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The news site of Evanston Township High School's student newspaper

The Evanstonian

The news site of Evanston Township High School's student newspaper

The Evanstonian

The news site of Evanston Township High School's student newspaper

The Evanstonian

Linnea Mayo

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor

Hi! My name is Linnea (she/her), I’m a senior, and I’m the Opinion Editor for The Evanstonian. I joined the Evanstonian my sophomore year because I’ve always loved writing, and instantly fell in love with the engaging community and voice it has given me throughout my high school experience. Outside of The Evanstonian, I am a Student Ambassador Co-Chair, an Anti Hunger leader for Community Service Club, a member of the SOAR exec board, and a Student Advocate for Evanston Cradle to Career. In my free time, I love discovering new music/artists, being with my friends, and spending time outside.

By Linnea Mayo

What Evanston has meant to me: A letter to one of my homes

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor May 12, 2022

I’ve never liked change. Maybe that stems from having a hard time letting go of things or just loving them too much. Or, maybe it’s just because I’m a nostalgic person. Either way, it’s always...

Opinion | The value of enriching and unique non-AP classes

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor April 18, 2022

For decades education has been flooded with primarily eurocentric curriculum and views of success, leaving BIPOC students lacking the stories that represent them. Although ETHS is not exempt from this,...

Opinion | Discrepancies between sports and “fangirl” fan culture

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor March 18, 2022

Discrepancy amongst sports and “fangirl” fan culture  When you’re a fan of something, whether that be a sports fan or artist, it becomes easy to be fueled by passion and excitement as you cheer...

Illustration by Kupu Sumi

Opinion | Mental health days need to be better communicated to students

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor February 28, 2022

In the ever-moving and overwhelming cycle of the school day, I often find myself in need of a break. Every week being so full of things to do both inside and outside school, it becomes hard to maintain...

When Foster School oepned, it featured an all-white student body. Over the next half century, the demographics shifted entirely, with the school featuring an all-Black student population by the 1950s.

‘It was a pillar’: Examining legacy of Evanston’s former Fifth Ward school

Evanstonians remember Foster School, a site of communal strength, and later, desegregation hardships has recently become a focus for discussions regarding race relations in Evanston.
Illustration by Mira Littmann

Opinion | ETHS culture and post-secondary planning

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor December 23, 2021

After a year and a half with e-learning, it felt bizarre to step back into the building and tackle in-person learning again. Simultaneously working through the college application process while also taking...

Opinion | The importance of sustainable activism

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor November 19, 2021

2021 has looked different in many ways from 2020, a prominent difference being the collective civic engagement and support present on social media, in the classroom and in the community. In less than a...

Illustration by Claire Ripp.

Opinion | Rehumanizing ETHS comes with significant adjustments

Linnea Mayo and Maddie Coyle September 17, 2021

Linnea's thoughts Going into this school year, there were various expected changes awaiting students and staff, including the block scheduling, 85-minute class periods and no tardies that we had been...

Opinion | Free beach days a half measure

Linnea Mayo, Opinion Editor August 16, 2021

In the beginning of summer 2021, the beloved Evanston beach admissions became free to Evanston residents on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays after Alderman Devon Reid (8th Ward) suggested making them free...

Opinion | The consequences of removing finals at ETHS

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor April 26, 2021

On Wednesday, March 24, ETHS officially announced their changes for the 2021-2022 school year, and amongst this was the decision to eliminate final exams. In my experience, the entire finals week and time...

Opinion | Social pressure to take AP classes harms prospective students

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor March 22, 2021

During my final course selection process at ETHS, I found myself very conflicted over AP (Advanced Placement) classes for the upcoming 2022 school year and the implications of taking or not taking a certain...

Impostor syndrome

Impostor syndrome

Linnea Mayo and Taryn Robinson February 22, 2021

Whether this means feeling like you aren’t equipped to be working with your white peers, or just overall a sense of not belonging, the issue of impostor syndrome is present in many clubs and activities...

Held back, pushed away

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor February 22, 2021

As a person of color, walking into places that are predominantly white, it’s incredibly easy to feel excluded or like you don’t belong. Whether this is intentional or not, the constant crush of white...

Opinion | 2020 has been one of the most influential years in our lifetime

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor December 14, 2020

As we stepped into 2020, no one could have expected the quick turn this year had, and the tremendous impact it will forever carry. Simply put, 2020 has been one of the most influential years in terms of...

Opinion | E-learning expectations must factor in student mental health

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor November 16, 2020

With the first quarter already complete, students and teachers alike experienced one of the strangest starts to their school year. With various e-learning moderations implemented since March of last year,...

Opinion | You can’t stay neutral in times of injustice

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor October 20, 2020

In times of injustice, I’m always perplexed by the lack of acknowledgment and care from others. When we finally talk about the racial injustices devouring our country, many of my peers and much of society...

The importance of proper POC education in today’s history classes

Linnea Mayo, Assistant Opinion Editor August 23, 2020

Over the past several months, there has been a great amount of support and a number of protests for the Black Lives Matter movement, resulting in the spark of many valuable conversations and questions....

Communicate to counteract home tensions

Communicate to counteract home tensions

Linnea Mayo, Staff Writer May 5, 2020

As we deal with the uncertainties of COVID-19, conversations between my friends and family have been focused on dealing with our new home environments. Personally, around my house, everyone seems to be...

Student's view of Google Classroom.

Drawbacks of e-learning and what can be done to improve it

Linnea Mayo, Staff Writer April 3, 2020

With school being out due to the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, millions of students across the country have been participating in e-learning, or online classes, these past few weeks.   Without...

Students should be given more time for course selection

Linnea Mayo, Staff Writer February 28, 2020

Course selection. The time of the year where in a couple of months, students must choose their classes for the following school year. Every year, the main stem of my stress -- for myself and many of my...

Illustration by Valerie Larsen

How English Language Learners experience school

Linnea Mayo, Staff Writer December 13, 2019

Evanston is known to be a very diverse place, with our student population varying in cultures and nationalities. According to the Illinois Report Card, ETHS has 5.2% of English language learners, which...

Ability to pay > natural ability: athlete's access to camps can limit achievements

Ability to pay > natural ability: athlete’s access to camps can limit achievements

Linnea Mayo, Staff Writer September 27, 2019

High school sports. A prime interest for several ETHS students. From volleyball to soccer to swimming to badminton, ETHS has a wide variety of sports to offer. However, the ability to play one of these...

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