Freshman Nicholas Mercer thinks about the day he was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Basal Cell Nevus Carcinoma syndrome also known as Gorlin’s syndrome. This cancer causes facial swelling and can even result in tooth displacement along with jaw problems. Not wanting any special treatment from his peers, Mercer isn’t upfront with his disease unless the topic is brought... 

Destiny Baise woke up in the morning ready to tell the world who she was without saying a word. Clothing is an outlet of expression that she uses to portray her personality everyday. “Fashion is your personality. How you dress is how you act,” Baise said. “I dress weird, and I like to put random stuff together because I’m a weird and random person.” According to Baise,... 

Dallas Reid endures the repetitive whistle of the Andy Griffith theme song, petting Leon and Roxie, his young Boxer pups. The aging parakeet , Annie, has forgotten all but the first bar of the tune, which it learned at its previous home. With five dogs, a betta fish (whose name changes at least twice a week) and Annie, the Reids’ place is home to seven animals - each rescued... 

Jackie Kuenstler and David Williams get the party started. The music plays. The guests show up. The drinks have been poured (soda, that is), but without them, everything comes to a halt. When kids show up for their party at Pump it Up, Jackie is responsible for hosting and organization, and David works in the bounce house area. Jackie prefers hosting parties instead of the... 

Tannyr Venable looks across the room, hearing the sound of a horn – his favorite toy.  He then looks at the young girl holding the horn. The baby smiles, suddenly getting excited to see his mother. Katryna Venable smiles back, appreciating her son’s love for her. “I was scared about what people would think, and I thought life was over,” Venable said. On a slight... 

A year ago a battle started brewing. A battle of teachers. A battle of revenge. A battle of 27 pranks. It started after a ceiling tile went missing from Stephanie Shackelford’s room and she found hole punches scattered about her desk scattered by John Davis. “She started it,” Davis said. “I’m an innocent bystander. Anything she said allegedly happened last [school]... 

This is his sixth year of high school, and he’s decided to make a change. Oscar Enriquez already had four absence fails after his freshman year, but after a series of trials, he learned life needs an education. “I felt like I couldn’t stay at school because people thought I was no good,” Enriquez said. “They thought I should just drop out, but I was too young, I didn’t... 

[From The Rider print editon] Sarah Smith* fell asleep clutching her white teddy bear. With her phone a couple inches from her head, she never thought any one would find the secret inside. It was just a picture. An innocent photo taken a few minutes after arriving home from her double date. But the next morning proved her actions were less than harmless. On March 28, 2009 Sarah... 

Master Sergeant James Law stands in the JROTC office looking at a picture of his son, who’s currently in Iraq. He admires the image with love, recollection and honor, recalling that his son, Casey, follows in his footsteps. Casey Law enlisted in the Army National Guard in December 2003 at the age of 17. He joined while his father was mobilized at Fort Benning, Georgia awaiting... 

Sergeant Major Eric Smith stops by the gate where a small boy, about the age of nine, stands waiting. He waits by the gate everyday, knowing SGM Smith might pass by. He waits by the gate, unaware of the impact he’s made on the soldier’s life. After being deployed to Iraq, SGM Smith found inspiration in a small Iraqi child. He knew the little boy’s situation, but he could...