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Our mission is to provide the platform and resources absent in our classroom to educate, inspire, and empower students to be civically engaged. The Catalyst pairs accessible journalism with a network of partnerships for students to take advantage of. Change of the youth, by the youth, for the youth. This is our story.
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World:
By June Jack
American retrenchment will not benefit either the U.S. or international population. Instead of turning towards Trump-style isolationism, the United States should recommit to and strengthen the rules-based international order.
By June Jack
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prepares an indictment against a leader for crimes against civilians in their prosecution of a war. The leader and their allies responded by threatening the ICC. You might expect this behavior from Russia. Indeed, a Kremlin spokesperson blustered about sending some missiles to The Hague over Putin’s indictment. However, this might not be expected by a dozen U.S. senators, who recently threatened to sanction the ICC based on its investigation of war crimes during the war in Gaza. Indeed, they referenced an act that preemptively authorizes the invasion of the Netherlands in order to free any American being held by the ICC. In fact, as a liberal democracy, you would expect America to be a party to the ICC, rather than sanction countries for being part of it. Yet this troubling behavior is not limited to our own democracy. Recent attempted (and successful!) assassinations of Canadian and U.S. citizens by Indian agents and the raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito by Ecuadorian military and law enforcement are part of a troubling trend of extraterritorial punishment by somewhat democratic countries ostensibly committed to international law.
By Saanvi Nagaraj
With the 2024 election results revealing that Donald J. Trump will be the next president of the United States, the economic term tariff has become increasingly relevant. Trump has emphasized that his economic plan for the next four years will involve tariffs, calling himself the “tariff man.”
By Norah Luzadder
With devastating hurricanes and record-smashing temperatures continuing to surface across the globe, it is no secret that climate change is reaching a point of grave concern. Individuals of all backgrounds experience its effects, and a wide range of politicians and celebrities endorse campaigns to reduce some of the most prominent contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet some of the most disproportionately affected by changes to our Earth continue to go relatively unregarded outside of climate conferences and other diplomatic endeavors.
By: Madeleine Burke
As Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky fly across our screen, it’s hard not to be watching the Olympics in some way this summer. However, from the extravagant opening ceremony on the Seine to the shiny medals, one can’t help but wonder how much all of this had to cost both economically and socially.
By Riya Dasgupta
2024 has been a crazy year, and we’ve only just begun. From the tens of worldwide conflicts in places like Yemen, Ethiopia, Gaza, and Myanmar, to the largest global warming threat to humanity today; little third-world problems in our lives such as Sephora havoc, consumption culture, and reliance on technology seem irrelevant. Nevertheless, the years continue to pass, and modern customs continue to evolve; yet not always for the better. Could the exaggerated use of technology and new overconsumption trends be pushing the development of society backward instead of forward?
By: Mikal Yonas
In light of the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo a little over a month ago, an escalation of deadly violence between two major militant groups has shaken the region. Clashes between militant groups and rebel groups
By: Riya Dasgupta
Global warming is one of the largest threats to humankind today. Its presence is overbearing and it stays in the back of minds over some of the most important decisions made. In seemingly complete contrast, there is Taylor Swift, a fast-climbing pop artist and music record holder, whose songs are heard around the globe. Despite being completely different worlds, the two have more correlation than you would think.
By: Riya Dasgupta
COVID-19: the globally known virus, also named the “Coronavirus disease,” that swept the world almost four years ago. Deaths were in the millions, and it was as easy to catch as the common cold. Wait; four years ago?
By: MaxiMO Bangayna
Valorant, Riot Games' tactical first-person shooter, has taken the gaming world by storm, not only for its strategic gameplay but also for the diverse and unique cast of characters known as Agents. In the world of Valorant, players aren't just picking characters; they are assembling a team of individuals with distinct abilities, backgrounds, and cultures.
U.S:
By Kate Bevins
Many Americans form opinions and beliefs manipulated by the content they see on social media. But what does this mean when the information they are receiving is biased or completely incorrect? Social media has led to an explosion of misinformation on health, breaking news and, in extreme cases, the spread of viral conspiracy theories, offensive and extremist content. Social media is playing a significant role in fueling the division that is destroying our nation. As America continues down a radical spiral of hatred and division, social media companies need to begin taking action and making changes within their sites, changing a system that rewards hatred and misinformation.
By: Sonya Malik
Girl Scout cookies are a tale as old as time in the United States and are considered a classic seasonal dessert when they are being sold since 1912 when founded in Savannah Georgia by Julliete Gordon Low. But some cookies are leaving the menu this year.
By: Sonya Malik
No one would’ve guessed that 2025 would’ve started with apocalyptic fires raging throughout southern California in LA. We all know about how wildfires are common throughout the state but wouldn’t have expected them to run through one of the biggest cities in the United States which is home to many celebrities. These fires have been catastrophic to the LA community and have made national headlines.
