Christopher Garner has been teaching at John T. Hoggard High School for over 25 years. For 20 of those years, he coached our cheerleading team before switching to our girls’ volleyball team. Garner is the kind of teacher who genuinely wants students to enjoy learning. When asked what he hopes students take away from his class, he said, “Learning doesn’t have to be hard. It should be something you enjoy and keep doing for the rest of your life. The moment you stop learning, yo

People celebrate Thanksgiving in many different ways. Whether it’s running in a turkey trot, having fun at a fall festival, or just eating tacos for dinner, the holiday of giving and sharing brings people together. Thanksgiving is a time of new and old memories. Sometimes we may think of it as the day where families experience conflict or argue, but it can also be a time of joy and excitement for what is to come. To some, this holiday may be considered mundane or pointless. B

The holidays are right around the corner, and that means one thing: gift shopping! But if your wallet’s feeling a little light this season, don’t worry. You don’t need to spend a fortune to give something meaningful. There are plenty of awesome gifts under $20 that can make someone’s holiday season special! Looking for the perfect gift for your boyfriend or girlfriend? For her, try making a “burr basket.” It’s cozy, personal, and super easy to put together. Most burr baskets

The holiday season is right at our fingertips, which means Christmas gifts are entering the forefront of our minds. The best part of the shopping madness? Black Friday deals!  But which ones are really worth your money? To start with some bigger brands, Target is offering up to 40% off  all sweatshirts and sweatpants for both men and women. And for those of us with younger siblings, toys can be found for up to 50% off  in stores and online. For online shoppers, Amazon is off

As we approach the end of fall and transition into early winter, our playlists and song choices shift too. With dropping temperatures and shorter days, nothing’s better than curling up indoors with a blanket, a warm drink, and the perfect music ambiance. Some albums seem like they were made to capture these moments. Whether it’s acoustic harmonies that pair ideally with fireside conversations, or mellow jazz that hums softly in the background, cozy albums hold the power of tr

With this new season of the NBA now in full swing, new contenders have risen and early favorites have fallen. With what we saw last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder being a dominant team and taking the championship in that fashion, you might expect to see a dominant squad arise.  Let's take a look at three teams to watch this winter: The Champs: OKC Thunder The Thunder were one of the dominant teams last season. They ended that year with a record of 68-14, the best in th

If you’ve ever wondered what a Mexican New Wave film might look like, Güeros  is a near-perfect example. Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, this black-and-white indie blends humor, politics, and sharp self-awareness to explore growing up, identity, and the search for meaning in contemporary Mexico. The story follows Tomás, a rebellious teenager sent from Veracruz to live with his older brother Sombra and Sombra’s roommate, Santos, in Mexico City. The two college students are t

Let’s settle this once and for all: the Christmas season should not  begin in early November. It shouldn’t start when Halloween candy is still on sale or when stores rush to swap pumpkins for candy canes overnight. The Christmas season officially begins the day after Thanksgiving , and starting it any earlier takes away from what makes it special. Don’t get me wrong—I love Christmas as much as anyone. The music, the lights, and especially the hot chocolate that brings in the

POV: It's 2017, and you’re watching the news. PFAS has been dumped into the Cape Fear River–our main source of drinking water–and has been contaminating the water for over 40 years. Although the headlines eventually subsided, recent studies have revealed alarmingly high levels of PFAS in the blood of Wilmington residents. PFAS is a harmful chemical, often described as a “forever chemical,” that can be linked to various long-term health and environmental problems for not only

Fresh spring, vibrant summer, cozy fall, and still winter. All seasons have their own quirks that make them unique. With each having its own personality, it makes one wonder: which season are YOU? With the help of a few lighthearted questions, you can discover that for yourself. In response to each question below, simply pick the option you resonate with most. Be sure to keep track of your answers! Once tallied up, the letter option you choose the most will reveal what season

