OPINION
The following stories were published by either Prospective or The Saline Courier. Though I was usually hesitant about writing columns, these stories become among some of my favorites I have ever written.
Feb. 13, 2018
MIDDLE SCHOOL SLUMP
I had an early start. On weekends before I started school, my older sister would play “teacher” and give me math equations I had never seen while we sat on the carpet beside our dining room table.
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PHOTO | Alexis Burch
ABOUT: In elementary school, I excelled academically. As I grew older, I hit several bumps in the road that made school work seem like a daunting task. But because my mind had been so glorified at a young age, it became impossible for me to ask for help when I felt myself struggling. I have noticed that I am not alone when it comes to sharing this feeling. I decided to discuss this human flaw through my own candid experiences. Because it is one of my most recent pieces, it most closely represents my current writing style.
Jan. 23, 2018
I stood at the back of the Target book collection.
The long grey shelves protected me from the main aisle, where anyone might have judged me for reading a book in the store instead of taking it to the front registers.
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IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS
PHOTO | Alexis Burch
ABOUT: In the summer, a young girl watched and mimicked my behavior in the book section at Target. I wrote down the interaction in my iPhone notes. Half a year later, I revisited the piece of writing, finally realizing why the few short minutes had stuck with me for so long. The majority of The Saline Courier 's readers are older. By using my interaction with a young girl, I felt it would be easier to make an older generation, likely parents and grandparents, understand the impact they have on future generations.
Dec. 31, 2017
CREATE YOUR OWN CHANGE
Three days into the summer after my seventh grade year, I visited my hairstylist and asked her to cut my long dirty blonde hair just above my ears. With her scissors in hand, she gave me a smile. Every inch gone felt like another year added to my life.
PHOTO | Kelly Burch
ABOUT: Tired of hearing the same "New year, new me" phrase spoken every single year, I wrote about my own need for change, and the benefit of not putting a certain time stamp on it. Though I was on break and didn't need to turn in a story for work, I knew that the story would have more of an impact on New Year's Eve than in mid-January. So, I got out my laptop and began
to write.
Dec. 1, 2017
PHOTO | Wikipedia
NUCLEAR WORDS
I have sat through high school health classes, I have shared the gymnasium with sweaty, crude, middle school boys. And I have walked through the courtyard at lunch while freshman guys, years past puberty, declare themselves superior to their male friends.
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PHOTO | Courtesy of online
ABOUT: The Saline Courier was originally wanted me to write political columns. However, my personal ones were a hit, so I stuck with what I knew. Wanting to try something a little lighter while also having the threat of nuclear war on my mind resulted in this column. It definitely got the attention of some of my colleagues. While it may not have made my dad too proud, I enjoyed writing this column, and wanted to share it with the world.
Oct. 13, 2017
PHOTO | Alexis Burch
YES, TEENAGERS STILL READ NEWSPAPERS
It was Friday. A stack of newspapers were in my arms, staining the palms of my hands with ink. Shifting the weight of the 30 or so copies to my left arm, I knocked twice.
ABOUT: When I write for The Saline Courier, my primary audience is anywhere between 35-75 years old. I wanted older generations to recognize that students still value print media. This is the digital age, but readers still value ink, paper and timely coverage of events that affect all ages.
Sept. 12, 2017
PHOTO | Josie Pringle
YES, I WANT TO BE A JOURNALIST
One of the three Bryant High School counselors stood in the front of the AP Literature classroom. He had a paper in his hand filled with dates ranging from Financial Aid Night to ASVAB test dates.
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ABOUT: Once I realized I wanted to be a journalist, I never lost momentum to make it happen. This was my first column for The Saline Courier, and after it was published, I received positive feedback and encouragement from my coworkers.
June 21, 2017
His outer left eye is marked with a scar from a stone that hit him at age 11. The marks on his shins, ankles and lower back are reminders of the electric barbed wire fence that he climbed through to escape.
NORTH KOREA: A NATION FOUNDED BY FEAR
PHOTO | The Yale Globalist
ABOUT: A country's people is not responsible for the actions of their leaders. I explore this idea through Shin Dong-hyuk, who escaped a labor prison. Americans perceive North Koreans as incapable of emotions. It felt necessary for me to convey that no, they aren't nuclear-war-hungry individuals.
Sept. 23, 2016
NO SALT HERE
Boys and girls with blue face paint will tweet discreditable claims about a rival in the opposing student section. The Panther statue may have a few visitors bearing gifts from across the county.
PHOTO | Alexis Burch
ABOUT: After two years of Bryant High School students vandalizing Benton High School's mascot statue, I wanted to see how Benton students would treat me if I tried to sit on the rival side's stands during the highly anticipated 2016 Salt Bowl. I documented my findings. The experience was pleasant, but that made it slightly disappointing, as I anticipated judgement from the other side. Still, my social experiment was highly anticipated.
My father sat across from me, his crossed arms dirtied from a day’s worth of welding. His stern yet melancholy voice spoke up, “We can get you books, you know, to make you outgoing.”
SOCIAL SCIENCE
April 29, 2016
PHOTO | Madeline Colclasure
ABOUT: I had written one column before, but had never spoken from personal experience. As someone who spent her earlier years fumbling words and unable to offer my opinion, I decided it was time to speak up and use the small voice I had gained throughout my first two years of high school.