In middle school, I longed for the day that I would be able to begin working. In Michigan, the legal working age is 14, but most facilities do not hire that young. Because of that and because of the inconvenience of having to be dropped off to and picked up from work, I decided to wait until I was 16. In January of my junior year, just a few months after my 16th birthday, I...

You know what they all say. “Don’t take anything for granted. You never know what’s going to happen next… a single day can change your life.” COVID-19 has affected the entire human population in countless ways, and it caused a major shift in the viewpoint of school to many students all over the world. Early last year, schools across the country were closed due...

In seventh grade, Jack Devine moved to Rochester Hills and began attending West Middle School. He took the bus to and from school and tried to use the time to nap, but he was often awakened by his classmate, Ms. Bre Rosol, who liked to talk to her friends and everyone around her. Little did they know that in just over a decade, they would be engaged and planning a summer...

The Rochester High School Mountain Biking club will be entering its third year as a club sport this coming spring; however this year, athletes who meet varsity requirements will be able to receive a varsity letter. The varsity program will officially begin on Monday, May 3, at the beginning of the new season.  The addition of a varsity program not only allows athletes the...

Coronavirus. When most people hear that word a lot of things come to mind, and most of them are negative. Job loss, death, isolation, and toilet paper shortages. There is one positive thing that came from the pandemic however-- free time.  With everyone at home, American households saw this as the perfect opportunity to adopt a puppy. According to the Washington Post, many...

The smell of the fresh baked goods spread throughout the Give Thanks Bakery, located right in Downtown Rochester.  For 22 years, the Bakery has been located in the same spot in Downtown Rochester, on the west alley of Main street between 2nd and 3rd off Walnut at Municipal Parking Lot #12. The Bakery was founded in 1998 by Gerald Matthes, who was pursuing his dream...

Griffin Claw Clubhouse: The Beer Cheese & Pretzel Bites appetizer at this sports pub is an absolute must, as is the Not Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich. The igloos are warm and comfortable, and the scene as a whole has a casual vibe that makes the dining experience enjoyable.   Red Ox: The caesar salad, although a simple dish, is deliciously flavorful. With thousand...

March 10, 2020. Everyone's lives were turned upside down.  School was canceled. The stay-at-home order was put into place. The future held only uncertainty.   Recently was the one year anniversary of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and in order to commemorate it Mrs. Healy had a “Covid Party” in her AP Psychology classes. “I think I called it a covid party but really...

As you stroll through the park, you notice a piece of paper shaped like a rectangle buried under a rock. You stop in your tracks and lean down to examine the object. It is a 50 dollar bill. You assume it is your lucky day for finding this prize out of the blue. Whether you decide to take the money or not is a completely different story, but the chances of finding it were...

Falcon athletics have been hit hard with the effects of quarantine due to the COVID-19 protocols. Teams including cheerleading, wrestling, along with boys, and girls basketball have each seen a majority, or all of their players quarantined.  Under current regulations, sports teams practicing indoors must enter a quarantine if one positive COVID-19 case occurs among the...

After months of quarantine, an isolated summer, and virtual school, students are back in the classroom a year later. It’s been a year since the beginning of Covid in the United States, and the school schedules have undoubtedly changed over the course of the year. The most recent update began on Friday, Jan. 8th when Governor Whitmer issued a statement urging all Michigan...

This past January, the decision was made to remove “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee from the Rochester Community Schools’ (RCS) curriculum. This change was made following major conversations of social justice in literature, both nationwide and locally, as well as movements to progress society towards racial equality. Mrs. Ashley Painter, the district’s Secondary...