This month’s dedicated story genre was “Personal Experience,” I really struggled with finding something to try for the first time that would be fun and useful for both me and the Jenks student body to read and write about. Obviously, I could write about doing a workout class, or listening to an album for the first time, but I wanted something that was equally as relevant to the reader as it was interesting to me. 

As much as this is a story about organic farming, it’s also a love letter to the farm itself. Lightfoot Farm, run by resident farmers Will and Katelin Nole for Living Kitchen, is an organic produce farm in Muscogee Creek Nation, Oklahoma. I had the privilege of bringing my camera to their land, capturing the dedication and passion that fuel their work. Day in and day out, this young couple pours their hearts into cultivating not just crops, but a way of life. Here are some of these moments I witnessed through my lens that I feel adequately represent the personality of the farm.

My mom, like all parents, wanted me to be great. Growing up she taught me a variety of skills that I have either found hobbies in or have improved my quality of life, such as having a general understanding of sewing and teaching me to read at a really young age. I now read for fun, collect books, and I sew holes or buttons on my family’s clothes when they need it. However, not all of these endeavors worked out. My family has a long history of talent in the arts, I come from a line of very talented dancers on my moms side (I have danced for about fifteen years), and musical abilities on my dads. My childhood was filled with my dad sitting with his guitar and singing to me and my cousins - which was a favorite piece of my life at the time, and a cherished memory now. My uncle is a musical prodigy, he can play an array of instruments, very well might have perfect pitch, and can play anything by hearing it just once. He was also in the Navy band. Sadly, I didn’t inherit the singing from my dad, or the instrumental talent from my uncle… not even a fraction of it. I learned this in a rather painstaking way when my mom - very kindly - got me a piano instructor, who happened to be a friend of theirs, and purchased me a keyboard. Looking back, I must have expressed some kind of interest in music - I love music - but I certainly wasn’t meant for it. Another detail for context is that since I was a kid, I have always been unnecessarily hard on myself, which can make learning new things difficult - but, as I’ve gotten older it’s gotten much better. Once a week, or so, I would sit down at my shiny new keyboard, and my instructor would come and teach me how to play, with my mothers smiling face watching and helping. I was four when I started these lessons, that was also the age that I got diagnosed with off-the-charts ADHD and was in the process of getting treatment. If you know anything about ADHD, there are different ways it can manifest and affect different people - one way for me, was it was entirely too difficult to sit still for periods of time. The combination of severe ADHD, pressure, age, and unenjoyment quickly turned into four year old me bawling my eyes out the moment my instructor walked in the door. That poor man, he truly didn't deserve that, he was a kind person… I just wasn't having it.

In the heart of Jenks, just on the end of main street stands Reds Mercantile, an antique shop filled to the brim with hidden historical gems. Items ranging from early 1900’s edition books, to old Dr. Pepper bottles, and even a stunning relic of a wedding dress - Red’s mercantile is home to little pieces of American history. Right in our hometown. Red’s is owned by very kind and lovely women who were very helpful in my journey through time in their store. Despite the recent modernization of main street Jenks, with eclectic shops being replaced by pink boutiques and popular bars, pieces of the history and originality of Jenks still stand the tests of time.

The Aquatic Center lobby. On top you can see the hanging artwork that represents water flowing, which I've been told is extremely hard to clean. This space holds lots of things from people standing around waiting to shops being set up during meet days selling everything a swimmer could need from goggles to even custom sweaters and shirts.

Driving is a pretty normal part of life that we learn while growing up. Many people count down the days till they get their permit so they can start the practice, and even more count the days till their sixteenth birthday so they can finally get their long-awaited driver’s license. For me, however, I was the complete opposite, I tried to avoid driving at all costs.

When you’re on the outside of highschool, relationships can seem… stereotypical. From the perfect popular couple to the nice nerds that only see eachother at school. However, highschool life is not Freaks and Geeks. It’s much more than that. Everybody finds someone whether they fall into their clique or not and everybody has relationship issues. It’s understanding the root of these issues that contributes to much healthier relationships in the future, but the real question is do high schoolers know anything about the important things that go into relationships despite where they fall on the totem pole?

In the morning you probably wonder what you’ll have for lunch or dinner that day. Sometimes the possibilities can be endless. Or maybe you are into meal prepping and by Sunday night you know everything you’ll be eating throughout the week. Everyone's individual diets is something that has always fascinated me. People have their own and different priorities with the food they consume causing everyone to pick out food in their own unique way. 

