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Welcome to the Unsilenced Voices of CMSD, a blog for reporting, musings and other creative work by high school students with Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Interested in signing your student up, or have questions about the content? Contact project coordinator Conor Morris, cmorris40@gmail.com.
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What happened to the budget for after-school programs at my school?
Jan. 17, 2024, Marilia Tsirikos Karapanos
“We don’t have enough money for Model UN this year” is a sentence that shocked me. As a sophomore at Campus International High School, I have been an avid member of the Model UN (United Nations) team at Campus International since 7th grade. Admission into Model UN conferences had never been a question until the 2024-2025 school year, and this trend doesn’t stop here. -
Why we should care about homelessness in Cleveland
Jan. 16, 2024, Chaise Black
As I grew up I started to notice many things wrong with the world. One thing in particular that mattered most to me was homelessness. Recently, I have seen more and more people experiencing homelessness around where I go to school, on the bus downtown, and elsewhere in Cleveland. -
A high schooler's perspective on why you should study philosophy
Dec. 16, 2024, Owen Pennington
A few years back, if someone were to ask me about philosophy, I would just imagine Ancient Greeks with big beards arguing about jargon I couldn’t even fathom; however, when I was discussing my hopes and dreams with a friend recently, the concept of philosophy suddenly became much more real: “In the end, I just want to live a good life. That’s all that matters.” “What does it mean to live a good life?” To be honest, that was one of the last questions I could have expected. Surely he knew what I meant, right? -
Students, staff at CMSD see benefits from locking up phones this year
Dec. 16, 2024, Sana Bahadur
Instagram! TikTok! Snapchat! For many teenagers, daily screen time averages hours—hours that could be spent on homework, sports, or even much-needed rest. Schools are beginning to address this with phone policies aimed at improving focus, reducing distractions, and fostering a healthier school environment. -
Why CMSD's enforcement of its dress code is biased against girls
Dec. 15, 2024, Marilia Tsirikos Karapanos
You won’t find short shorts in the boys or mens aisle at clothing stores, or spaghetti strapped tank tops. But what girls like me find the most unacceptable is that if we break any of the dress code rules we get in trouble, but if the boys want to take their shirt off outside because it's hot, or sag their pants to the point where their underwear is showing, they get no punishment at all. -
Silence Shattered, a poem by Maylanni Arroyo
Dec. 13, 2024, Maylanni Arroyo
A poem about gun violence and its impact, by Maylanni Arroyo, a ninth grader with the Cleveland Remote High School's Civics 2.0 Writing Club & Art Club -
Opioid overdoses have increased among Black Americans; what can be done about that?
Dec. 13, 2024, Chaise Black
Last year, almost 75,000 people died of opioid overdoses in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While early on in the opioid epidemic white people appeared to make up the majority of opioid overdoses, recent statistics analyzed by KFF, a health policy organization, suggest overdoses rates have increased significantly recently among Black U.S. residents. -
Juggling school and personal life is tough; here's how I manage it
Dec. 13, 2024, Sana Bahadur
When I returned to in-person school after COVID, it felt like my life was thrown completely out of balance. The transition wasn’t just challenging—it was overwhelming. Gone were the leisurely mornings that started minutes before logging into class, replaced by the demanding routine of early wake-ups and a structured schedule. -
Why I think the legal age for concealed carry should be increased in Ohio
Dec. 12, 2024, Errion Edgerson
I have observed alarming incidents where students have been pursued with firearms, putting lives at risk due to conflicts stemming from high-school rivalries. Making concealed carry legal only for people in their mid-to-late 20s would greatly enhance the safety of my peers and I, providing us with a sense of security that we currently lack when going to and leaving school. -
Civics 2.0 program teaches students about government, political process
Nov. 5, 2024, Errion Edgerson
The Civics 2.0 program at Cleveland Metropolitan School District this year is teaching students about the importance of being civically engaged. CMSD employees involved with the program say it benefits young people at the school district, and say it's inspired by a need to teach students about how things like elections and the government work. Unsilenced Voices of CMSD blogger Errion Edgerson interviewed both the program's founder and the Civics 2.0 adviser at his school, Collinwood High School. -
CMSD teachers union president makes the case for Cleveland school levy
Nov. 4, 2024, Owen Pennington
CMSD has a joint bond issue and operating levy on the ballot this November. To learn more about Issue 49, blogger Owen Pennington spoke to Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski. -
What's being done to prevent drowning deaths at Cleveland's Metroparks?
June 11, 2024, Owen Pennington
Recently, the Cleveland Metroparks discussed their budget and their plans for reform and continuity in the upcoming year; however, my interest was piqued during the public comment section about a different topic. One commenter asked the Metroparks commissioners about their responses to drowning. Specifically, she mentioned Wallace Lake in Berea, where four people in the last 3 years have died due to drowning. -
Explaining CMSD's finances, at a student level
May 24, 2024, Chardon Black
Amid major decisions being made by the CEO’s administration and the board regarding Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) finances for the upcoming school year and beyond, we at the Unsilenced Voices sat down with Chief Financial Officer Kevin Stockdale to get a stronger understanding of just what exactly is going on, without all the fancy language and charts. We’ve paraphrased what Stockdale told us below, into language students can understand. -
Glenville's football team made CMSD proud; can they repeat their championship win next year?
May 24, 2024, Elijah Reeves
The Glenville Tarblooders pulled off an impressive state championship win last December; the only question on my mind now is, can they do it again next year? The Tarblooders went 13-3 in the 23-24 season in spite of facing some very tough competition. -
What does the Cleveland Community Police Commission do?
May 24, 2024, Henry Hodge
I covered a recent Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC) meeting for the Cleveland Documenters and learned the committee faces a lot of challenges in trying to improve and review police practices.
