality
Grade 12

Wage Equality for Women

Equal pay for men and women is extremely important. Why would anybody want to be paid less because of his or her gender? I wouldn’t want to receive less money because I am a female, especially if I have all the qualifications as my male co-worker and work the same exact hours as him. I […]

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school safety
School Safety
Grade 8

School Security: Officers Make an Effective Change

The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting occurred on December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, a tragedy that many still remember to this day. It affected people across the country mentally and emotionally. From my whole life as a student, personally I believe, the presence of officers and school guards is important for the school’s environment to […]

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depression
Mental Health
Grade 10

Teen Depression: An Outcry!

Does anyone think depression just comes when one is young and goes away on its own? What would one do if one had depression, but did not know about it? Who would one tell? How would one ask? The topic of teen depression, and teens that suffer from depression and do not realize what is […]

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Bullying
Grade 8

Anti-Bullying Programs: Do they Help or Hurt?

We all know those signs: the ones about reporting bullying and speaking out-the signs in every school hallway. Those signs that, like most kids, you never give a second glance. Do those signs and other more assertive anti-bullying programs actually help reduce bullying? According to research, they don’t have much of an impact at all. […]

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Immigration
Grade 10

Does America Need “Aliens”?

Millions of immigrants go to America each year. They come for different reasons such as job opportunities, starting a new life, better rights and many more. However, a lot of immigrants in the United States came here without legal documentation or permission. Law enforcement workers from the states that border Mexico – California, Arizona, and […]

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understanding speech
Bullying
Grade 8

Speaking Out On Stuttering

At the beginning of last year, I remember sitting in math class, trying to answer a question my teacher asked. I knew what to say, but I couldn’t get the words out. My words kept on repeating and repeating. I couldn’t take a deep breath to start over again. Humiliated and embarrassed, I kept on […]

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death penalty
Justice System
Grade 10

Banish the Death Penalty

Why do we kill to show killing is wrong? This is exactly what we do when we use the death penalty. Some think that the death penalty is the best punishment to teach horrible criminals a lesson, but do these criminals really learn a lesson if they are dead? The death penalty is a very […]

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