Gwyneth Atkinson remembers her distaste for growing up and her longing to live a simple, joyous life, full of adventure. I never had much interest in growing up. As a way of being, it seemed lofty, tense, and brutal. As an adult now, I can say that it very much can be, but I acquiesce that there is more exhilaration in navigating your possibilities than I thought there would be. When I was nine years old, I realized I would not be a child forever. I wouldn’t be so blithely l

Upon pondering the meaning of life, the philosophy of being, and the best toppings to put on a ham and cheese sandwich, I was faced with a terrible conundrum. More terrifying, I assure you, than the potential atrocities that could be bestowed upon my fictitious ham and cheese sandwich. Fictitious, you may ask? Alas, alack, woe is me – I have been caught! There never was a ham and cheese sandwich, or, at least, I didn’t encounter one during my linguistic crisis. Though, I supp

Shall I compare thee to an airplane in the night sky, amongst a field of shooting stars. I lie upon the grass where brisk winds pass, the earth still temperate beneath my quiet frame; the sky stretched as wide as an unending sea, and I, its sole observer in the dark. Above, thou lies a path through this maze of stars, thy scarlet light beams soft and slow— like some small heart suspended in the night, a distant pulse that unlocks something within. The songs within mine e

Instead, we sit together beside the sunset, the moment and I. We are having what’s left together in that ephemeral yet timelessly mesmerizing glow, respecting each other’s presence, in the shadow of fleeting clouds already settling into memories. All the stars can align. I’m giving them my time, my captivated eyes. For once, let’s forget the distance between us, and sit quietly beside me. I won’t name you a miracle or ask you to stay— only to exist with me, as the n

Photo via The Wall Street Journal After retiring from professional figure skating a 2020 World Junior bronze medalist, Junior Grand prix silver medalist, and youngest ever U.S. women’s national champion at age 13, Alysa Liu has come back to skating on her own terms. She made her unexpected return in 2024, and this year, she won second place to Amber Glenn at the US Championships (skating to Promise by Laufey, which only made me love her performance more). This secured her a s

The following is a transcript of a speech delivered at the Lycée Concours D'eloquence, which took place on February 5, 2026. It won the People's Choice and Best Performance awards. Welcome to the time store, come one, come all! One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, wide, thin, up, down, spinning in circles or flat on the ground! We’re your one stop destination for predestination, your little slice of reason – with a capital R – that separates nothing from nothing, heaven

The following is a transcript of a speech delivered at the Lycée Concours D'eloquence, which took place on February 5, 2026. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, We’re told we’re free. Free to choose our future. Free to become anything we want. Apparently, I’m free, But freedom is limited; it doesn’t come with any old get-out-of-jail-free card. And if we’re really so free, why does choosing feel so terrifying? Before we argue about free will, let’s define it. Free will u

Photo via To All the Boys I've Loved Before Most girls recognize the familiar name of Lara Jean Covey, protagonist of the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” series, known for her sensitive mannerisms and polite charms. Since reading the book series when I was younger, I deeply admired and related to her, catching her references and subtle remarks with ease. Whether it was her baking, movie marathons, or her reading, I found myself comforted by the presence of such a characte

Thirty days have September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except for February, which has twenty-eight (except in a leap year when it has twenty-nine). That simple rhyme has helped me keep months straight for, well, as long as I can remember. So much so that every time the next year rolls around, as it inevitably does, I revisit my handy tune to discern the precise amount of time we will be spending in each month. The longer months, the shorter month

You Life is happening for you, not to you. Each misstep, each pitfall, and each obstacle Only empower you. Only if that's how you see it of course. You Will encounter struggle. There is no doubt that destruction, despair, and darkness Will follow you. The type of uneasiness, weariness, that snatches the breath from your lungs, leaving you gasping in its wake. You Will feel each and every offensive word like thorns raking across your skin, each one leaving a mark. It w