Once the air starts to chill and the leaves start to fall, I know homecoming season is upon us! One thing I particularly love about hoco week is Hoggard’s annual powderpuff game. Recently, I got to watch this year’s competitive matchup. Not to be dramatic, but I was truly on the edge of my seat the whole time. In case you missed it, here’s a small recap of the nail-biting match. Before I get into any details, let me explain powderpuff for those who aren’t aware what the big

There’s nothing quite like the spirit of Halloween. The terrors, the candy, and of course, the costumes. The opportunity to dress up as someone you’re not—someone you’ve been itching to be—only comes around once a year. However, with so many potential costume competitors, it’s no easy task to select the perfect look. Personal interests, comfort, budget, and weather are all notable factors that come into play. Whether you’re dressing up with friends or on your own, there are h

A beloved primatologist, conservationist, and a humanitarian passed away on October 1st at the age of 91 due to natural causes. Jane Goodall left a remarkable legacy behind. Not only have Goodall’s discoveries made a lasting impact on what scientists know of primate behavior, but they’ve helped prove that humans aren’t so different from apes after all.  Dr. Goodall contemplated traveling to Africa from a very young age, even saving up money for the boat trip to Kenya from th

Have you ever wondered where our Halloween traditions came from? Or why we even have the holiday in the first place? Halloween originated as a Celtic tradition during the festival of Samhain. From October 31st to November 1st, the Celtic people celebrated their harvests and welcomed the “Dark half of the year.” During Samhain, the Celts believed the barrier between the human and spirit world was down, or unavailable to them. To make the visiting spirits happy, people sacrifi

To some it's a marketing scheme, to others a devil’s celebration, and to others a period of connection. Halloween is one of the most significant holidays of the year. To many Americans, Halloween is all about candy, costumes, and trick or treating. One can’t say they’ve lived a Halloween until they’ve walked into a bustling Walmart and seen the giant aisles overflowing with candy packs and costumes. To Americans, Halloween goes something like this: adults buy, teens gather, a

Every year, students and fans look forward to this game. Whether it’s football or basketball, it always brings out the biggest crowd of the season. But how much is it really a rivalry? Let’s take a look at the facts: in football, over the past three seasons (dating back to 2022), Hoggard has beaten Hanover each time, and often by large margins. This year, Hoggard shut out Hanover 34–0, yet the stands were still packed. Students from both sides of town came together to show o

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl , released October 3, 2025, marks an aggressive tonal pivot from her last two albums of gray-scale confessionalism in The Tortured Poets Department , and the dreamy, nocturnal solitude of Midnights . Where those albums lingered in melancholy and self-analysis, Showgirl explodes in technicolor. It’s theatrical, knowingly campy, and full of unrestrained joy. The result is a glittering, uneven, but compelling exploration of fame, femininity,

At John T. Hoggard High School, the question of when students can leave class—whether for the bathroom, water, or to visit another teacher—varies depending on who’s teaching. While every educator has their own system, one thing is clear: Balancing trust, responsibility, and classroom management is tricky. When asked about their bathroom policies, teachers offered a wide range of answers. One math teacher keeps things simple: students may go if they see the pass is available,

Everyone has a specific taste in music, whether it’s a song you always have on repeat, an artist you relate to, or a genre that you love. But have you ever thought about what your individual playlists actually say about you?  Music is more than just a song we put on our playlist. It can express relatable or inspiring topics of our generation, such as mental health, love, and life experiences. These feelings allow others to feel understood from the lyrics or the melody. Accor

As October rolls around, leaves start to fall, temperatures begin to plummet (well, at least, they’re supposed to), and Wilmington comes alive with scary thrills, tours, and festive fun all month long! Whether you’re searching for the place to score the best pumpkin for carving, a place to test your endurance for outrunning the undead, or suspenseful tours on the story-filled streets of downtown, I’ve got you covered! Join me as we explore and as we mark our calendars for the