• Express Yourself

    • Visual Arts: Fall-Winter 2023

      Visual Arts: Fall-Winter 2023

      “Self Portrait” by Katie McDowell (18), New Orleans Center for Creative Arts  "An Old Man in Military Costume" by Simone Wuttke (18), Dartmouth College (recent Benjamin Franklin High School graduate) "This oil on canvas painting is inspired by Rembrandt's 'An Old...

    • The Stages of Grief

      The Stages of Grief

      I have sat with anger ingrained in my ribs night after night. I know the five stages of grief. Why am I so stuck on anger? Denial was the first one. It hit when I stood in front of my fridge all alone in my house with my knees wobbling, staring at the screen on my...

    • Be Well

    • Yoga: Partner Poses

      Yoga: Partner Poses

      Partner Yoga Poses by Laurie Azzano of Lolo’s Youth StudioYaaaas, finally! Hello, summer! Inhale deadlines. Exhale freedom. If you’re like most, summer represents one big sigh of relief. No more early morning alarm clocks, homework, tests, school drama, or crazy,...

    • Saqqarah’s Brownies

      Saqqarah’s Brownies

      Makes 20-24 brownies (depending on how big you slice them) BAKE TIME: 30 minutesIngredients 6 eggs 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 sticks butter 1/2 cup Crisco shortening 1 1/2 cups baking cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons...

    • Resources for Your Mental Health

      Resources for Your Mental Health

      If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or any form of mental distress, reach out to someone right away who can be there for you. Professional help is always an option when your psychological well-being is at risk. There is zero shame in...

    • Teen-Friendly NOLA Clinics Fall-Winter 2023

      Teen-Friendly NOLA Clinics Fall-Winter 2023

      Teen-Friendly NOLA ClinicsClinics that serve adolescents usually focus on the reproductive health needs of adolescents and young adults but may also provide primary care services. The ages served vary depending on the clinic, but they usually include preteens (11 or...

    • Have Fun

    • Mindfulness Guide for Your Zodiac Sign

      Mindfulness Guide for Your Zodiac Sign

      Have you ever wondered how you can apply astrology to your everyday life but don’t know where to start? Astrology can be very complex and sometimes overwhelming to interpret, so I have compiled a quick guide to help you consciously incorporate daily practices to...

    • How to Be an Eco-Dresser

      How to Be an Eco-Dresser

      Did you know clothing isn’t biodegradable?That means it doesn’t decompose once it’s dumped in the trash—it just sits in a landfill and creates nasty greenhouse gases in our environment. “We have to think longer and harder about the clothing we wear, where it came...

    • GLITTER!

      GLITTER!

      New Orleanians love their glitter, and, more than ever, we all deserve a little extra sparkle in our lives. Addie Ellis of the local biodegradable glitter company Glitter Nymph shared with us how to make shimmery oil that is good for your skin and nature. Since you...

    • Must Read Books Fall-Winter 2023

      Must Read Books Fall-Winter 2023

      I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea What it’s about: Laure will do anything to prove a Black girl can be a star in the cutthroat world of Parisian ballet, even make a deal with a primordial power she finds in a pulsating river of blood in the...

    • Volunteer Opportunities for Service Hours

      Volunteer Opportunities for Service Hours

      Are you looking for inspiring ways to volunteer in the local community while fulfilling your school’s service hour requirements? We’ve talked to some great organizations in the area that rely on volunteers to help their wonderful programs run. Learn more about each...

    • Expand Your Mind

    • Unplanned Pregnancy in Louisiana

      Unplanned Pregnancy in Louisiana

      Imagine that you just found out you are pregnant. For some young people, this may be exciting news; for others, it is not. Questions swirl: How can I take care of a baby and finish school? How can I afford to be a parent if I don’t finish school? How will my parents...

    • Lucy Scholz

      Lucy Scholz

      Lucy Scholz is my “shero” because she ran 300 miles from Los Angeles, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of The Speed Project. That’s roughly like running to Houston, Texas, or Seaside, Florida, from New Orleans! Not only did she win the 2023 competition and...

    • When I Grow Up: Careers in Skilled Trades

      When I Grow Up: Careers in Skilled Trades

      Careers in Skilled Trades With the cost of college continuing to rise, skilled trade careers are a great alternative pathway to stable, well-paying work and upward social mobility. Many trade workers provide essential services and help build and maintain important...

  • About Us
  • Read Geaux Girl!

Because my heart beat, I can, tell because it’s faint yet steady, that steady… 1… 2…3… current, carries me because they’ve, spurred recently because for me, *take a breath* it’s four years, four years turned into six months at least with weekly counseling, they’ll leave my worries, stream down in tears, my worries which sleep hides, or at least tries, *take a breath* to wash away because I alone, understand them, though I… really don’t, because they *take a breath* control me, because they, understand me because they know what’s happening 1… 2… 3… because my trust is earned because they’ve wormed in, wormed into my life, *take a breath* into Wonderland with our the wonder, wormed into my kardia, turning into, heart aches without the comedic relief wormed into every fiber, turning into healthy smacks but without, the proteins because I… broke down my walls * take a breath* broke them down to be – taken advantage of, because I can’t share, because I won’t share, because I don’t know, I don’t know how to share, I don’t know how to… how to make it, more clear how to get it through, to you because these are mine 1… 2… 3… forever to be, kept within because these emotions are bottle inside and ready because they are to be kept, kept from me because we share between us, only us and never me because everyday, is new because I don’t, want to think… because I don’t, need to think… but, because I should think, think about them *take a breath* they’ll forever… haunt me, haunt me, till I can’t move I can no longer move because I’m paralyzed, I want to move on, I want them to of away, because they, paralyze me because they, glued my feet glued them to the floor, 1… 2… 3… reaching through my shoes because they, paralyze me because my hands, shake my hands shake, terrified terrified of eruption, because release will cause… unwanted attraction: cause them to grow, cause me to wither on the inside we don’t need the attraction, we need– *take a breath* because life… is short like seconds, like minutes, like hours, days, months, years, become deaths of memories, because I musn’t let them stop me, because I want, because I need, I want is different from I need, because I must understand them, before understanding me they’ve caught my attention, they’ve taken over my heart.

Caitlin White is a 17-year-old senior who attends Chalmette High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. She is very passionate about writing and also enjoys dancing, drawing, and photography (although she considers herself a “novice with zero editing skills”). She hopes to become a teacher and wants to major in interdisciplinary studies in college. Caitlin is planning to minor in creative writing to make sure that she isn’t just teaching her students how to write boring, conventionally structured essays but also how to freewrite and tap into their unique creativity.