Clash, crush, repeat: Mustafa Alqurughuli, a junior at Melbourne High School, is dominating the Clash Royale Club with his strategic use of the Pekka Bridge Spam deck. Every week, he competes in intense club tournaments, where his quick decision-making and precise tactics consistently lead him to victory. His passion for the game not only drives his own success but also inspires other students to improve their skills. The club has become a hub for gamers, with Alqurughuli at the center, “Making new friends and playing my favorite game.” Alqurughuli helps elevate the level of competition among members. Photo by Hunter Paige

This is Why We Clash!

December 31, 2025
This is Why We Clash! By Hunter Paige The Clash Royale Club at Melbourne High School had become a popular gathering spot for students who enjoyed strategizing and competing in ...
READ MORE >
Sunset Soccer: Madison Hartley and the JV Girls Soccer team face Satellite in a game on Tuesday night. The team prepared by practicing and training 4 days a week. They finished the game with a tie of 1-1. When asked how the game went, Hartley said, “ It was an evenly matched game that was very fun.” Photo by Mindy Hartley.

JV Girls Soccer Face Satellite

December 30, 2025
JV Girls Soccer Face Satellite by Lily Hock Soccer at Melbourne High School is more than just a game. The JV girls faced Satellite High School on Tuesday, and the match ended 1...
READ MORE >
Caption: A skill building English class taught by Tim Dale, here at Melbourne High. In English class, Maula Islam-Hopper, a 10th grade student here at Melbourne High, learns about the importance of understanding others take on stories.Through the skills taught by Mr. Dale. Students like Maula were able to debate on certain matters surrounding their opinions. With an intense passion to correct poor skills, Mr. Dale teaches listening and speaking skills to all of his students. During class, students work on their language skills, and grow an understanding of themselves as individuals and the world around them. After going over important stories, students debate about certain situations through the stories, causing them to form good listening and speaking skills. This class gives students an outlook on what they may use their skills for later in life. Mr. Dale said, “It was my hope and goal that students take away a better skill of language, and become stewards of the language.”

English Debate

December 30, 2025
English Debate by Princess Islam Here at Melbourne High, English class is not a regular class; It was a valuable session of educational skills, and speech. A class which teac...
READ MORE >
Lindy Roy poses for a photo with the hat she made in art class.”I had so much fun making my hat.” Photo by Braelyn Arenella-White.

Hats in Ms. Coats 3D Art

December 30, 2025
Hats in Ms. Coats 3D Art by Braelyn Arnella-White In high school, art is very important. It plays a role in development, improving ability to think outside the box, problem sol...
READ MORE >
Digital Dreams Ahead: Mariah Walker, prepares for her certification exam in digital design as they use programs like Photoshop and GMetrix. The class built skills on how to use technology, how to make posters, and all other kinds of real world design. Students earned a certificate when they completed and successfully passed this exam. “This class helps me see how my mind can create different things and helps me with technology,” Mariah Walker said. Photo by Ne’Asia Taylor

Digital Design Students Prepare for Certification Exam

December 29, 2025
Digital Design Students Prepare for Certification Exam by Ne'Asia Taylor-Torres Digital Design students spent the past few days preparing for their exam. The class made differ...
READ MORE >
Caption: Take a stand! SWAT club is working against tobacco use amongst students. The club’s sponsor, Mr. Michael Soliven, promotes awareness through Red Ribbon Week and other school activities. Members meet every other Friday in Mr. Soliven’s room at 8:05 in the morning. Members discuss ways to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle. “ This club encourages students to make healthier choices,” Donald said. Photo by NeAsia Taylor

Students Unite for Change

December 28, 2025
Students Unite for Change by Ne’Asia Taylor Students Working Against Tobacco, also known as SWAT, held meetings every other Friday. The club encourages students to take action ...
READ MORE >
EPIC WAYS TO STUDY LITERATURE: Students at Melbourne High are diving into *Epic: The Musical* as a creative way to study *The Odyssey.* Using notebooks and colorful highlighters, they’re making connections between the ancient text and its modern retelling. “I think that because *The Odyssey* was written so long ago, it’s easier for kids to learn what is going on and remember and understand the events and characters better,” said Anastasia Mijotovic. She added that exploring modern interpretations makes learning more fun and engaging than just reading ancient Greek literature.

