Catch the 'Wild Things' Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum Before It's Gone

I knew that "Where the Wilds Things Are," a picture book very treasured in my childhood, was world renowned, but I didn't know it mattered to other Creek students. That is, until I saw people I knew visiting the local art museum to see the exhibit about the art of the creator of "Wild Things." I already had a visit planned with my family and I had lots of positivity to say about the exhibit after I was done. This was a fun trip of nostalgia to write and one of the reviews I'm prouder of.

'Twisters' Is Just a Remake, but Not in a Bad Way

The original 'Twister' movie from 1996 is quite the inside joke in my family because we've watched it so many times and find laughs in all the mushy lines and corny moments. Obviously, when the sequel 'Twisters' came out in summer 2024, I knew that I had to watch it.

And I knew I had to write a review on it too.

It was just as funny as the last version, just in higher definition, and that made it so fun to write. I'm proud of the piece because of its specific angle on comparing the two films and their clear similarities, as well as the little jokes I slid in occasionally that only an avid fan of the movies would get.

Precious World War II Planes Are Dying in Silence

The best Op-Eds are built on passion. I have been passionate about WW2 aviation since I could get my hands on a laptop to watch documentaries look up my favorite panes. I looked forward to writing a story about them from the moment I entered the USJ. 

This story had a lot of time and research go into it, but a lot came from personal experience. The core of the story was the touring aviation show that made one of my most treasured memories. When that aviation show was cancelled after a string of plane crashes, it pushed me to publish it because I felt obligated to share the story with my community. 

AJR's 'The Maybe Man' Aches With Relatable Uncertainty

I decided, as I was listening to the AJR's November album, that I wouldn't be writing a review on it. I had been insulted for liking the band in the past, and I didn't want to broadcast that interest to the whole school.

Then I listened to the album.

It was the perfect compilation of some of my favorite songs to this day. With some thought, I decided to write a review, taking the angle that "no one likes AJR, but I do!" But, in the end, I changed my approach to focus more on the themes of the album, its emotion, and most importantly, its relatability. 

I'm proud of this review because I thought it encapsulated the reason why I so profoundly associated with this album as a high schooler in an uncertain time.

Having Seven Classes is Difficult (And That's Okay)

This Op-Ed was fueled by a growing sense of burnout and exhaustion. The source of the struggles were my seven class schedule, a completely packed schedule at Creek with only one off period. I knew that if I was a reader of the Journal, I would want to see a writer demonstrate that it was okay to feel that stress, and it was okay to be under pressure by Creek's gifted academic environment. 

Remembering how it felt to be an eightth grader was essential for using good voice in this piece; I remember the pressure I felt from my social circle to take seven classes, to fit in with the "smart kids." I used government survey websites to find credible statistics that showed that our standardized testing and general education was far above average. 

I knew exactly what I wanted to say, the challenge was finding a dignified way to brain dump without it sounding like a brain dump.