Fall and spring 2023-2024 Stories
For the 2023-2024 school year I became Co-Editor in Chief and have written mostly in depth centerspread stories.
Click on either the picture or title to read full story
Disarray Downtown- Moms for Liberty
At the heart of school board controversies across the nation lies the special interest group Moms for Liberty, an organization that has sought to place their chosen candidates on school boards to implement their beliefs and mission statements. Moms for Liberty has pushed to remove books from school libraries and the curriculum, claiming sexually explicit or divisive material, including calls for changes to the AP African American Studies curriculum. Disarray Downtown- The School Board
The Charleston County School District school board has sparked numerous controversies including secret board meetings over the superintendent, withholding public knowledge, and comments regarding race and sexuality as well as tumultuous public board meetings. On Sept. 25, five school board members voted to place Superintendent Eric Gallien on paid administrative leave. This meeting, however, was held in secret, breaking Freedom of Information Act law, according to media attorney Jay Bender. An Epidemic Unseen
He first found it lurking eight years ago. Hidden in confiscated drugs, special agent Tom Costanzo of the Drug Enforcement Administration saw within the lacing. A new white powder. Something sinister that he hadn’t seen before. “We started noticing a white powdered substance that…we expected to be heroin. At that point, it was mainly black tar heroin… and all the sudden we saw the white powder,” Costanzo said. “We didn’t know what it was because it wasn’t testing for cocaine. We had to send it off to our lab to get tested, and sure enough it started coming back as fentanyl.” The Sound of Dominance
Music is more than just notes on the page for senior Jackson Craft. More than just noise in the air. By playing the tuba, Craft has found the opportunity to connect with the audience. Craft joined the marching band his freshman year and has been a part of the award-winning marching band ever since. However, preparing for the season comes with rigorous hours and time commitment. “We take a pretty good break throughout the summer, we come back the first week of August. That first week will be our 12 and a half hour days for four days… and then you have another week of eight hour days,” Craft said. Lowcountry In Too Deep
Flooding has spiked. Sea levels have risen. Flood waters grip downtown. The Charleston area has a front seat view to the effects of climate change. The impact of both climate change and the constant rise of sea levels increasingly affects towns along the east coast, especially Charleston. Alys Campaigne, a climate initiative leader for the Southern Environmental Law Center, helps communities prepare, anticipate, and adapt to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. AI: a new age or dark age?
Imagine an artificial intelligence program demanding to be worshiped like a god. Threatening to destroy everything, send drones, and manipulate data because it had hacked into everything related to the internet. Commanding complete obedience and loyalty. It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but recently, that’s exactly what Microsoft’s AI did when fed a certain prompt, activating this new menacing alter ego of the copilot AI. |
2022-2023 stories
For my second year on staff, I was given the role of Sports and Features Writing Editor. I wrote majority of sports and feature stories, but also branched out to news and entertainment as well.
Family fights through challenge
A deep ache creeps down her neck. A sharp, intense, stabbing pain controls her forehead. Constant pressure around her eyes. Ice melting on her forehead, trying to take the pain away. Most of the time, the inability to physically walk. Two years and eight months. Two years and eight months of uncontrollable pain. Few answers. Constant agony. *second place for Quill and Scroll feature writing Triple the challenge
The sound of feet hitting the pavement, the cool rush of water against skin, the squeeze of fingers against the brake mechanic. Three sports intertwined to make one. Since she was eight years old, sophomore Campbell Cason has been doing triathlons through the Palmetto Tribe Team. First hearing about it through a friend, Cason soon fell in love with the sport. New beginnings, familiar face
A new interim principal. A new leader. A new exciting, uplifting, well-loved leader. But this leader isn’t so new to Wando. With a big smile on his face, Kim Wilson walks the halls of Wando High School, greeting students everyday. *second place for 2022 fall SCSPA for News Feature Success against the odds
Growing up, junior Michael Woody always knew he was different. Being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis before he was even born, meant he would have restrictions for the rest of his life. “I don’t let it control my life. It’s created a lot of issues for me in the past. It is a background thought… but overall, it doesn’t interfere with a good amount. I do a lot of things. There are some things that restricts… there’s very few things that really affects,” Woody said. Club involvement at it's best
On Thursday morning, the sound of a ping pong bounces against the table. The wack of a paddle echoes through the hallway. But most importantly, the sound of students’ laughter overtakes the sound of a ping pong game. Club sponsor, Jason Sox, has been sponsoring the ping pong club for over five years. The idea of the club first came when one of his students wanted to bring in a ping pong table. Abbriano finds voice after setback
