It seems hard to believe that it was only three months ago that school shut down, but in that short time a whole 100 City Voice articles have been published! This article marks 200 posts on The City Voice website, and none of that would have been possible without such amazing support from you, the students at City High Middle. We have been amazed at how many people have been willing to write articles for the newspaper during this time of crisis, and we are grateful for their knowledge and insight. Even if you have not written something, your readership means a lot to us.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading The City Voice, and that you continue to do so when we return next year! In the meantime, consider taking a look back at the hundred articles we have published during this difficult time. Some of them are about the health crisis, but others are about the moments of wonder, discovery, and even happiness that continue to take place even when so much is falling apart. If you have not had a chance to read them yet, we hope you will this summer.
Articles from the Shutdown
The Dark Side of Social Media
Every like: tracked. Every post: saved. Every view: recorded. Deny it all you want, you likely do not understand how social media works. Once intended simply for reconnecting with friends, […]
The Gyms are Open! Good Right?
Wednesday, September 9: The gyms re-opened. After a nearly six month long hiatus, the ban was finally lifted, and things could finally start to return to normal… with a few […]
The World of Rock and Roll
Hello there, my name is Sparsh Aiyar, and I’m excited to welcome you to the wonderful world of this music column! Here we talk about anything music, whether it be […]
The Trials: Prologue
From Apprentice They came when dark had fallen. Stealthy as shadows; they were upon us before we knew it. It was two against three, and we could’ve easily won if […]
Military Starts Testing AR Goggles for Dogs
Augmented reality goggles have been around for a while now and have been used for many different purposes. Recently the United States Military has been looking into AR goggles for […]
Google Meet is Getting Breakout Rooms
One of the most used video conferencing services, Google Meet, is getting breakout rooms. This is sure to be very exciting news for teachers who prefer Google Meet, but have […]
NYC Schools Close Again After 4 Days of Hybrid
On Sunday October 4th, New York City officials announced that they would be reversing reopening measures and resuming tighter restrictions in 20 of the city’s neighborhoods. The reversal came just […]
iOS 14 Pros and Cons
On September 19, 2020, Apple released iOS 14, a new software update for iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Apple Watches. While many users were excited about the new features, such as […]
Introducing The Trials; An Original Novel
The Trials have been a part of New Australia’s life since the 26 towns ~ named alphabetically ~ were made. Each half year -six months- two randomly chosen towns offer […]
Truly Devious Review
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson is the perfect mystery to kick off your fall! The story takes place at Ellingham Academy, a private school for gifted students to explore their […]
New Robot Butler Takes Inspiration From Bats
If you’re anything like me, then you probably love all things sci-fi and, more specifically, robots. I have been in love with robots ever since I was kid. Robots were […]
Meet Bear 747: Champion of Fat Bear Week
Perhaps the bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska have somehow sensed that 2020 is a stressful year to be hibernating through, or so their legendary weight gain over the […]
Meet the Writers
A lot of people contribute to the constantly evolving project that is The City Voice and this week we thought it was about time for you to meet them. Here […]
Spy School Review
This book is directed to middle schoolers but it is a fun book that anyone could read and enjoy. While it is an action-packed book with a deep plot full […]
PSA: The Next Commitment Form Will Be Final
Last week GRPS sent out a survey asking all GRPS students and their families to choose between a hybrid in-person or virtual schooling for the second marking period. Using the […]
Take a Break From 2020 During Fat Bear Week, A Completely Real Holiday
At this point it seems fair to say that, as years go, 2020 is pretty depressing. So depressing, in fact, that at times curling up with a good book and […]
Live Crossword
1. An irritable and complaining person 2. A deep-seated ill will 3. Good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks 4. To talk over or dispute the terms of a purchase […]
Anti-Apple Monopoly Hearing Goes Surprisingly Badly for Epic Games
With six weeks of school having already flown by, everyone has gotten a bit more experience with Zoom classes than we might have wished for. By now you have probably […]
City Voice Merchandise is Back
At the end of last year The City Voice launched a merchandise page, but unfortunately we were not able to advertise it widely because it was the end of the […]
New Allegations Spark Protests of Disney’s Live Action Mulan
Have you watched the new Disney live action remake of Mulan yet? Originally set to premier on March 27, the movie was recently released on September 4th, 2020. Amid the […]
A Brief History of Animation
The separation between fantasy and reality has been clear throughout history, but even when creating unimaginable worlds, from the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter to the Death Star in Star […]
Hamilton: Live vs. Disney+
Ever since Hamilton came out on Disney plus it’s been getting a lot of positive feedback but I was lucky enough to see it in person before the virus hit, […]
Inception Review
“You never remember the beginning of your dreams, do you? You just turn up in the middle of what’s going on.” Dom Cobb said this while he was putting together […]
Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra Review
Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are two of my favourite shows. I don’t know about you but they are perfect shows to watch when you’re bored, need a […]
Editorial: Are Movie Theaters Dying?