According to The New York Times, in late January 2025, the Trump administration announced a temporary freeze on federal grants and financial assistance, aiming to reassess funding allocations in line with new policy directives. This decision has had widespread implications for nonprofit organizations across the nation, including those in Oklahoma.

At the start of second semester, the preexisting finals exemption policy was widened to underclassmen. In hopes to communicate what the policies guidelines were, site principal David Beiler sent an email to the entire student body. After this official email announcement, I found that I, along with many of my peers, were riddled with confusion on what absences counted, how they were counted, and what is excused. 

Chances are, if you’ve ever been to a hospital, you’ve been cared for by a nurse. Regardless of whether they were male or female, their gender likely wasn’t your focus—or at least, it shouldn’t have been.

Every year the Jenks High School students who can drive have to make a decision to either pay for a $30 parking pass or take the hot and smelly bus to school every day. But why should we have to pay to park? Every year I hear lots of complaints from students about having to fill out long forms and pay the school and a  lot of the students questioning what even is the point, what are they doing with our money, and how much do they even get from making us pay?  After researching this, I have found  that it makes no sense for us to have to pay.

Now that I’ve started antidepressants and ADHD medication, I started to look back and realize common signs with people who have ADHD. During reading time, I’d glance up to see the rest of my classmates deeply immersed into their novels; while I’m still struggling to read, rereading the same page or line hundreds of times. It’s hard to stay focused, to stay still, you fidget your pen and bounce your leg under the seat just in order to focus half as well. Even if you thought you had ADHD, you feel way behind the game as everyone else in school who has ADHD was diagnosed when they were still basically in diapers and you’re reaching adulthood. Over 75% of adults who were diagnosed with ADHD hadn't been diagnosed in their childhood. Growing up with undiagnosed disorders is just as damaging, if not more damaging, than an early diagnosis. However, it is still extremely beneficial to find out and get tested. 

The question of women leadership in the church has been debated for centuries. As society grows to accept women's voices, the question resurfaces: Should women hold a position of power in the church? 

Being an American means being free. Being American is essentially the dream that millions around the world yearn for. Being in America is liberating—it's the goal. At least that’s what we’re taught, but what is being American really?

Welcome to Tulsa’s very own Utica Square at Christmas: Known for its classic charm and holiday spirit, Utica Square becomes a winter wonderland each December. This review features the most iconic pieces of the Utica Square festivities and most accessorized stores. Be prepared to take a journey through Pottery Barn, Amber Marie, and Glacier Chocolate to explore their Christmas decorations for the 2024 season with a few surprises here and there. Be on the lookout for the holidays most memorable nut-cracking tool.

Like many other high school students I have a severe caffeine addiction and usually can’t go a day without consuming some form of it. Whether it be coffee or an energy drink I have tried so many different kinds. We’ve all tried the current chain coffee shops by our school like Starbucks and Dutch Bros, but a new phenomenon is currently being built, and it's known as 7 Brew. 

Every time I try to study in my house I feel like I'm the least productive person to exist. From wanting to crawl back into my warm bed and just go to sleep or my brothers screaming while playing some video game studying at home is just insanely difficult, but if I studied in a cafe every day my bank account would cry at the cost of having to buy some overpriced coffee just for a quiet warm place with wifi to get some homework done. Luckily libraries exist to give you a free study space with wifi. In this article, I’m going to rate the different public libraries all within eight miles of the school. I will rate the libraries on a scale of one to ten based on their noise level, their vibe and aesthetic, their seating, and their charging stations because we all know the school-assigned Chromebook's battery life is non-existent. Rating these libraries I’ll start off with the closest to the high school being only 0.4 miles away, and the smallest library I visited, and then will work our way out to the furthest library being just less than eight miles away.

There seems to be one candy you can always guarantee worldwide: chocolate. Everyone has a certain type of chocolate that they make. Whether it be super authentic chocolate or not, there’s always some type of chocolate bar nearby.

I, Isabella Banaro, am a devout Peace Tea drinker. I love sweet tea and have enjoyed the taste of many sweetened and flavored teas in my day. However, in my eyes, after trying teas from many, many brands and restaurants… One remains the best: Peace Tea. I drink Peace Teas multiple times a week - my bank account is crying - and I have to restrain myself from partaking in them daily. Here, I have ranked the (available) flavors from my least to most favorite. So, here are the four available flavors (or “colors”) that you can find at your local QT. Unless you live in Canada, they have many more available flavors there apparently.