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 NC was the only state in 2025 to not pass a full budget, which led to reliance upon outdated budgeting information.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

A tanning bed ready for use by the next customer. Tanning beds are a method that often requires booking an appointment in advance. Photo Credits: Shutterstock Jillian Studebaker, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn In the middle of winter, there is not really an option to go outside and tan. Clouds often hang over the sky, blocking the sun, preventing the warmth from reaching us on the ground. Many people often get spray tans and go to tanning beds so they can still get the summe

A t-shirt design bears the Confederate battle flag, a common symbol in “Southern Pride” merchandise and apparel. Southern Pride in general is a popular genre of clothing among people below the Mason-Dixon. Photo Cred: The Dixie Shop Ian Biles and Brayden Howard, Staff Writers for The Powderhorn An older house with peeling siding, passed down from generation to generation with open pastoral fields and countryside for miles, is a common sight throughout Appalachia and the South

NC House Representative, Virginia Foxx, in the Watauga High School auditorium. Foxx has been serving North Carolina for 19 years. She represents the 5th Congressional District which includes counties Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Guilford, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, and Wilkes. Photo Creds: Charlie Stumb, Yearbook Andrew Larsen, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn, and Carrie Bradbury, Review Desk Lead North Carolina House Representative, Virginia Foxx, visited W

A picture taken of sophomore Myra Stern’s snowy backyard on a cold, remote day last year. Weather like this has led to students having to take out their Chromebooks and log into a Google meet for school instead of being in person. