Work by High School Campers

Stories From Our School Workshops

Inflation: Is It Hitting Communities Of Color The Hardest?

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Inflation, or a surge in the prices of consumer goods and services over a period of time, has detrimentally and disproportionately affected low-income communities, as they already struggle to financially sustain their lives, financial experts say. Basic human needs like groceries and housing are now more expensive, and the overall cost of living has increased. Neel Kashkari, a former Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability, describes the cause of inflation to be “a mismatch between supply and demand.” Supply is being withheld due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chains while demand is on the rise. Communities of color are likely to be hit the hardest by inflation, as they already lag behind in income compared to their white counterparts, numerous studies show. The pre-existing wealth gap between black Americans and their white counterparts has made people of color more vulnerable to the implications of inflation.

Toomey Aspires To Be An Actor – Or Maybe A Journalist

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Coleman Toomey, 17, of Tolland, is passionate about theater and art but understands that it is a very competitive industry. So, Toomey is attending C-HIT’s journalism program not only because they are interested in the storytelling aspect, but also to see if this is something they can see themselves studying in college. As of now, musical theater is what Toomey, who uses they/them pronouns, is most interested in, though artistically Toomey sometimes feels like they are pulled in a lot of different directions because of how many different things they enjoy. Toomey, who lives with their mother and sister, aspires to be proficient in various areas of English due to the competitive nature of the theater industry. “I don’t want to be a waiter for the rest of my life,” Toomey says.

Strong Reaction To Overturning Roe v. Wade

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The U.S Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing states to come up with their own laws has created a firestorm of opinions. In interviews with Connecticut teens and young adults, attitudes vary greatly on what happened and what needs to be done. Queen, a 20-year-old who goes to the University of Connecticut, believes in personal choice. “I think women should have the right to have abortions cause it’s our body,’’ she said. “Who’s the government to tell me what to do with my body?

Video: Farmers Market A Good Fit For South Haven Farm

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CitySeed’s Downtown Farmers Market reopened on the New Haven Green this summer after a closure during the pandemic, with vendors’ booths lined up near City Hall featuring  fresh vegetables, fruits, and handmade soaps. This video was produced by Allyson Anderson, a student at Achievement First High School in Hartford, and Ava Dell’Orfano, a student at Coginchaug High School in Durham.

College Athlete Academic Progress Rates May Not Be “Fair Or Accurate,” Sports Journalist Says

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Almost all of the public universities in Virginia have at least one sport with a perfect academic progress rate among its athletes, but that may not be as impressive as it sounds. The NCAA says schools are required to report how well athletes with scholarships perform in classrooms using “a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete.” But those scores may not be “a fair or accurate picture of [students’] academic progress,” Dom Amore, a sports journalist for the Hartford Courant, said. Amore, a columnist and reporter who covers the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team, said that to satisfy the NCAA, a university just needs to make sure its athletes don’t fail required classes and don’t transfer or drop out in the middle of a semester. “It’s not hard to achieve a [score of] 1,000,” Amore said. “You just have to make sure the kids go to class.”

Amore said that some schools are likely at a disadvantage for APR scores.

State Police Take Another Look At Cold Case Murders Of Patel Family

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The violent murders of Champaben and Anita Patel, a mother and daughter from Windsor, have been a mystery since they happened on March 21,1996. But cold case detectives from the Connecticut State Police, with the help of the Windsor Police Department, are taking another look at the evidence now, Brian Foley, the executive aide to James Rovella, who heads the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said. “Investigators from the State of Connecticut Cold Case unit had begun to give this case some additional attention pre-pandemic,” Foley said. “Now that things have settled [down], the case and its evidence are again being reevaluated…The reevaluation particularly relates to the exploration of possible resubmission of evidence as DNA science has evolved a great deal.”

The Patels’ homicide is one of the cold cases listed on the Connecticut State Police’s Cold Case website. Anita Patel, 32, was stabbed 14 times in her kitchen, and her body was burned due to gasoline being poured around her while Champaben Patel, 54, was strangled and her body was burned in her bedroom, according to the website.

Branson and Bezos Rides In Space: A New Era Of Innovation? Scientists Differ

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Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos may be starting a new era of innovation. Now that these two billionaires have successfully gone to space, many people, politicians included, took to social media to ask why they’re not spending the money to help poor and struggling people on our planet. “It’s time to invest in working people here on Earth,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted. But there are scientists, like Dr. Alison Farrish, who are worried that the public’s views on the recent space journeys of billionaires will affect future opinions and budgets on space research. “My hope is that the public still sees value in scientific pursuits and the responsible exploration and study of space,” said Farrish, a native of Tolland, Connecticut who is a postdoctoral researcher in space physics at Rice University in Houston.

A Flip Of A Coin, Now He’s Editor Of His High School Newspaper

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Caleb Ogilvie entered journalism by a coin flip — heads for yearbook and tails for journalism – because he was unable to make a clear decision between the two. Since joining journalism class in high school, his passion for the profession has grown and he is now editor of his school newspaper. He has expressed his joy in interviewing people and being able to write stories on particular individuals. “I enjoy seeing people’s eyes light up when they are talking about their passions,” Ogilvie said. Although he is still looking at colleges, Ogilvie does plan to continue to major in and pursue a career in journalism.

Video: Farmers Market Features A Variety Of Vendors

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CitySeed’s Downtown Farmers Market reopened on the New Haven Green this summer after a closure during the pandemic, with vendors’ booths lined up near City Hall featuring  fresh vegetables, fruits, and handmade soaps. This video was produced by Shimei Ricks-Cook, a student at Bloomfield High School, and Tori Matula, a student at Foran High School in Milford.

Meet The Next TV Commentator – Shimei Ricks-Cook

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Introducing your favorite talk show host… Shimei Ricks-Cook. Ricks-Cook, 17, a senior at Bloomfield High School, dreams of being a talk show host or a commentator on ESPN. Ricks-Cook and his friend Kobie Washington created their own sports podcast at their school called Shimei and Kobie Unfiltered. They discuss professional sports leagues such as MLB, NBA and the NFL, Cook is the executive producer, creator and editor for the podcast.