Epic: The Musical Brings the Odyssey to Life for Ninth Graders

December 28, 2025
Epic: The Musical Brings the Odyssey to Life for Ninth Graders by Brooke Johnson Ninth graders at Melbourne High are studying The Odyssey in a whole new way this year — thr...
READ MORE >
Caption: Working Together: In a busy classroom, two students, Aubrianna Presley and Samiyah Evans, work together at a table as they focus on all the recent assignments. Focused on completing the assignments they collaborated on class work to strengthen their understanding of the lesson. Pressely said, “The Odyssey has shown me a lot of things and it was fun to learn about.” Photo Credit: Anabella Mulligan

Ninth Graders Conclude Journey Through The Odyssey

December 27, 2025
Ninth Graders Conclude Journey Through The Odyssey by Anabella Mulligan Ninth-grade students at Melbourne High School wrapped up their study of The Odyssey this past week...
READ MORE >
Caption: Feel The Music: Singing a hymn, the choral ensemble of Melbourne High School gives an excellent performance and showcase of their singing talents and abilities while being conducted by the Director of the Chorus program here at Melbourne High School, Natalie Harris. Junior chorus student Drew Smith stated that he really enjoyed the concert, “It was a grand old time”.  Photo By: Aiden Kehayias

The Charmingly Cheerful Chorus Concert

December 27, 2025
The Charmingly Cheerful Chorus Concert by Aiden Kehayias Music is an important part of everyone's life. While it may not be a big part of other high schools, it is certainly the...
READ MORE >
Caption: Writing Like It’s 1984: Senior Arielle Wright tries writing on a 1984 Olympia International typewriter. “ I know essentially how they work. It’s stiff and you had to press really hard for it to work. I prefer keyboards, they’re faster to type with. I guess that’s why people typed so slowly back then!” said Wright.  Part of the Media Center Dedication Anniversary celebration featured a Then and Now table, where vintage items like a 1962 Kodak film projector and the typewriter were displayed next to their modern replacements. Students had the opportunity to touch and interact with the items and learned how far our technology has come. “Students back then would probably think today’s high-tech media center would be odd,” Wright said. Photo by Kyle McLaren

62 Years of Reading

December 26, 2025
62 Years of Reading by Kyle McLaren Among the newer buildings on campus, such as Buildings 7 and 8, there were older buildings that survived the 1990s campus renovations. One...
READ MORE >
Caption: Discussing The Art Of Horror Writing. Miss Melanie Anderson speaks to her creative writing students about their current unit on horror, perfectly timed for the Halloween season. The class explored how suspense, emotion and vivid imagery brought scary stories to life. This unit was something entirely different to what they have done so far into the school year, so Miss Anderson kept reminding her students that it was completely normal not to know how to write horror. “I keep reminding my students it’s okay to be bad at something, because it’s the first step to be good at something.” Photo by Aadhya Patel.

Creative Writing: Where Imagination Has No Limits

December 26, 2025
Creative Writing: Where Imagination Has No Limits by Aadhya Patel Creative writing was a place where you constantly learned and improved your writing skills. The students in th...
READ MORE >
STUDIO RECORDING: Mel-High’s students sing while Ms. Natalie Taylor guides them through their songs for the recordings. The recordings were prepared for the Christmas station run by iHeartRadio. The event took place on Friday, November 7 at the station in Melbourne. Ms. Taylor worked with the station’s members to provide the students with the opportunity again. She said, “The students who were offered this opportunity are in my chamber choir which is one of our two auditioned choirs. It is a group of 16 students.” Photo by iHeartRadio Studio Member.

Singing Live

December 25, 2025
Singing Live by Issy Perez Melbourne High School’s senior chorus students performed live at Station LiteRock 99.3, iHeartRadio, on Friday, November 7th. Their appearance span...
READ MORE >
Caption: CULTURE APPRECIATION: Senior Janessa Palmer and her buddies gather in the Melbourne High School library to brainstorm decoration ideas for their upcoming Culture Fest booth. As an IB student, Palmer explored creative concepts that reflected her heritage and showcased her team’s vision. Their collaboration highlighted the spirit of innovation and cultural pride that defined the event. “I felt like it was a great way to show creativity and innovation,” Palmer said. Photo by Issy Perez.

