The Student News Site of Willis High School

The Voice of the Wildkats
The Student News Site of Willis High School

The Voice of the Wildkats
The Student News Site of Willis High School

The Voice of the Wildkats
All content by Isabella Melin
PREVENT JUVENILE VIOLENCE. Netflix's new original series, Adolescence, is a captivating portrayal of a young teen with violent tendencies as a result of harmful messaging on social media. The series shows just how important it is to teach boys how to control their emotions.

New Netflix show gives important message to parents

by Isabella Melin
Apr 14, 2025
LESS WATCHING MORE PLAYING. The influx of screen time that young children are receiving along with the effects of the pandemic have led to a significant decline in reading skills. It is critical to their brain development that parents monitor what their children are watching.

Gen Alpha struggling, adults must stop laughing, start helping

by Isabella Melin
Mar 27, 2025
OLD FAITHFUL. One of the main attractions of Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes shooting boiling water 106 to 184 feet high. Over 4 million people visit Yellowstone each year.

National parks must stay

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Mar 5, 2025
ALL GOOD NEWS. The world is full of terrible mishaps and events, but there is always something good happening somewhere. Focusing on the positives is important for mental health and motivation.

[Photo] All positive news

Feb 18, 2025
ALL GOOD NEWS. The world is full of terrible mishaps and events, but there is always something good happening somewhere. Focusing on the positives is important for mental health and motivation.

All positive news

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Feb 18, 2025
LET'S CHOOSE AMERICA. Government officials are becoming more and more comfortable showing what their real agenda is. Regardless of parties, the American people have a responsibility to uphold their oath, liberty and justice for all.

Elon Musk reveals his true colors at Trump inauguration

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Feb 5, 2025
OH THE WOES OF STUDYING. Exams can be an extreme source of anxiety for many. There are several different study methods that can help.

Varying study methods can improve academic success

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Jan 28, 2025
DON'T LET SOCIAL MEDIA FOOL YOU. Many social media apps, especially TikTok, have creators who promote dangerous and unrealistic eating habits. These standards damage the mental health of young teens.

Social media romanticizes eating disorders

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Dec 12, 2024
DON'T LIE TO YOURSELF. Politics is a topic that can be very important to people. It is okay to let it be a deal breaker in dating.

IT'S ALMOST THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving often gets overshadowed by Christmas, but the holiday is a great opportunity to give thanks to loved ones. Practicing gratitude will improve one's outlook on life and mental health.

Thanksgiving needs time to shine

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Nov 8, 2024
THEY ARE LYING TO YOU. Companies use sneaky tactics to make consumers pay more without knowing. Shrinkflation and skimpflation are more deceptive than simply raising prices.

Companies choose deception over honesty in response to inflation

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Oct 28, 2024
EVERY VOTE COUNTS. No matter if it is a voter’s first chance to cast a ballot or their 20th, every vote is equal.

Students have power for change

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Oct 18, 2024
FALL BREAK NEXT WEEK. This year, WISD gets a week long fall break from the 14th to the 18th. This is a great opportunity for families to spend quality time doing seasonal activities.

THE HEALTHIEST FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS. The number one Healthiest fast food restaurant according to this study is Chipotle. Not all fast food is completely lacking in nutrition, and finding a balance is recommended.

New study ranks fast food restaurants’ nutrition

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Oct 2, 2024
YOU MATTER TO WHS. The school district has resources for struggling students and family. If you or someone you love needs support, visit Care Solace or call 988.

Antiquated state law prevents schools from supporting students’ mental health

by Isabella Melin
Sep 24, 2024
THEY SAID NEVER AGAIN. Every time there's another school shooting, these are the words echoed throughout the media. Yet, these horrific incidents continue to happen, and will as long as lenient gun regulation allows.

Epidemic of school shootings must be addressed

by Isabella Melin, VOE staff
Sep 16, 2024
FIRST PERFORMANCE. During the halftime show at the first home game, junior Robbie King plays with the Wildkat Band. This was the debut of the halftime show that will be the band's contest show, Dimensions and Destiny.

Band works toward new goals, successful competition season

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Sep 9, 2024
THE HOCO FACTS. WHS cheer released an FAQ to let students and parents know what to expect for this year's homecoming. The cheer team is responsible for planning the event and transforming the cafeteria into a beautiful dance floor.

Everything Wildkats need to know for hoco

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Aug 30, 2024
THE END OF AN ERA. Members of the senior class pose together during Senior Sunrise. It is the first of many events to round off their high school careers.

Rising seniors celebrate new beginning with Senior Sunrise

by Isabella Melin, VOW managing editor
Aug 22, 2024
9 MILLION AMERICANS MOVE. Each year, 9 MILLION Americans move out of the country. This number has doubled in the past 15 years.

FINALS SEASON. Tips on how to get through the stress of finals. It is crucial that students take care of their mental health to be at their best.

Schools encourage students during finals with stress-free activities on campus

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
May 2, 2024
FALL IN LOVE. Based on a popular video game by the same name, Fallout is now available on Amazon Prime.