Entertainment has no boundaries. Every so often, new entertainment replaces the old, and the old becomes the obsolete. So what about movie theaters?
The First Dune Trailer is Finally Here
In 1965 Frank Herbert published Dune, a massive sci-fi tome based on the simple idea that deserts are scary and that deadliness increases with size. A desert the size of […]
The Role of Music in Movies
Film music: from magical soundtracks that accompany your favorite major motion pictures, to popular songs played on the radio countless times, to original songs made especially for movies where cinema goes […]
Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Trailer Responds to a Dark World with Hope
When CBS announced their intention so start developing new Star Trek shows back in 2017, they took the franchise where no Federation crew had gone before: pessimism. Rather than zipping […]
The Vast of Night is an Unsettling Portrait of an Imagined Moment
From its very first moments The Vast of Night makes clear its intention to live in the moment. Set in 1950s New Mexico, every shot of the movie is absolutely […]
Studio Ghibli Releases More Than 400 Stills Free
This week Japanese film company Studio Ghibli released more than 400 still frames from their beautiful animated films for free and unrestricted public use. This is the first time that […]
What to Expect From the Mandalorian Season 2
About a year ago, Disney rocked the media world with the hit show The Mandalorian. Set in the Star Wars universe, the show follows the story of bounty hunter Dyn […]
Astronomers May Have Detected Alien Life on Venus
In two papers published on Monday, a team of astronomers announced that they had detected significant levels of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus. While certainties are rare in […]
GR Ford International Airport First in US to Introduce UV Disinfecting Robot
As technology advances at a blistering pace, new products, ideas, and innovations seem to happen on the regular these days. From self-driving cars to surgery on a grape, technology, and, […]
Donate to the City PTSA To Support Teachers and Students
The challenges that students and teachers everywhere now face due to COVID-19 are daunting, but the City PTSA is committed to supporting everyone at City High Middle. However, the crisis […]
All About the Youth Grant Comittee
So, you heard about this Non-profit organization called the Youth Grant Committee, and you’re curious to see what it is. That’s where I come in! Hi, my name is Sparsh […]
These Anti-Procrastination AI Glasses Promise to Save You 5-6 Hours Each Day
Students are having to spend much more time online and doing school work by themselves. While being able to make many decisions independently, when it comes to school work, this […]
Project Total Confidence in Your Zoom Classes from Within This Giant Scorpion
We all know the feeling: your teacher sends you into a breakout room and you have no idea what to say. You fear that you have the camera on your […]
All the Crazy Details from the EPIC vs. Apple Fight
The stunning details of internal emails recently released in court, the fact that EPIC seems to be pinning their dreams on an outdated law from the 1890s, and rising threats to the independence of social media.
Kindle Collects More Information Than You Think
In this day and age, cybersecurity is super important. Protecting your information while online is crucial to keeping yourself safe from hackers and online predators. Recently, a lot of people […]
New Font Available Now (Free Speech Sold Separately)
Have you ever clicked “Agree” on a terms and conditions statement without reading it? If you are like 91% of Americans the answer is almost certainly yes, and it is […]
Share Your Favorite Quotes For the Daily Quote
There is nothing on the internet more boring than a loading screen. Such a vapid facsimile of content is by its very nature dull, empty of all meaning. Nevertheless, loading […]
A Darker Shade of Magic Review
This week I bring you A Darker Shade Of Magic by Victoria Schwab. In Schwab’s universe, there are four Londons: Red London, White London, Grey London, and Black London. Each […]
Video Game Recipe Appears in Serious Literary Novel
If high school English teachers are to be believed the worst thing one can do in formal writing is use a contraction, but the second worst thing one can do […]
This New Flight Simulator Is Awfully Realistic
In 1328 Italian poet Dante Alighieri began writing his seminal work, Inferno, wherein he guided readers on a trip through hell. Why exactly anyone would want to write a book […]
Zoom vs. Google Meet: Teachers Vote
To shed a little light on the reasons Zoom and Google Meet are so evenly matched, we spent the past few days surveying teachers to find out what platform they use and why.
