With Mitt Romney about 300 votes away from officially clinching the GOP nomination, attentions have turned to his probable fight against Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election. Although each candidate has both merits and faults, the experience and successes Obama has attained in his first...

Most people don't know, but The Rider Online is a nationally recognized newspaper. We have won, for the third year in a row, a Crown (an award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association) and are nominated for a Pacemaker (from the National Scholastic Press Association). From the outside, we seem...

The stadium is at a roar, with a new sort of excitement and anticipation never before felt by anyone there. I watch the screen, wishing more than anything our players were on the court in front of us and not in Miami Beach. The clock is slowly winding down, bringing us closer and closer to a championship....

Towering over his opponents, freshman Luca Chudoba stands at the tennis net prepared for a volley. As the competitor hits the ball down the line Chudoba steps and hits an overhead winning the point.  Chudoba began playing tennis in seventh grade at T.A. Howard Middle School. “My favorite...

In March of 2010, President Obama signed into law his healthcare overhaul bill known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act. Under the law, everyone is required to purchase insurance or pay a penalty, among other things. The Supreme Court has begun debating over the law after 27 states have...

Officer Mathis turns into a parking lot, following kids who left for lunch. As they get out of the car with their Whataburger cups she calls after them to stop, retrieving their names and ID numbers to turn in to the police. “It can be a difficult job,” Mathis said. “The kids often run when...

I feel infected. A disease that I was immune to my first three years of high school, but in just the last three months has taken over my life. It leaves me unmotivated, bored and constantly distracted by Scramble with Friends and Pinterest. As time goes on it becomes stronger and stronger, causing destruction...

With cold weather approaching, many students have begun to break out winter clothes, however, those students who have not earned a letterman will have to find an alternative way to stay warm. As of this year Mansfield Independent School District will no longer pay for student letter jackets because...

Senior Morgan Wood walks into school acutely aware that in less than two months she will be graduating. As she enters her first period class she becomes overwhelmed with anticipation and excitement - the countdown has begun. “I’m super excited that graduation is so close,” Wood said. “It’s...

Last week I was asked to write an editorial about the current Supreme Court case regarding Obama Care. As I researched about it, I realized how convoluted the whole process had become. Instead of being an issue of the constitutionality of the law, it had become a battle between the political parties...

As the students begin to quiet down Nathan Daves, English teacher, pulls out his copy of Hamlet. He begins to review and discuss with the students the chapters he assigned for homework the previous class. Excited to discover the students are eager to analyze the novel, the class discussion only ends...

Standing on the podium looking out onto the field, senior Kristi Kamesch waits for the show to begin. As the students prepare to start, Kamesch raises her arms to conduct, ready to lead the band.  Kamesch, the band’s head drum major, began playing clarinet in the sixth grade. “I loved...

Freshmen and seniors talk about their first day of high school.

Junior Nikolette Sullivan looks up at the rear view mirror only to see a car speeding toward her.  Seconds later she feels the impact of the car caused by the distracted driver as she jerks forward. Sullivan’s truck was rear ended by a driver who was busy texting rather than watching the road. “I’m...