By James Yu Apr 3, 2026 With the skyrocketing competitiveness of college admissions, students are increasingly feeling the pressure to achieve academic success. Indeed, a 2024 nationwide survey by the Princeton Review found that 73% of over 10,800 college applicants were highly stressed regarding applications, a significant increase from 56% in 2003. At the epicenter of these worries is finals season, as students cram for their final exams and AP tests. The Pew

By   Srihita Madiraju Feb. 11, 2026 With academic-quality writing being just a few clicks away for students due to the rise in artificial intelligence usage and expressing oneself in words being reduced to internet slang through technology, there has been a noticeable decline in writing skills and literacy. A study conducted in the International Journal of Information and Education Technology portrays how independent writing abilities and creativity of students i

By Dylan Xie December 10, 2025 On Wednesday afternoons, when many students are tired and eager to head home after a long day, a new adventure is just beginning around the corner of campus in Room F-4—the clatter of dice on the table top,  the murmur of voices around the table, the players plotting their next move. This is a typical afternoon at Leland’s Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Club, a growing community of students eager to explore the limitless realms of make

At student council meetings, attendees are given the opportunity to voice their thoughts on school issues and propose initiatives for change. Before this year, attendance was limited to selected representatives, chosen by teachers or from extracurricular organizations such as Speech and Debate. Now...

Saturated with color and bursting with motion, Freshman Bayleigh Toth’s edits—10 to 20 second clips of characters synchronized to music—have enthralled almost 30,000 followers. What began as a personal hobby has become a success for Toth. Her most viral video...

By Dylan Xie Sept. 24, 2025 Frida Castro-Lavenant,  Social Studies Department Entering her first official year as a teacher, this has been a dream come-true moment for Castro-Lavenant. Prior to this position, she was a student teacher at Fremont High School and a substitute at Leland for a year and a half. Castro-Lavenant had already familiarized herself with the faculty during the previous summers. As an instructional assistant, she collaborated with Trevor H

On the first day of each school year, Roberto Gutierrez, Foreign Language Department, introduces himself with the fun fact that he held the Olympic torch at 13 years old. While at first it may seem like this event is  at most a slice of trivia, in truth, it represents a common theme throughout his life: seeking inspiration from the best of the best to improve himself.