In 2020, students wrote about their experiences with online learning, the pandemic, mental health, the presidential election and one of the largest racial justice movements in history. HS Insider staff is spotlighting 20 of the most important stories students covered throughout the year.
Messages to the next president
During the 2020 presidential election, High School Insider invited students to share their thoughts on issues affecting young people. Read some of their messages to the next president here.
Education & distance learning
Chromebook catastrophe — LAUSD students frustrated and unmotivated during distance learning

(Graphic by Tariq Stone)
by Emily Mojica, senior, Maywood Center for Enriched Studies
How one teacher strives to engage students in online learning
by Tariq Stone, senior, Inglewood High School
Column: My experience as a high school freshman distance learning
by Sriya Sai Pushpa Datla, freshman, El Camino Real Charter High School
Opinion: How to support teachers’ mental health during distance learning
by Cate Meister, junior, Fountain Valley High School
Race in America and the Black Lives Matter movement

(Illustration by Prasheetha Karthikeyan / Panther Prowler)
Opinion: The killings of Black Americans by police officers have increased despite BLM protests
by Karly Ortiz, senior, Don Antonio Lugo High School
A look into a local protest and the teens behind it
by Veronica Chen, junior, Arcadia High School
Black Lives Matter and teen mental health
by Sarah Nachimson, senior, YULA Girls High School
Opinion: CVUSD curriculum does not do enough to combat racism
by Manas Khatore, senior, Newbury Park High School

Many Latinos feel they live in a culture that dismisses mental health issues as weakness. (Photo illustration by Rani Chor)
Mental health
Opinion: We need more awareness about mental health services in schools
by Guadalupe Corrilo, Hilda Solis High School graduate, class of 2020
Minds Matter: Psychologically masked illnesses in the Latino community
by Rani Chor, junior, Glen A. Wilson High School
Column: How spending one hour a day changed my life
by Vivian Wang, junior, Valencia High School

Nintendo game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was released in March. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, this game provides players with escapism. (Nintendo)
Entertainment
Review: ‘Animal Crossing’ is an escape from the grim reality of a pandemic
by Derek Deng, San Marino High School graduate, class of 2020
Review: How Netflix series ‘Itaewon Class’ should have ended
by Rachel Ker, senior, Arnold O. Beckman High School

Members of the Paradise High School football team stand for the national anthem before a game in October 2019. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Sports
Opinion: The overlooked importance of returning to school sports
by Joshua So, senior, Cerritos High School
Opinion: Video games should not be compared to sports
by Diego Cruz, junior, Don Antonio Lugo High School

The Bobcat Fire seen from Chloe Wong’s home in Arcadia, Calif. in September. (Photo by Chloe Wong)
Personal narrative
Column: California burning — The fire in my backyard
by Chloe Wong, freshman, Arcadia High School
Column: How I lost my cultural identity, then found it again
by Brianna Pham, senior, Arnold O. Beckman High School

California beaches were much emptier than usual in the beginning of the pandemic in April. (Photo by Sophie Robson)
Photography
Typically empty, usually full: a photo essay on COVID-19
by Sophie Robson, Westlake High School
Podcast
AsAm: A podcast on being Asian American
by Brianna Pham, senior, Arnold O. Beckman High School and Joyce Kim, junior, La Canada High School