Maxie Eller, Writer

You have no new messages. No likes. No comments. No notifications. Nothing.  This may seem like the beginning of a horror story, but this is the reality of people without social media. It may seem absurd that people would want to live like this; devoid of the constant updates and messages that social media has to offer. Why would someone not want an account that offers them access to almost everyone in the world? What do they do since they don’t have any social media? As someone who doesn’t use any social media, I can whole-heartedly say that we are not anti-social and we do not spend our time silently in a corner somewhere, watching sadly as everyone else is happy in the distance. In fact, most of us are very social and our lives carry on like everyone else. The difference is that those without social media do these things without a phone in their hands at all times.    People who do not have social media do not use it for a variety of reasons. Some of these include not...

I love football game. I going almost every friday. Football started August 30, 2019. The football team and cheerleaders and Heritage Belle and Heritage Band on field on Friday’s. Public school sports is good and varsity football is amazing. Our team is 9-4a in regional semifinals. Our football teams, Midlothian Jaguars and Panthers play at the same stadium. Our JV team plays every Thursday. Our soccer team went to semi-finals on April 19, 2018. I love the final playoff championship because we won. I’m a junior and excited for prom this year. I love everyone, I’m a popular guy, I’m a nice guy. I make guys and girls day everyday, and they become happy. This Quinlyn Stallings.    8 interesting things about Quinlyn:  I’m a very nice guy. I want to make change their world.  I do encouragement for God. I make girls day cause they nice to me.  Teacher loves me.  I’m a popular guy. I also make guys day too. I go off campus for PAL and help little...

Julia Alley, Writer

Many students sit in class frequently glance at the clock and impatiently wait for the final ring of the bell. Being in a structured building and following a stern schedule can be exhausting to carry out five out of seven days every week, but for students enrolled in an online school, this is not a dilemma.    Electronic high schools have been gaining acclaim in recent years with students choosing it as a replacement for public education. This form of school reaps benefits such as more flexibility, possible early graduation, personalized education, and what might be a better learning environment for some.    Online schools allow students to work at their own pace, which is undoubtedly helpful considering that no two people are going to comprehend academic material at the same rate. This is nearly impossible in public schools as there are simply not enough teachers or time to do so with a typical high school schedule. There is generally very little flexibility and...

Erin Green, Newspaper Editor-in-Chief

November 15, 2019

Midlothian High School, Sept. 6th, 2019. The principal comes over the intercom, his voice echoing through the speakers as he demands the school to remain calm and follow protocol. Students scurry to the corner of the room and hide behind a set of desks. Teachers step into the hallway and pull any wanderers in. One by one, every light flicks off and every door is locked. They’ve done this drill so many times they could perform it in their sleep. Except, this time, it’s not a drill. This is for real. This is the dreaded moment one pray never comes yet spends years preparing for. Across the street, another high school hears of the news and quickly begins conjuring up their own version of the story. As if a lockdown is equivalent to the newest celebrity gossip. A few are shaken up and take the time to text their friends at the neighboring school, while others look at the Snapchats of students safely boarded up in their classrooms and use the opportunity to crack jokes about what could...

Sarah Haylow, Writer

November 14, 2019

Separation and divorce sometimes comes with its struggles. Changes were occurring in his family dynamic and he is now faced with having to welcome new people into his life. Many students at Heritage have gone through the experience of having to adjust to and accept people who now bare the title of “step-sibling”.   Accepting a step-sibling is often a hard process for kids whos’ parents have divorced. They’re faced with the obstacle of having to welcome a new person into their lives, someone who will now become a part of their life. They’re apart of their family and the process of accepting and forming a relationship with a new sibling can prove to be challenging.    “I originally didn’t want a new sibling,” Samantha Strunk (12) said. “At first it was really awkward having him in the house...it was really weird.”    Some step-siblings don’t live together and instead see each other on certain occasions, depending on how old they are....

Sarah Haylow, Writer

November 8, 2019

Music pours from the speaker, the bass booming and the drum pounding. The guitar begins to play a familiar melody, a song that has been played on repeat. The music hits its climax and the singer begins to sing. The words pour out and the raw emotion can be heard clearly through the singer’s voice. Tears begin to flow from the listener’s eyes as the words hit deeper than anything they’d ever heard. The speaker has played this song countless times, but it never fails to relate to and comfort the listener like nothing else could.   Music is an important thing in many teenagers’ lives, as they are constantly surrounded by music at school, in restaurants, and on the radio. Numerous amounts of people simply enjoy music for the beat, not really caring about what the lyrics say or mean. These students are part of the crowd who are personally impacted by the meaning of what music they choose to consume.   “Music changes my point of view on a lot of things depending...