The Hilltopper
Needham High School's Student Newspaper Since 1957
WHAT'S NEW?
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By Benjamin Fogler
The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted in late June to ban cell phones starting January 2025. This past summer, a number of Needham parents and faculty expressed frustration with cell phone use in class, and advocated for a stricter policy. Going into the 2024-2025 school year, that has become a reality: the administration is making “phone hotels” mandatory in all classes, including x-block. However, Needham should not follow the LA School Board’s example.
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Welcome back, seniors! As a lover of summer, I find it extremely bittersweet to be returning to school for senior year. A part of me is utterly anxious about the heavy workload I know I’ll be facing: college applications on top of difficult classes and various fall extracurriculars. Part of me excitedly anticipates a festive Senior Sunset, Powderpuff, and the endlessly-celebrated Senior Spring as we all prepare for our promising futures ahead. And part of me is wondering: Is everything really changing?
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By Emily Flanagan
Ah, summer. The season of swimming, sun, sundaes, and…studying? The school year, it seems, does not conclude after 180 days. In reality, during the summer months, many students are busy balancing work, travels, and spending time with family and friends, and come the summer after sophomore year, students are overloaded with assignment after assignment, all of which must be completed without assistance from their teachers.