Stories

For Young Writers, Poet Amanda Gorman Serves As Inspiration

January 26, 2021

There is something about poetry that captures in verse what often can’t be said. The day after the pomp and circumstance of the Jan. 20 inauguration, a small group of young writers gathered on Zoom to dissect and admire the craft behind Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb.” Gorman, the nation’s first-ever youth poet…

Read More

A Third Of Maine Student Loan Borrowers Could Have Their Debt Eliminated Under Plan Floated By Biden

January 20, 2021

A significant number of Mainers with outstanding student loans could see some major relief under a proposal that newly inaugurated President Joe Biden will reportedly make to cancel thousands in federal student loan debt for each person, among other efforts. In addition to planning an executive order to “pause” federal student loan collection through September,…

Read More

The Pandemic Is Speeding Up The Mass Disappearance Of Men From College

January 19, 2021

When Debrin Adon and his male classmates talk about going to college, it always comes down to one thing. “We’re more focused on money,” said Adon, 17, a senior at a public high school here. “Like, getting that paycheck, you know?” Whereas, “if I go to college, I’ve got to pay this much and take…

Read More

One Challenge To Reopening Schools: Finding Enough Teachers

December 21, 2020

Just after Thanksgiving, Falmouth High School Principal Mary Gans got a call: the school had a positive case. Twelve of her staff members were considered “close contacts” and had to quarantine immediately. “I just [did] not have the ability to cover all of their classes, even for the rest of the day,” Gans said. “There just weren’t the…

Read More

‘As Scary As A Virus In Some Ways’: Mental Health Concerns Grow As Remote Schooling Continues

December 21, 2020

Across the country, there are middle and high school teachers begging their students to turn on their Zoom cameras. You can read their angst-ridden posts on Twitter and Facebook. I can hear their pleas coming from the laptop in my 14-year-old son’s bedroom (he rarely turns on his camera, by the way). The frustration and…

Read More

These Youth Mentors Search For Students Gone AWOL In A Pandemic

December 18, 2020

John Williams, who works on behalf of the public schools in Brockton, wanted to know why 16-year-old Glen hadn’t logged into his remote classes since the school year began in September. So he called Glen’s mother, who said she’s tried and tried to get her son out of bed and online, but he won’t listen.…

Read More

Early Indications Suggest Far Fewer Rural Maine Students Looking To Attend College

December 18, 2020

Between remote and hybrid classes, the pandemic has drastically altered education for high schoolers this fall and left many students and parents frustrated and dissatisfied. And those feelings could be having a major impact on how many students — particularly those from rural Maine — may choose to go on to college. As the school…

Read More

Med Schools Are Seeing A Surge Of Applications. It’s Called The ‘Fauci Effect’

December 1, 2020

When COVID-19 restrictions reduced his work schedule, Sam Smith turned to another time-consuming task: applying to medical school. He’d always wanted to go into medicine, Smith said. But what was happening in the world had a big impact on the kind of medicine he hopes to practice. Now, Smith said, he wants to specialize in…

Read More

How One Student Juggles Work, College And A Pandemic

December 1, 2020

For a few days each week, Josh Knight goes to class on the subway. He has to: he’s on his way to work at the Charlestown YMCA. But he’s also a first-year student in the honors program at Framingham State University. It means that even as he boards an Orange Line car bound for North…

Read More

Teens Fight For New Climate Change Curriculum in Massachusetts Schools

November 24, 2020

Every week, more than a dozen student activists from around Massachusetts call into a Zoom meeting. Behind them are glimpses into their lives – superhero posters and hot pink bedroom walls. “OK. So do we want to start off today’s meeting with an agenda?” asked Nico Gentile, the 17-year-old climate organizer running today’s meeting. The…

Read More