By Hilal Dizdar 

Southeast Alamance students were recognized in the 68th Annual Visual Arts Competition for Young People. The event brought together student artists from across Alamance County and gave them a chance to share their creativity and hard work.

One of the artists was Ava Garner, who won two first-place awards. She earned 1st Place in Oil Painting for Potential and 1st Place in Digital Artwork for Evolving Fear. 

Ava explained that both of her pieces were inspired by the differences between childhood and adulthood. She said, “Potential represents the decline of creativity and passion as you age. Evolving Fear represents the change in fear as you age, from imaginary to material.” Her work stood out not only because of its visual quality, but also because of the meaning behind it.

When Ava found out that she had won two first-place awards, she was enthusiastic, not only for herself, but her fellow artists. Garner said, “I was very excited to hear that I had won two first place awards. I was also very proud and excited for my friends who had won as well." She also shared that one of the hardest parts of creating her pieces was time management and trying to paint realistically. (read more)

Military strikes continue as the war with Iran escalates. Attacks light up the night skies in several Middle Eastern countries. Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash 

by Noelle Duncan

The Iran war is still an ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East that began on February 28, 2026. The war started when the United States and Israel launched large airstrikes on targets in Iran. These strikes hit military bases, government buildings and important infrastructure in cities like Tehran, Isfahan and Qom

The first attacks targeted Iran’s air defense systems, missile bases and government locations. During the early attacks Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and several other Iranian officials were killed. Civilian areas, such as markets, schools, and hospitals were also damaged during the strikes.

The fighting quickly expanded with hundreds of strikes reported across many parts in Iran. (read more)

by Zyania Garcia Hernández

As the days get warmer and the plants start to open up, you should open up to new snacks! Here are a few recipes that would go well with the warm weather. 

Dirt Cups

Ingredients:

• Oreos

• Milk

• Instant chocolate pudding mix 

• Whipped topping

• Gummy worms

Recommended: 6 or 9 ounce clear plastic cups.

Directions:

First, crush up the desired amount of Oreo cookies. This can be done by placing the cookies in a resealable plastic bag which you can crush up with a rolling pin or one's hands. Whisk together the boxes of instant pudding and milk in a large bowl that will sit in 5 minutes. Add the whipped topping on top. 

Scoop up some of the pudding mix into the cup. This should fill about ⅓ of the cup. Sprinkle some of the Oreo crumbs, repeating the layers until the cup is nearly full. Top off with gummy worms and place into the refrigerator in order to keep fresh. (read more...so many treats!)

The statistics and truth about femicide comes to light after years in the shadows. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash 

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of violence against women, rape, and intimate partner violence. Reader discretion is advised.

by William Rogers

Femicide (or Feminicide) is defined as the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender. These incidents include sexually motivated crimes against women, honor killings, mutilation and intimate partner or family violence. Read more

Megan Moroney's release of her new album brings themes associated with heartbreak and how to recover from struggles. Photo from Moroney's account on X - @_megmoroney

by Lily Nye

The album “Cloud Nine” by Megan Moroney came out on February 20, 2026. Moroney is a rapidly rising star in the country music industry. The album “Cloud Nine” explores and promotes themes of emotional growth, self-confidence and the trials and tribulations of navigating heartbreak. This album consists of 15 tracks and is at the length of 52 minutes and 29 seconds long. 

Stallion Perspectives

Some Southeast Stallions shared their love for the album. The Daily Trot spoke with staff writer Brooke Brownell about her favorite song. Brownell said, “My favorite song from the new album is 'Medicine' because I just really like the rhythm throughout and the whole theme. I love the part where she sings about getting a taste of your own medicine.” 

The Daily Trot also asked Alexa Isbell what her favorite song was, and she answered “'Beautiful Things’ because it's very relatable to young girls, and it just shows that you're not alone going through different struggles.” (read more for the full tracklist)

In the case of Jeffrey Epstein, and the so-called "Epstein files," rose to a fever pitch over recent years. But just what are the files, and who are those behind them? Photo by Mathilde Hugdal on Unsplash 

*Trigger warning: This article contains information associated with human trafficking. If you, or someone you know, is a victim, please go to https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en for help.

by Payton Cleary

As the devastating news of the Epstein files came to light, many questions about what is in the files exist. Clarifying the issue shines light on just how dark a path the road to the release has been.  

Jeffrey Epstein was born on January 20th, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. While jailed, Epstein died on August 10, 2019 of an apparent suicide that is controversial to this day. Epstein was an American financier who was later convicted of being a sex offender against women and girls. Through his successful career as a financier, Epstein became a multimillionaire, slowly developing a social circle of wealthy individuals. (read more)

by Addison Bennett

Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) is a Carnival celebrated in mainly German speaking countries like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen, and Mainz are the five biggest cities to celebrate this festival. It involves creating float attraction out of paper and sometime clay, many other attractions are also involved like traditional dances, food, drinks, and costumes. This year the celebration was taken place on Monday, February 16th, right before Ash Wednesday. 

The significance of this celebration is to serve as the climax of the “Fifth Season” of carnival, a months-long period of festivities officially starting on November 11 at 11:11 AM. This celebrations traditions consist of marking cities with bright colorful parades with performances and floats that most of the time satirize politicians and current global events. (read more)

Rosenmontag, or "Rose Monday", is a celebration prior to Ash Wednesday during the carnival season. There is more to this celebration than just colorful attractions. Photo by Alex jiang on Unsplash 

The Yearly Appeal of March Madness

by Kamalika Bhushan Bezzam  

Every March, millions of Americans tune in to watch one of the most exciting sporting events of the year-- March Madness. March Madness is the nickname for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament and the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. Both these tournaments bring together 68 of the best college basketball teams in the country to compete in a single-elimination bracket. It's clearly one and done. The high stakes and fast pace are just a few of the elements make the event so intense and unforgettable. 

The popularity of March Madness is largely due to its unpredictability. Lower-seeded teams often defeat higher-ranked teams in surprising “upsets”. These unexpected victories create excitement and prove that anything can happen. Fans across the country fill out brackets, trying to predict which teams will win each round. Friends, families, teachers, and even entire schools create competitions to see who can guess the most games correctly. (read more)

FIFA World Cup: Unity Through Competition

by Kamalika Bhushan Bezzam  

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup is the most popular and widely watched soccer tournament in the world. Organized by FIFA, the competition takes place every four years and features national teams from across the globe. Countries such as Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal are often among the favorites. Each team competes not only for the trophy but also for national pride and the honor of representing their country on the world stage. 

The tournament begins with a group stage, where teams are divided into groups and compete to earn points to advance. After this stage, the competition moves into the knockout rounds, where one loss means elimination. This format creates dramatic and emotional matches that keep fans on the edge of their seats. Legendary players have made history during the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar Jr., whose performances have inspired millions. (read more) 

The first Tech Theater course was offered at Southeast this year focusing on the work behind the actors. Photo by Addison Bennett

by Addison J. Bennett

The work of actors on stage is something that will never go unnoticed. From plays Shakespeare wrote to musicals like Ride The Cyclone and Hadestown, the actors and these effects won't be seen without the audience and critics sharing their thoughts and opinions. Though the real question stands, who is behind these effects?

Beginning in ancient Greek and Roman times, theater was a growing aspect of everyday culture. Comedies, tragedies and special performances by actors occurred almost every day. During this time, theaters were primarily found outdoors, so the use of technical elements was limited due to the sun being the only main source of tech lighting. Though items like sets and props were slightly used, masks and hand-held props like cups or sometimes even weapons were used often onstage for the aspect of props, an important part of technical theater. (read more)