Skye Warner
A president’s first official task, apart from accepting the victory, is nominating his cabinet members. It’s the nation’s first look at who the president thinks is qualified and who the president wants to greenlight their policies. It’s also a look at what a president values. Is their cabinet all-male? All-white? What’s their background? Are they loyalists, or will they be able to tell the president no? Finally, the people that the president chooses will display his own values. Are they choosing a war hawk or dove for the Secretary of Defense? Are they choosing a treehugger or Shell’s CEO for the Secretary of Energy? Is their UN Ambassador isolationist or multilateralist? All of these people will play an important role in carrying out the president’s policies, and it’s a look into what the president is likely to do down the road.
By: Sonya Malik
Typically when we think of oil we think of money, resources, cars, and the climate. Something behind the production of oil is the oil rig. An oil rig is used to extract oil and gas from beneath the earth’s surface. Oil rigs are typically in bodies of water far from coasts of lands. As people want to move towards a more sustainable future the oil rig industry is not as favorable. As a society we don’t necessarily want to eradicate all oil rigs, but find more positive things to see in them. But there may be more behind the scenes of these steel structures in the middle of our oceans than meets the eye.
By: Frances Xing
In 2022, MIT announced that they were bringing back the standardized testing requirement in their college admissions. As of 2024, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, UT Austin, and more have also joined, turning against the growing number of test-optional schools.
Social Justice:
By Ava Wine
In a world where most teens are online, the amount of in person connection is also affected. Even small technological usages like online shopping can create negative effects on mental health. Not only is online shopping damaging to mental health, it is also economically damaging, socially damaging and can lead to addictive tendencies in teenagers. According to Addiction Center, “With 85 percent of Americans owning a smartphone, it has become even more favorable and convenient for people to shop online.” Cell phone usage has not only become an issue in our society and at school, but it is also becoming normalized to have large amounts of screen time usage on sites like Amazon or fast fashion brands.
By: Kate Bevins
Famous for her family vlogging channel “8 Passengers” which amassed over 2.3 million followers, Ruby Franke shocked the internet when she pleaded guilty to 4 counts of child abuse. The popularity of this case exploded, largely due to their strong internet presence, and the recently released docuseries. This case has opened a pandoras box, forcing the public, and lawmakers, to consider the tremendous impacts of family vlogging on the children. Stricter laws must be implemented, protecting the children involved in family vlogging channels.
by Riya Dasgupta
Let us face it: procrastination is the dark cloud that hangs over the lives of students everywhere. It whispers sweet promises of “plenty of time later” while quietly tightening the noose of stress and missed deadlines. For students around the world, this habit is both a source of humor and a serious obstacle to academic success. Procrastination takes a serious toll on schoolwork, creeping into every corner of a student's life, fueled by a mix of habits, distractions, and the pressure to perform.
By Kavya Tulsiani
Since the abolition of slavery, the southern U.S. states have enacted Jim Crow laws to discriminate against people of color. These included strict voting laws designed to silence people of color, especially black people. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, these tactics became illegal, yet conservative politicians still found other ways to get around them. Until the 2013 Supreme Court case, Shelby County v. Holder, overturned the Voting Rights Act of 1965, people of color were given the right to vote without restrictions. After Shelby, southern states and many other Republican states enacted strict voting laws to deter people of color from voting, which continues today. The historical impact of discrimination on who gets to vote raises an important question: should there be national voting standards?
By: Riya Dasgupta
“Sometime, somewhere, someone will generate a cloned human being.” — Ronald Green for Scientific American, 1999
Human cloning is the process of creating a genetically identical copy of a person. While the technology to clone animals has been around for decades, the possibility of cloning humans has only recently become a realistic possibility. As a result, the topic of human cloning has generated a great deal of controversy and debate, with valid arguments on both sides.
By: Kate Bevins
Tensions are rising between the science community and animal lovers, and it's all because of one subject. Animal testing. It's a disputed concept that has been pushing both scientific and moral boundaries for years. Experiments on rats, rabbits, and in rarer cases monkeys and dogs have led to scientific discoveries in medicine that continue to save lives. Originally, animal testing never raised any concern about morality. However, animal rights organizations, and activists have begun speaking out for those without a voice - animals.
By: Gowri Gopakumar
What if a single cell can change the entirety of humankind’s interaction with medicine? That’s the power a stem cell holds. According to MayoClinic, “Stem cells are the body's raw materials — cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated”.
Language is a powerful tool. It’s what sets human beings apart from our animal counterparts. However, parts of our language are still fundamentally flawed: it also sets human beings apart from each other. The English language, in particular, exhibits built-in sexism. In recognizing and addressing these linguistic biases, we can contribute to a more inclusive language that reflects the diversities of the human experience.
Sports at Hudson High School have always been an important part of extracurricular activities for students. The football team ended with a winning record of 9-3. The boy's basketball team boasts an impressive 3-1 start to their season –the first time they have had a winning record through their first four games since their 2018 season, where they went 15-9 throughout the season. The girl's basketball team has also seen impressive results, forcing two games into overtime in their first seven games, with one ending in a win and one loss. While these teams end up in the headlines of many articles and stories, there is one person always present and cheering on the team. His name is Thor –the school mascot– and he serves as the icon for the school.
This last month was recorded as the hottest January ever, according to the European Union Climate Monitor.