App Store Battle Royale: Tech Giants Fight Over Fortnite
Thanks to the City PTSA I recently had the opportunity to work on a mobile app for The City Voice. That app was officially launched last week, but it might […]
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review
Welcome back to school! I know this year school is a bit different than normal so I thought now would be a good time to return to something tried and […]
Write Fiction With The City Voice
We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel – or have done and thought and felt; or might […]
Play the Weekly Crossword Right Here
This year the Word of the Week column will be adding something new, an interactive weekly crossword! Each week’s crossword will be available online and you can play it from […]
Join the School Wide Google Classroom
To help the whole school stay informed during distance learning, City High Middle is providing a school wide Google Classroom where important information will be shared. It is important to […]
Meet the Whale Plane
Sometimes when the going gets tough, engineers and designers everywhere have to think outside of the box, or, in some cases, the cylinder. Enter the Celera 500l, aerial startup Otto […]
The City Voice is Yours To Write
This is a crazy world we live in, and with everything that’s happened the news can often seem so remote. Never forget that The City Voice is a student newspaper. It belongs to the whole school community and it is yours to create. The news does not have to be something you watch from the sidelines…
E.G.L.E. Drone Destroyed by Actual Eagle Over Lake Michigan
Department of Great Lakes and Energy employee Hunter King was busy piloting a mapping drone high above Lake Michigan, his fourth flight of the day. When the drone’s cell signal faltered King decided to cut the flight short rather than risk a crash. The drone’s demise, however, would not come from a signal error…
Watch the Official New Families Video
Over the summer middle school counselor Mrs. Coulson worked with the student ambassadors to film and produce a fun video welcoming new and returning families to City. The project includes […]
Download Our New App
Mobile browsing can be difficult and there is no better way to access new content from your phone than with native software. That’s why our programmers spent the summer working […]
How To (Legally) Download Your English Books Online For Free
This story was originally posted in August 2019 but has been updated to more directly address COVID-19. Summer is over, the school year is here, and the annual pilgrimage to […]
Questions? Connect With Other Students On Forums
Distance learning brings with it many challenges, not least among them the isolation of struggling through classes alone. In distance learning there is no lunch room, no chat space, and […]
Read the Official CHMS Back to School Plan Right Here
Congratulations! If you are reading this then you have already survived the first week of school at City High Middle, an accomplishment made even harder by the strange new world […]
Distance Learning To Continue Through MP1 2020
At a press conference this afternoon, Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby announced that GRPS plans to join some other Michigan districts in suspending in-person school for the start of the school […]
An Interview With Mr. Fillenworth, Teacher of the Year
Last week it was announced that 7th and 10th grade teacher Mr. Fillenworth won the Teacher of the Year Award for this year. We decided to take a moment to talk with him about his experiences at City and see how he is adapting to social distancing and online learning.
200th Article
It seems hard to believe that it was only three months ago that school shut down, but in that short time a whole 100 City Voice articles have been published! […]
Goodbye, See You Next Year
It is hard to believe that the 2019-2020 school year is already coming to an end. It has been a long year, and a very eventful one. Nobody could have […]
Book of the Week: Strange the Dreamer
To finish off this school year’s book reviews, I decided to discuss Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. The novel follows the story of Lazlo Strange and Sarai, who are […]
A Look Back at This Year’s Featured Articles
As many of you probably know, for each issue of The City Voice our editors choose a featured article, a story that for whatever reason just seems to stand out […]
Do You Know These Words? Part III
This is the third part of a series designed to bring some lost words to light. Farctate: From the Latin farcire, meaning to fill or stuff, farctate is a botanical term […]
Thank You to All of Our International Visitors
While The City Voice is the school newspaper for City High Middle, our website is technically available to anyone with a search engine. From website statistics we know that while […]
The Inside Explanation of CHMS Part IX
Math Teacher Mr. Brown ~ Algebra and Geometry Q. What grades do you teach (or have taught)? A. 7, 8, and 9 Q. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being […]
The 100 Year Story of the Last Farm in Grand Rapids
As I arrived at the Kids’ Food Basket farm to volunteer I was reminded of a scene from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, and later movie, The Martian. That might sound […]
Book of the Week: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
This week I thought it was time to switch up genres and write about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas Adams! Though it was released in 1979, […]
Announcing City Voice Merchandise
As the end of the year rapidly approaches, we are happy to announce one last big update to The City Voice for this school year: the addition of a merchandise […]
