12

Ciara Mendes

"I need you to cover something compelling that people will want to read about. The last great story you did was on Richard Haynes."

I have been sitting in my boss's office for about five minutes, listening to her critique my work. This is the first time I've faced criticism like this; during my last year of high school, I wrote an article on Thomas McHenry, a chemistry teacher who was sexually harassing girls at the school.

I had suspected he was shady after that one time in class when he touched my butt and then profusely apologized when I turned around to stare at him in shock. He claimed he was reaching for something and accidentally made an inappropriate touch. At the time, I was naïve, and since it was just that one incident, I let it slide.

After that incident, I started keeping a close watch on him, realizing the only way to expose his behavior was through the school newspaper. I shared my story with the editor-in-chief, but it was criticized for