Photo via Amazon In the early morning of January 3rd, 2026, the US Armed Forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve. In the pitch-black darkness caused by a US-orchestrated power-outage, the Delta Force crept into downtown Caracas, Venezuela, and after a brutal gunfight with the Venezuelan presidential guards, took President Nicolas Maduro into US Custody, bringing him to the US mainland by the end of the day. In the late morning of that same day, the President Donald Trump a

Photo via Alizaasif on Pinterest Soraya’s ratings (and warnings): Rose Market This article was partially inspired by the fact that I have been absolutely craving the Rose Market matcha for forever. This seems to be an underrated spot in the Lycée periphery, but the matcha is amazing. My go-to everywhere is an iced matcha latte with oat milk and vanilla syrup, but no other matcha I have had tastes quite like the Rose market one. It’s a solid color, medium green, and has an inc

Constable Hodgkins was not a particularly intelligent man, though not a particularly stupid one either. He belonged to that rather unfortunate category of people who spend their whole lives drifting about in the current without causing the slightest ripple on their own. He was a somewhat portly man of around fifty with dark, slowly graying hair and lips that had become stuck in a permanent frown from disuse. He had a curious way of communicating solely through small grunts an

As Stranger Things has come to a close and we got to watch our favorite characters on the screen one last time, many people can’t help but feel let down by the final season. This shared sense of anticlimax and disappointment could stem from various factors, which we, two seasoned Stranger Things fans, discuss here. From poor pacing from episode to episode, not nearly enough character deaths and suspense, and massive plot holes, did Stranger Things 5 really live up to the h

3 weeks ago, 14 teams entered the NFL playoffs. On February 8, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots are set to face off in the Superbowl. So, how did we get here? It all started with Wild-Card Weekend. 12 teams faced off, and only the 6 winners got to move forward. Many games were close, only being decided in the last few minutes, and in some cases the outcome came down to the final play of the game. In the NFC, the Rams scored a touchdown to seal the win

Les gens m’appellent Leila. Ils n’ont pas tort, c’est le nom que mes parents m'ont donné, et je l'aime beaucoup. Néanmoins, la façon de présenter quelqu’un par son nom, son âge, et tout ce dont ils rêvaient dans une phrase semble un peu banal. Comment est-ce qu’on peut deviner la nature de quelqu’un par une expression, toute seule dans une jungle des mots? Alors, je vais essayer le mieux que je peux. Je suis une fille, d’à peu près seize ans, avec une adoration pour les human

Dear January, sweet old January I hate you January Out of all the months, you remain anything but cheery Finals, alarms, Redbull, assignments, You make me want to hide in confinement The solidarity of your presence Feels like a punch in the face every single day And is completely absent of pleasance Dear January Next year, don’t be so scary Messy Desk. Photo via Courier Journal

There is nothing like being on stage. One may attempt to dispute this, but they would be decidedly wrong, in every sense of the word. To say the stage is unique is simply a fact. Of course, one may mistake it for a pithy epigram, but, once again, they would be mistaken. The stage is unlike any other human experience – a proscenium matchbox illuminated by nothing but the fluorescence of spotlights a life unto itself. The tech booth above is heaven, the orchestra pit hell, and

As the year comes to a close, many people are left reflecting on months filled with heavy headlines and constant uncertainty. War, climate disasters, and political conflict dominated the news cycle, often making it feel as though the world was moving backward rather than forward. With so much focus on crisis, it has become easy to overlook quieter moments of progress happening beyond the spotlight. Yet, in December, several stories emerged that showed meaningful change contin

This year, for the first time in Lycée MUN history, our very own delegates attended BearMUN 2025 at UC Berkeley, December 6-7 (yes, I am aware, and the jokes did get old). The trip began with a 7-and-a-half-hour bus ride up to the Bay area on Friday. We arrived at the hotel and were given free rein to explore the area for dinner. I think one thing we underestimated other than the length of the trip was how cold it would be. As Angelinos, a lot of us don’t even own coats to be