JK Rowling is Publishing a New Online Book Called The Ickabog
JK Rowling, most known for writing the Harry Potter series, is back with a new book! It is called The Ickabog and is about truth and the abuse of power. […]
The Case For and Against Robot Sheepdogs
Robotics startup Boston Dynamics appears to have taken the current crisis as an invitation to insert robots into every industry they can find. A few weeks ago we reported on […]
Please Do Not Buy the $350 5GBioShield Scam
A few weeks ago we reported on the conspiracy theory that 5G wireless signals cause coronavirus, a theory which seemed to cause a pandemic of cell tower arson. Now that […]
Do You Know These Words? Part II
This is the second part of a series designed to bring some lost words to light. Cavil ~ to jeer/scoff (ka-vl) Sylvan ~ Forest, woods (SIL-vn) Vulpine ~ Crafty, cunning Factotum […]
This Day in History: 5/28/20
On this day in 1936 Alan Turing published his famous paper On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem. Today Turing is widely considered the father of modern computers […]
Virtual Tour of Grand Rapids Art: Part VII
The next stop of our virtual tour on the Rad Women Walking Tour brings us to a painting of Dolores Huerta. It was painted by Anna VanderLoon and is located […]
The Inside Explanation of CHMS Part VIII
Language Teachers Mrs. Alexander ~ English (And Chemistry) Q. “How many years have you taught at City?” A. “This is my 3rd year.” Q. “What grades have you taught?” A. […]
Vote for Teacher of the Year, Again
With all that has happened recently it can often seem like it has been more than a year since the last Teacher of the Year vote, but believe it or […]
Edenville Dam Failure Threatens Michigan Towns
For more than 96 years the Edenville dam has turned the Tittabawassee River into a peaceful lake, but at 6:00 PM on Tuesday the dam officially failed. Edenville County officials […]
Do You Know These Words? Part I
The English language has one of the biggest vocabularies of any language in the world, and with all those words some of the more obscure turn of phrase tend to […]
Global Carbon Emissions Have Dropped by 17% During COVID-19 Shutdowns
It has been nearly nine weeks since Michigan schools shut down, and many other countries around the world shut down well before that. Since the beginning of quarantine, scientists have […]
Virtual Tour of Grand Rapids Art: Part VI
This week on our virtual walk through the Rad Women Walking Tour, we’re taking a look at the painting of actor and comedian, Carol Burnett. It was painted by Kerry […]
US Space Force Launches Secret Space Plane
Ever since NASA officially decommissioned the space shuttle in 2011, Earth’s skies have been relatively free of space planes. Except for, of course, the secret one. Since 2004 the US […]
Book of the Week: The Cruel Prince
This week I bring you The Cruel Prince by Holly Black for your next quarantine read! It is a story about three sisters who were taken to the land of […]
What is the Future of the Moon?
In 1969, people all over the world watched as Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon. The historic landing came only eight years after US President […]
Umbrella Academy Season 2 Release Date Announced
Last year, Netflix’s innovative superhero drama The Umbrella Academy dominated the internet for a few weeks after its February premiere. The City Voice even wrote a review of it at […]
This Day in History: 5/21/2020
On this day, May 21st, in 1919, the US House of Representatives passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. It was the second time the House had […]
The Inside Explanation of CHMS Part VII
12th Grade Nina Lu Q. How many years have you been at City? A. Six Q. Do you like the people (staff and students) at City? A. Yes, the open […]
Google Wants to Know Your Gender. Here’s Why.
A big part of journalism is identifying questions that we encounter in everyday life and attempting to answer them, and this article is exactly that. As part of what I […]
Enter an Otherworldly New York in N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became
“Coldness would be reprehensible, horrifying. Compassion is worse, because it cannot be dismissed as evil.” – N.K. Jemisin, The City We Became A lot of stories end with a bang, […]
Virtual Tour of Grand Rapids Art: Part V
Last week we took a look at the start of the Rad Women walking tour in downtown Grand Rapids. To continue in this theme, this week’s art tour is featuring […]
What is a Murder Hornet?
2020 is beginning to seem a bit cursed. Our recent headlines have been a bit doom and gloom, first a global pandemic, then increasing quarantines and shutdowns, then desperate koalas, […]
Tom Cruise is Going to Space
With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force, many likely want things to just go back to normal. Nevertheless, despite a widespread public exhaustion with record setting, NASA and Hollywood […]
Turns Out Koalas Lick Trees
With all the worries of our personal COVID-19 quarantine, it can be easy to forget how the pandemic is affecting the wider world. Last week we talked about the Forgotten […]
Copy and Paste the World with Augmented Reality
If you have to spend a lot of time doing repetitive tasks, at one point or another you have probably imagined how nice it would be to copy and paste […]
This Day in History: Rebellion, Democracy, and Kidnapping
On May 14th 1264, a usurper took control of England. At the Battle of Lewes an alliance of rebel barons led by Simon de Montfort confronted the forces of King […]
Writer of many interests entering my third year at The City Voice. If you have a question about any of my articles, or a topic you want me to write about, please feel free to leave a comment or email me at the.scrivener.chms@gmail.com.
