Photo from CNN    By Allison Ortega Benites '26 Nowadays, social media has become a huge influence in our world. Each year, new trends, memes, styles, and throwbacks capture users’ attention. Children today are more exposed to social media than ever before, raising concerns about bullying, distractions, and potential dangers. One of the main reasons children … Continue reading Social media has a concerning impact on kids

Photo by Pari Dukovic for The New York Times By Shirley Diglio-Guerrette Upon the newly elected New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, coming into office, Derby High School staff were asked a series of questions about whether they believe he brings hope to people and if he is a turning point for citizens in the U.S. … Continue reading Mamdani, newley elected mayor of NYC, brings hope to the people

Image from CDC.org: Obesity rates for adults in America in 2024 show a totally normalized public health emergency  Lazarae Delvalle '26 Obesity in the United States keeps rising, but the more common it becomes, the less people seem to react to it. According to a 2025 report from the Trust for America’s Health, about four … Continue reading America’s rising obesity rates show a growing but dangerously normalized problem

Taken by Za'niyah Russell: Box of pregnancy tests  Not having kids is often called “selfish,” but that’s an unfair label. Choosing not to become a parent can be a responsible and thoughtful decision, and people deserve the space to decide what their own future should look like.  Many people assume everyone should eventually become a … Continue reading Honesty over expectations: Choosing not to have kids isn’t selfish

Photo by Adriana Duarte '27: The front entrance of Riverdale diner. By: Adriana Duarte '27 The Riverdale Diner in Shelton, Connecticut opened for the first time in 1991 by a man named Chris Bargas. Chris Bargas originally bought the land to build the restaurant in 1987. The Riverdale Diner, located at 521 River Road, Shelton, … Continue reading Riverdale Diner provides years worth of amazing service

Photo from: The Economist: How to cancel “cancel culture” By: Skylah Clarke Cancel culture has been around for a while, but mostly skyrocketed into prominence with the rise of social media. It’s supposed to be used as a form of public accountability for what people on social media deem as bad behavior. However, it just … Continue reading  Cancel Culture doesn’t create justice, it creates fear

Photo taken by Mianna Burke ‘28 : Showing Veer Patel ‘29 Aileen Valencia ‘28, Shirley Diglio-Guerrette ‘27 and Kerwney Jerome ‘26 wearing their uniforms  By Mianna Burke '28 In December 2024, Derby's Board of Education voted to require uniforms for the upcoming school year, the uniforms being a collared top or crewneck with the Derby … Continue reading Derby High School students debate the new uniform policy

Photo by Brianna Fernandez ‘28: “I Voted Today” sticker By Brianna Fernandez The idea of lowering the voting age to 16 has been talked about for many years, but it has never been put into action. The main reason is that 16-year-olds are still developing, and at that age, they do not know much about … Continue reading Information supports the ongoing arguments against voting at 16

Picture by: Vanessa Solis/Getty Images By Ava Umpierre '27 As slang from TikTok and Twitch spreads rapidly through middle and high schools, teachers say they are increasingly confronted with a choice: adopt “brain-rot” vocabulary to build rapport with students, or hold the line on traditional classroom language. The surge of terms such as “rizz,” “gyat,” … Continue reading The brain-rottification of middle/high school students and teachers: How has it impacted the classroom?