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 as the best that week. The choice is often difficult as there are so many good articles to choose between, but the featured articles of The City Voice are some of the best we have to offer. We feature stories that inspire us, that get right to the heart of the times, or even uncover something new. With the school year coming to a close we wanted to take a look back at the pieces we featured this year and what made each of them so special.

The 100 Year Story of the Last Farm in Grand Rapids

In last week’s feature we followed the century long story of a farm that has resisted urban sprawl to continue to serve the Grand Rapids community under the guidance of a non-profit. We even got the chance to interview Madison Herbart, whose grandfather owned the farm in the 1940s.

Edenville Dam Failure Threatens Michigan Towns

In this story we covered current events that were close to home, reporting on a dramatic dam failure in Edenville. It was a dark day but a fascinating article.

Google Wants to Know Your Gender. Here’s Why.

This piece of investigative journalism was one of the most hands-on published this year. One of our writers combined secondary research and an experiment they conducted to analyze how gender algorithms influence Google search results, and much more. Read the story to find out how you might be discriminated against online because of your gender without even knowing it.

Editorial: COVID-19, the Environment, and Earth Week 2020

For Earth Week we were lucky to have a guest editorial from E-Club, co-president Ella Postuma. In her enjoyable and informative piece she described how COVID-19 has exposed many new environmental issues and provided ideas for ways that anyone can help the environment.

What is Contact Tracing?

With the COVID-19 pandemic reaching new heights, talk of “contact tracing” was sweeping news outlets worldwide. Our writers conducted an investigation of the science and ethics of contact tracing in order to help readers understand how this new form of digital surveillance might affect their life.

The Snake Named Slytherin

On a more whimsical note, one of our reporters wrote about how a team of scientists in India discovered a new species of snake, and named it with a special connection to Harry Potter. The story was a perfect fit for a time for when many people were badly in need of a more cheerful story.

All About Manga

Sparsh Aiyar pitched this article to us, and his writing was phenomenal. Sparsh shared a treasure trove of information about Manga, a popular genre that often goes unnoticed. Read it to find out more about this overlooked category of fiction.

Graphic Novel: How to Raise the Dead

This featured article was especially impressive. Tenth grader Ella Moxon wrote and drew an original graphic novel for her Personal Project, titled How to Raise the Dead. The entire novel is available online and you can read it from right within the article.

Is there a simple way to become more positive?

Tenth grader Kennedy Mikel also contributed her Personal Project to the newspaper as a featured article. Kennedy planned and carried out an original study to find ways for students to take a more positive outlook on life and live happier lives as a result. She shared her results in this article so all City students can benefit from her research.

7 Ways to Keep You and Others Safe

Back at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, student Eleanor Martin wrote in to share her insights into how you can keep yourself, and others, safe during a global pandemic. Even though shutdowns have now been in place for nearly twelve weeks Eleanor’s advice is still  valuable.

The City Voice Will Continue

This was the article where we announced that The City Voice would continue despite school shutdowns. We are glad we did, the outpouring of support and readership during this difficult time has been incredible to see.

100th Article

With this feature we celebrated our 100th article here at the City Voice. It was a major milestone and we hope we will be able to celebrate many more milestones in years to come.

This Day in History: 2/28/20

This was the City Voice’s first history article. In it, we shared the scientific saga of the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA, including the stories of the un-credited scientist who contributed to the landmark paper but was forgotten by history.

Be Nice: What is it and why do Be Nice events matter?

For this article one of our writers shared information about the Be Nice organization here at City and discussed how and why readers should get involved with the program. Now more than ever, kindness is a vital part of the City community and the Be Nice program helps to build that environment.

Understanding the Other

In this article one of our writers offered advice on how to understand people who are different from you, something that is especially important during the COVID-19 crisis.

On the Transition from MYP to DP

City is a hard school, and moving from the MYP program to the DP program is even harder. In this featured article, one of our 11th grade writers offered valuable advice on how best to make that transition.

An Interview with the Harvard Film Team

With this article one of our writers got the surprise opportunity to interview the Harvard team while they were filming at City. We were able to share a lot of fascinating insights into the Harvard project and what they were doing at City.

An Interview with Mr. Boosamra

Interviewing Mr. Boosamra was a wonderful opportunity. As the founding teacher of the CFE program that sits just across the parking lot from City, he had a lot to share about the program, including school life, and his ideas about the theory of economicology that drives both the CFE and City curricula.

What is College Board?

Most of us know what it’s like to take an SAT or PSAT test, but what do you really know about the organization that makes the test and controls your scores? Learn about the controversy that surrounds the College Board and its famous test in this investigative article.

A Brief History of Halloween

Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday, but what is its history and why is the Halloween we know today so different from its historical predecessors? In A Brief History of Halloween we answer those questions, and much more.

This sense of wonder: an interview with Mr. Rizley about the island school

This was one of the most wonderful interviews that we had the chance to do this year. Mr. Rizley shared wonderful anecdotes and insights about his experience at the Island School last summer, as well as dozens of beautiful underwater photos from his trip.