The start of the coronavirus pandemic was a tough time for a lot of people, and to accompany them, many brought along some furry friends.  “We were originally going to get my dog over the summer last year, and once the pandemic hit we decided that it’s the best time right now because we can…

As the year starts to come to an end, many staff and students are starting to look back on the past year of Covid-19 and start thinking about the changes they hope to see in school next year. When Mrs. Jennifer Wright stepped back into her classroom this spring after almost a year of virtual…

The world has undeniably changed due to Covid-19. “It just started out of nowhere,” eighth-grader Cailyn Johnson said. “I feel like I changed a lot from last year.” Tanishka Gandhi, an eighth-grader from RCMS, reflected sadly on the people who were lost due to Covid-19 and the fact that the world half shut down. The…

Some students didn’t get a chance to go into the RCMS building this year because of Covid-19, and next year, they might struggle with the transition from online middle school to in-person, so eighth-graders have some advice for them. Kioko Letteny, an eighth-grader at Rachel Carson Middle School, recommends to always  turn in work, even…

Students who are in the National Junior Honor Society worked hard to complete their service hours by May 7 by helping the community in ways not done before.  “It is a learning experience,” said Drishti Nishar, an eighth-grader at RCMS. The National Junior Honor Society, also known as NJHS, is a nationwide program at RCMS…

Quarantine and online school has been quite a journey.  Starting from the first day of school, everything has been a whirlwind of events and a great variety of emotions. Now, this one-of-a-kind year is coming to a close. However, are we so invested in our worries and our work, that we ignore one of the…

“Returning back to school in-person for five days a week will kind of make things feel normal again,” said seventh-grader Brook Joseph. Effective on July 1, it has been announced that all schools in Virginia will be returning to a full-time, in-person school year. This decision came to be from Senate Bill 1303, stating that…

Many RCMS students and staff are glad that the Pfizer vaccine got approved on May 10 for adolescents of ages 12-15 year-olds, because it can prevent them from getting COVID-19. “Kids should get the vaccine because it would make the number of COVID cases go down, and it will allow things to go back to…

Eighth-grade RCMS students are feeling excited but anxious about the transition into high school in fall of 2021, as middle school comes to an end.  “I have mixed emotions, but I am mainly excited,” says RCMS eighth-grader Zoey Guardino. Rachel Carson branches off into five different high schools: Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes, Westfield and Herndon. …

“Debate forces you to change your point of view,” says Advik Sood, a seventh-grader at RCMS. “It allows you to express your opinions and thoughts, and that’s what I like about it.” Students at Rachel Carson Middle School enjoyed their debating experience, from the beginning of the school year to the end, both in meetings…

New teens come across a lot of change in the upcoming years, from new schools to new social groups.  The experience of transitioning to middle school varies for everyone. It is the beginning of a new path that leads to your young adult years.  Many say that their middle school years were horrible but others…

With numerous articles written about how COVID-19 has altered the way many people value homework, some are asking if students should be getting homework while they are learning virtually from home.  “Because students were on screens all day learning, some changes made at RCMS included not wanting to provide too much additional online learning for…