High school. An experience many look back on as a wonderful carefree time when everything seemed to have a magic about it. Life was more fun. Love was more intense. Good times were to be found in many kinds of available experiences. Football games. The proms. The parties. The old teenage hangout. Beach parties. But not everyone experienced it as a joyful time. In those turbulent teen years, problems seemed more perplexing than at any previous time in life. Jealousies and rivalries were also more intense. Competition was fierce. There were mean girls and bully boys and the constant barrage of...

The high school on the north side of Birchdale has been on an emotional roller coaster experience as fall was transitioning into winter. Just as the students were basking in the glory of their first state championship in football, they had to bear the devastating death of one of their most popular classmates. The passage of months has also brought about significant changes in the individual family and social lives of the young people, especially in the boy-girl relationships. Ted and Natalie, the shy couple whose security was their unswerving devotion to each other, is experiencing new...