Thank you to the 605 teenagers who participated in the third week of our 10-week Summer Reading Contest, and congratulations to Britt Masback, our winner, as well as to our many runners-up and honorable mentions.

Scroll down to take a look at the variety of topics — from love stories to Harvard, racism and elephant testicles — that caught the eyes of our participants this week.

And please remember to always check the top of our contest announcement to find the right place to participate, any week from now until Aug. 24.

Winner

Britt Masback of Portland, Ore., chose an article headlined “Hard News. Angry Administration. Teenage Journalists Know What It’s Like.” and wrote:

When I first came across this piece by Jaclyn Peiser, I was troubled but not surprised to read of the challenges facing high school journalists. When school boards cut funding for high school extra-curriculars in recent years, journalism programs were impacted disproportionately. Not only have school newspapers been shelved, but the classes that supported them have been cancelled. Yet, reading deeper into the article, I was even more alarmed by stories about censorship and the blatant disregard for student voice. Journalism is most effective when it informs and challenges its readers and expresses divergent opinions. I would argue that this is even more important among teens, who are in the throes of exploring issues and developing values. Today’s student newspapers offer a much-needed alternative to the adult-centric media, giving teens the opportunity to cover topics relevant to them. In 2018, no issue has provoked more youth expression (and youth activism) than the tragic shootings on school campuses. School papers have provided a needed outlet for the expression of student angst about shootings. Ms. Peiser describes zealous officials shutting down papers after articles criticizing school administrators were published. Instead of silencing students, schools should promote student voice and a robust exchange of ideas, just as our Founding Fathers intended.

Runners-Up

bengal11Vanessa100601 on “Harvard Is Wrong That Asians Have Terrible Personalities”

Christy Chang on “Harvard Is Wrong That Asians Have Terrible Personalities”