New Fallout TV series huge success

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Apr 29, 2024
LEARNING BY DIONG. Sophomore Tavan Barzar practices his photo techniques in journalism class. Students learned different composition techniques before taking pictures in small groups.

Journalism students capture school life as class project

by Isabella Melin
Apr 22, 2024
STORYTELLER. History teacher Whitney VanCleave teaches a DC U.S. History class. VanCleave was nominated for a Humanities Texas’ Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award by a former student.

School-wide loved history teacher nominated for award

by Isabella Melin
Apr 13, 2024
FDA APPROVED BIRTH CONTROL. Opill is the first over the counter birth control pill approved by the FDA. It will soon be available at local drugstores across America.

FDA approves first OTC birth control Opill

by Isabella Melin
Apr 13, 2024
LEARNING LIFE SKILLS. Schools in Japan make students clean up the school each day. This practice teaches students important life skills as well as to respect their surroundings.

Japanese schools teach students life skills

by Isabella Melin
Mar 29, 2024
DEDICATED. During class English teacher Bridgett Thomas is teaching her students about poems. Thomas has been teaching for 17 year's.

[Photo] English teacher named top in school

by Ashley Briones
Apr 22, 2024
SHARE WOMEN'S STORIES. National Women's Month is a time to celebrate the contributions women have made to this country.

Women’s history month inspires young girls

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Mar 25, 2024
HOW TO ADMINISTER NARCAN. step by step instructions that could save lives. More than 130 people die every day from opioid-related drug overdoses.

Narcan could be key to saving lives

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Mar 1, 2024
$7 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 30 SECONDS. The price of Super Bowl commercials is outlandish and oftentimes a waste.

Super Bowl commercials not worth the money

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Feb 23, 2024
KINDNESS TREE. Placing a post-it on the tree, sophomore Morgan Smith adds a word of encouragement.

Kats Joined for Hope makes kindness tree

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Feb 14, 2024
WHO WOULD YOU VOTE FOR. students around campus were asked who they wanted to vote for in the upcoming election. there were some unexpected results.

Students share surprising opinions about presidential candidates

by Isabella Melin
Feb 5, 2024
DANCING QUEEN. Tori Vanschuyver posing for professional dance photoshoot. Vanschuyver serves as the LT. captain on the Sweethearts and was chosen to be an All-State dancer. Courtesy of Tori Vanschuyver

Sweetheart joins All-State dance team

by Isabella Melin, VOW co-editor
Jan 25, 2024
ONE WORD FOR 2024. The students of Shelby Thiel's class started off the year with a one word activity. Their words are displayed in the window of her CTE classroom.

Wildkats’ replace resolutions with words to guide year

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Jan 11, 2024
CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN. eleven dress-up days leading up to winter break.

Holiday dress-up days to raise school spirit

by Isabella Melin
Dec 5, 2023
SHOP SUSTAINABLY. Some simple ways to buy clothes ethically and support the community

Shein receives F rating

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Dec 1, 2023
WORKING TOGETHER. Joining other Joined for Hope clubs, members from Kats Joined for Hope, senior Addison Lyons, junior Carli Murray and junior Mallori Mitchell donate toys at the Into the Darkness Walk.

Students join for hope at Out of The Darkness Walk

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Nov 14, 2023
WINTER BLUES. The shorter days and less sunlight can cause a chemical change in the brain leading to fatigue, depression and social withdrawal.

Beating seasonal blues

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Nov 9, 2023
CANDY KILLS. Parents' worst nightmare on Halloween is fortunately untrue, but there are still very real concerns.

Candy kills…not really

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Oct 27, 2023
CHALK THE WALK. KJ4H members write kind words on the sidewalks for students to see on their way to class.

Kats Joined for Hope returns to campus

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Oct 19, 2023
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. The best way to kick off Spooky Season is a movie night with friends and family.

Movie nights best way to spend spooky season

by Isabella Melin, VOW Staff
Oct 6, 2023
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. The best way to kick off Spooky Season is a movie night with friends and family.

YOUR FUTURE... maybe. View from Fondren Library at Rice University.

Increasingly competitive college admissions process causes student stress

by Isabella Melin, VOW Staff
Sep 27, 2023
70S DAY. Ava Hardin and Isabella Melin dressed for the 70s.

Homecoming 2023 feature iconic dress up days

by Isabella Melin, VOW Staff
Sep 15, 2023
WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF FALL? Halloween won by a landslide.

Fall kicks off cooler weather, new beginnings

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Sep 11, 2023
GOING PLACES. Sophomores Kamryn Davis, Amy Roberts and Rebecca Vaughn use the Wildkat backdrop to take a picture at College and Career Night. Forty four different colleges and programs came out to represent.

Wildkats are going places

by Isabella Melin
Sep 5, 2023
DON'T RISK IT. House bill 114 attempts to fix the vaping epidemic.

New law jeopardizes students’ education

by Isabella Melin, VOW staff
Aug 24, 2023
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