You Can’t Say No to a Homecoming Ask, Right?

By Tahssya Avant

Your friend has been working on his Homecoming ask for over a week — buying the flowers, making the sign, even practicing how to ask in the mirror. You’ve never seen him talk to the girl he’s asking (okay, maybe once, in seventh grade) but you know that he really likes her, so you encourage him. After all of his preparations, the day finally comes. He makes his move: “Will you go to Homecoming with me?”

Continue reading “You Can’t Say No to a Homecoming Ask, Right?”

October 6, 2018October 11, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions

School District Should Agree to Union Demands

By Grady Short

After several rallies and rounds of negotiations, the Mercer Island Education Association (MIEA) is set to vote on a potential district-wide strike Sept. 4, the day before school starts. This decision, if it must be made, would represent a failing on the part of the Mercer Island School District to adequately compensate its employees. Continue reading “School District Should Agree to Union Demands”

Ellie GottesmanSeptember 2, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions, Student Life

More than just a GPA

As finals and the school year comes to end, stress about grades and GPAs are at an all year high. Students desperately email their teachers. Emailing them in hopes of bumps or miraculously dropped tests or assessments that did not go in students’ favor. A whole year spent studying and losing sleep over mere letters and numbers finally comes to an end. Continue reading “More than just a GPA”

Maya VirdellJune 12, 2018June 12, 2018Leave a comment

Humor, Opinions

Bring Back the Spirit!

By Grady Short

This year at MIHS, there’s been a noticeable decline in spirit. Sports games are quiet, assemblies are tame, and the Flag Dudes get a fraction of the cheers they used to get. In general, there seems to be a sense of apathy among the student body. Yet I’m glad that at least some students are doing their part to promote spirit.

Continue reading “Bring Back the Spirit!”

April 16, 2018April 17, 2018Leave a comment

Humor, Opinions

Sophomores Embody the MIHS Motto

By Joy Francke, Annie Poole, and Maya Virdell

At Mercer Island High School, the sophomores are often referred to as “the worst class.” As 10th graders, we decided to delve into the reasonings of this harrowing claim and most importantly explain why it is is undeniably false.

Continue reading “Sophomores Embody the MIHS Motto”

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

Humor, Opinions, Satire

Kansas Deserves a Strong Leader, but it’s Getting Me Instead

By Grady Short

Fellow friends, students, and possibly voting-age Kansas residents–

Once more, I find myself writing an editorial in the newspaper, and once more, I’m doing so to force an agenda on the entire school body. But this time, it’s personal. Continue reading “Kansas Deserves a Strong Leader, but it’s Getting Me Instead”

Grady ShortApril 3, 2018April 3, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions

When is Affirmative Action Justified in College Admissions?

By Walt McKelvie

Affirmative Action at its best is a temporary, necessary unfairness meant to end centuries of systematic oppression and inequality. It is a sad necessity to bridge the educational and financial gaps between different races, and to ending racial stereotypes. This is why affirmative action programs helping groups facing race-based discrimination, particularly blacks and Hispanics, is a good thing. Continue reading “When is Affirmative Action Justified in College Admissions?”

February 26, 2018February 27, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions, Satire

Tackling America’s School Shooting Epidemic: Can’t We Just Give Everyone Firearms or Something?

By Ellie Gottesman and Grady Short

After yet another unimaginably tragic school shooting, this time in Parkland, Florida, government officials and stable geniuses on the right have finally resolved to stop the killing of more innocent children. Continue reading “Tackling America’s School Shooting Epidemic: Can’t We Just Give Everyone Firearms or Something?”

February 24, 2018February 27, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions

American Inexceptionalism Lives On in the Gun Violence Epidemic

By Joy Francke

Gun violence is occurring so often in the United States that it is becoming a new norm. This tragic phenomenon has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands across the nation every year. Obtaining a gun in the United States needs to be drastically more challenging than it currently is. Continue reading “American Inexceptionalism Lives On in the Gun Violence Epidemic”

February 23, 2018February 27, 2018Leave a comment

Opinions

BRIDGES Video Fails to Address Safety Concerns

By Spencer Klein

Since Dec. 4, 2017, MIHS has received two shooting threats and one bomb threat. These threats were considered problematic enough that school was cancelled the Friday before break. In response, several ideas were shared among staff about how to address the student body – a mandatory assembly, four separate assemblies or a town hall for the entire school. Ultimately the staff, guided by student input, landed on a twenty-minute video compiling encouraging and optimistic testimonies from staff and students. Continue reading “BRIDGES Video Fails to Address Safety Concerns”

Spencer KleinFebruary 5, 2018March 1, 2018Leave a comment

The MIHS Islander

The student-run paper of Mercer Island High School

Category: Opinions

You Can’t Say No to a Homecoming Ask, Right?

School District Should Agree to Union Demands

More than just a GPA

Bring Back the Spirit!

Sophomores Embody the MIHS Motto

Kansas Deserves a Strong Leader, but it’s Getting Me Instead

When is Affirmative Action Justified in College Admissions?

Tackling America’s School Shooting Epidemic: Can’t We Just Give Everyone Firearms or Something?

American Inexceptionalism Lives On in the Gun Violence Epidemic

BRIDGES Video Fails to Address Safety Concerns