Students across the county are waking up and leaving for school even earlier than before. This is because Watauga County Schools have implemented more hours in the school day in both K-8 schools and at Watauga High School beginning this school year. The reasoning behind this has to do with multiple factors. The county needs to be in compliance with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in order to have enough time scheduled for early literacy in K-8 schools, and the adde

It's never too early to start preparing for your future, and this doesn't just mean applying for college. It also means preparing for the workforce. RISE does just that. RISE is a partnership between Caldwell Community College and Watauga High School that allows students to complete internships and pre-apprenticeships in a CTE field in which they are interested.

On September 4, Donald Trump announced mass importing of foreign beef into America, without triggering higher tariffs. This order was put in place to lower beef prices and make it more accessible for American consumers, who consume roughly 30 billion pounds of beef each year. Local cattle farmers and livestock agents are feeling the effects of this executive order in various ways. For some it’s a temporary inflection, for others it's a difficult addition to the already turbul

A decidedly tumultuous midterm election season is upon us. Two years into President Trump’s second term and the United States’ political climate is tense. For many, it may seem as though having a conversation with a person opposing them politically is off the table. It is out of this environment that Dr. Johnnie Lotesta, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Dr. Phillip Ardoin, Professor of Political Science, decided to work with Appalachian State University’s Civic Literacy p

Like many college towns, Boone, North Carolina has a town-gown divide between locals and the resident university. Recently, this has spilled into local election politics. Redistricting troubles and accusations of gerrymandering followed a new voting map introduced by the North Carolina Legislature in 2023. Critics contend that dividing Boone and Appalachian State University between two districts splits liberal voters and gives a significant advantage to conservative candidate

Every day teachers call roll, and every day, classrooms sit in awkward silence as the student in question fails to appear. Student absences are a chronic and growing problem for school systems across the state, especially for one like Watauga, where students miss additional days due to the winter snow and ice year after year. The district’s tendency for snow days makes students being present on the days they can even more important, forcing administration to adopt a hardline

A new year brings new teachers, new classes, and new routines. And, for Watauga High School’s administrative team, 3 new members. For Dante Binotto, Leslie Pope, and Jennifer Wilson, the 2026-27 school year will be their first full year at Watauga as assistant principals.

Currently, North Carolina ranks last in the nation in public school investment. As such, budgeting surrounding education is frequently difficult, and broader budgeting issues exacerbate this. NC was the only state in 2025 to not pass a full budget, which led to reliance upon outdated budgeting information. Teacher pay is also an issue, with pay in the state ranking 43rd, and the state struggling over whether to increase teacher salaries or cut taxes. The connecting line throu

Thirteen Days. Thirteen Days were spent at home with students stuck behind computer screens, trying to engage with lagging internet, and distracting family members. This is the reality of school in the winter months.

Every other year, North Carolina’s state legislature passes a new budget for the coming 2 years. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. But the legislature hasn’t passed a full budget since 2023, and there’s no compromise in sight at the state capitol in Raleigh. On the ground, that means that public schools are feeling the burn.

Rachel Ingram, who plans to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts for Stage Management, speaks at the Watauga Board meeting about the impact the Watauga Theater Department has had on her time at the high school. Photo credit: Charlie Stumb, Watauga Yearbook Carrie Bradbury, Review Desk Lead and Selah Greer, Editor of The Spark 175 students enrolled this year. Over 100 rehearsal hours for the spring musical. 65 Ross Auditorium events staffed by technical theater student

Many polling places give out stickers for voting. These stickers are often coveted, and even collected by voters in America. Photo credits: Unsplash Aspen Hickman, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn On March 3, 2026, many of Watauga’s seniors voted in North Carolina’s primary elections. Voting is an important part of living in a democracy like the United States, and as students turn 18, they can exercise their right to vote and have their voices heard at the local, state, and na

An image of paper and pen that is sparsely used in classrooms due to the introduction of technology in education. Photo Credits: Marissa Groots, Unsplash. Andrew Larsen, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn Since the 2011-12 school year, students at Watauga High School have used computers in the classroom. The standard later shifted from Dell laptops to the familiar Chromebooks in the 2017-18 school year. With Canvas courses, NCVPS, and Caldwell classes, nearly every class utiliz

Watauga High School was recently awarded by the College Board for high AP test scores and increased enrollment in AP classes. Last year 89% of the students at WHS who took an AP class scored a 3 or higher on their exam, a 7% increase from the previous year. There were also a total of 339 AP students.

Snow, wind, and ice often come to mind when thinking about mountains and ski slopes. But fire? Fire is often the last thing that comes to mind. Unfortunately, the community of Beech Mountain, NC, had no choice but to think about the inferno that engulfed their homes. One member of the Beech Mountain community is freshman Watauga student, Leila McTier.

Artemis II rolls slowly back from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center on February 25, 2026. Photo Credit: Associated Press/John Raoux Aspen Hickman, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn In the late 1960s and early 70s, humanity left our planet for the first time. The Apollo program was one of America’s greatest achievements, and it catapulted the U.S. to victory in the Space Race. But in the more than 50 years since then, no one has returned to our nearest celestial neighbo

Pioneros Políticos (de izquierda a derecha): Nathan Bing (11), Leah Harmon (12), Kole Denny (12), Lee White (11) y Alaina Roberts (11) durante una recaudación de fondos para apoyar a los afectados por el huracán Helene, a través de la Coalición de Hambre y Salud, 2025. Crédito de la foto: Andrew Larson. Abbi Clark, sección de deportes de The Powderhorn. Translated by Alex Gonzalez La ignorancia puede conducir al desastre, por lo que muchos coinciden en que es fundamental que

A few weeks ago, students in Ms. Hurst’s AP Biology class opened their emails and were met with some unexpected news: their teacher was leaving. While many people have to switch careers suddenly for unavoidable and understandable reasons, there is a particular stress induced when students have to readjust to a new teacher halfway through the school year, especially with a class as rigorous and comprehensive as AP Biology. To make matters worse, this is the first year AP Bio h

Dalton George during his visit to Mr. Vining’s civics class at Watauga High School on December 16, 2025. Photo Credits: Grant Painter Grant Painter, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn On December 16, 2025, Dalton George, Boone’s town mayor, visited Watauga High School. He met with the civics classes to talk about the roles of local government and answer questions from students. He communicated with Mr. Jacob Wallace, a history teacher at WHS, to coordinate his visit. “I contacte

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina’s official logo. With almost 60,000 members, the Lumbee are the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the 9th largest in the United States. Photo Credit: Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Aspen Hickman, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn North Carolina is home to a variety of native groups in all regions of the state. From the Outer Banks to the Smoky Mountains, the first inhabitants of the state remain present today. North Carolina has