Culture Fest Beginnings

December 25, 2025
Culture Fest Beginnings by Issy Perez Melbourne High School's IB students worked on their Culture Fest projects in preparation for the December Culture Festival. Senior Janessa...
READ MORE >
Caption: The world outside of school: Brooklyn Keossy an 9th grader participates in her french class while Madame Cortois teaches, language and culture, and fun activities. “Always learning new things, and talking to new people” Keossy said.  Photo credits: Paige Allen

French Wonders and Culture in French Club

December 24, 2025
French Wonders and Culture in French Club by Paige Allen The French club met early on Thursday mornings to explore french culture, food language, and fun and creativity. Cl...
READ MORE >
Relaxing Rest after Rigorous Testing: Dominic Ciano and Dusk Bugayong at their designated lunch, finally getting an opportunity to look back and catch up after they completed their Servsafe exam. Ciano enjoyed his lunch, while Bugayong took the opportunity to reflect on anything he missed on the exam during Lunch B. “Saying that the test is hard or difficult is more subjective to the person ‘cause depending on how you study or how you retain information, it can be easy for someone and hard for others. It also depends on the question” said Ciano and, “Make sure you’re studying up for these exams—It helps out alot.” said Bugayong on their major thoughts for the exam. Photo by Tyler Ferreira Alves Hill.

Study Up for ServSafe!

December 24, 2025
Study Up for ServSafe! by Tyler Ferreira Alves Hill How important is studying, really? Ask anyone and you’ll likely get an overall answer that it is! Now whether they’re object...
READ MORE >
Evyn Vandegrift who plays Rapunzel in Enchanted Tea Party at Melbourne High School performing on showday. “Being able to play my favorite character has been so much fun.” Photo by Braelyn Arenella-White.

Enchanted Tea Party

December 23, 2025
Enchanted Tea Party by Braelyn Arnella-White Theatre is something that has been around for centuries as one of the original ways people choose to express themselves. It has g...
READ MORE >
Caption: A look into school focus, and energy: Madison Davis, senior at Mel High School, discusses how early start times affect her and her focus. This interview took place in class, and Davis says “Classes are easy and go by faster with me at Mel-High,” she said.  Davis agrees that school times and getting up later help affect her energy and motivation throughout the school day.   Photo credits Paige Allen 

Lack of Sleep and its Effects on Students’ Energy

December 22, 2025
Lack of Sleep and its Effects on Students’ Energy by Paige Allen Many High school students tend to struggle with getting enough sleep, which can affect their energy and focus t...
READ MORE >
By The Board: At the IB Induction, senior Raphael Yucon presents his TOK exhibition board to incoming IB juniors. Before the official ceremony, the juniors walked through the 8 building to observe projects that they would have to do later in the year. Yucon was glad that he got to present his exhibition. “The best part [of induction] was definitely presenting my exhibition. I had forgotten how fun it was presenting to the current juniors so it was more of a refreshing moment,” said Yucon. Photo by Ansleigh Friday

A Brand New Start

December 21, 2025
A Brand New Start by Kyra Chang Every new start deserves a celebration. On Thursday, October 16th, the IB juniors were officially inducted into the program, giving recognitio...
READ MORE >
Leadership In Action. Cadets stock the ROTC fridge together during B Lunch. These small acts demonstrated how the program encouraged students to care for others and step up in meaningful ways. Everyday, cadets sat in the ROTC room and did homework, or simply had lunch with their friends. Every day, they reminded everyone that leadership wasn’t just about rank—it was about action and heart, as Chief Master Sergeant Jay Blackwell said, “Their commitment to something they absolutely didn't have to do, but they did. Every day, seeing you all come in with that attitude inspired me to be a better person.” Photo by Aadhya Patel.

Beyond The Uniforms

November 19, 2025
Beyond The Uniforms by Aadhya Patel Many students assumed AFJROTC was only about drills and marching, but the program offered much more than that. It taught leadership, responsi...
READ MORE >
On a cool Friday night under the bright stadium light, number 23 from the visiting team charges forward con defense. The crowd watches intensely from the stands.The quarterback prepares to throw while the offensive line blocks fiercely. Every player is locked in, determined to make the next big play. The tension builds, will the defense stop the drive or give up first down. He said, “Never give up on something you love.” Photo creds: Anabella Mulligan

Behind The Scenes Of The Varsity Homecoming Game

November 18, 2025
Behind The Scenes Of The Varsity Homecoming Game by Anabella Mulligan On Oct 11th, the stands were packed as the varsity team took the field for the long awaited homecoming game...
READ MORE >