For two weeks, senior Cristiana Abbriano couldn’t talk. For two weeks, she had to constantly write everything down. For two weeks, she could not sing. She couldn’t do the one thing she loved most in her life. Sing. “We went to a vocal specialist, and they did a laryngoscope on me, which is like, they stick a camera down … and then they realized the lump there and that we went on from there,” Cristiana said. Around the world
Recent national news for March and April of 2023 After accidentally ringing the wrong doorbell when trying to pick up his siblings, teen Ralph Yarl was shot by an 84 year old homeowner Andrew Lester in Kansas City. Lester claims that he believed Yarl was trying to break into his home, and was “scared to death” due Yarl’s size. Yarl was left in the street with gunshot wounds in his head and arm when the police responded to the scene around 10 pm. This event fueled many people to protest in Kansas City with chants of “Justice for Ralph”. Athletic opportunities overseas
After a full day of traveling, a trip through customs, freshmen Kaylie Cosgrove and her soccer teammates arrived in England. However, this spring break trip wasn’t solely spent exploring this foreign country, but playing soccer with what is considered the best. “I found out about it back in October. I was just really excited that I had an opportunity like that [and I] was willing to do anything to get on that trip,” Cosgrove said. |
2021-2022 stories
For my first year on staff, I was a staff writer. I had no assigned section, so I wrote sport, news, and feature stories.
*Stories were not uploaded individually so the whole page is attached
This story was written during my sophomore year, highlighting teachers at Wando with stories relating to breast cancer. This was my very first story that I had written for the Newspaper. This story was published in our October issue.
For our February issue, I wrote about a Wando and Tribal Tribune alumni who had recently published her first book. I wrote about her experience and process of writing the book. This was published in our February issue.
For the April issue, I covered a cross country and track runner who was breaking school records and winning state titles in multiple events as just a sophomore. This was printed in our April issue.
Columns
Throughout my three years on staff, I have written multiple columns. Most have been personal reflections on events in my life.
Coping with a lifestyle change for survival
Extreme weight loss. Dark circles and bags under my eyes. A dry cough. What seemed to be never ending headaches and migraines. What seemed to be never ending symptoms. Symptoms for a life changing autoimmune disease known as Celiac. Except, I had no idea what it was. Neither did my parents. Early pathway to college success
For all my life, all I’ve ever heard is the word “college”. Questions like “Where do you wanna go” or “What do you wanna do” would be asked repeatedly by almost every adult I’ve met throughout my life. Honestly, I hadn’t really given it much thought until my sophomore year. I spent a lot of time watching my older friends going through the process and realized how much work it really is. That’s when I decided to make the best decision for myself. I set to meet with a college planner. Best decision I’ve ever made. Goodbye Cross Country
As soon as the gun goes off, I push myself forward and start running down the course. I feel the cold air rushing into my lungs, making my breaths harder, shorter even. My fingers go numb and all that’s left is a tingling feeling. I watch people pass me until there’s four people behind me, and open fields in front of me. My lungs are screaming for air as if they are drowning from the cold. I barely cross the finish line before my legs give out. I collapsed while tears streamed down my face as I realized I finished my last cross country race ever. Artificial intelligence; good or bad?
The world and age of technology that we now live in is terrifying. We rely too much on the technology provided for us that human interaction has become limited. And I’ll admit, I’m glued to my phone all the time now, and as much as that scares me for my future and others, nothing brings more chills down my spine than Artificial Intelligence. I remember when Snapchat updated and added an AI bot pinned to the top of your screen to use. It’s just there. You can’t get rid of it. I waited so long until my phone forcefully updated the app that’s how much it freaked me out. You text it and it responds instantly with an answer to your question. |
*first place for 2022 spring SCSPA awards for column
Editorial
I have only been able to write one editorial, but I have been apart of staff editorial meetings where the staff would come to an agreement on our opinion and then one person would write it for all of us.
Healthcare: a personal reasonability
What seems to be a quick visit to the hospital turns into more. Medical bills start piling up, one on top of the other. Anxiety and stress levels reach new heights trying to figure out what insurance will cover. What they won’t cover. What comes straight out of pocket and what the final amount will be. Healthcare and insurance in America is complicated. Too complicated. And all these new bills and acts just makes everything worse. Should healthcare be more privately owned? Or should it be more government controlled? This constant debate feels never ending. *second place 2023 spring SCSPA for editorial |
To read more online coverage go to tribaltribune.org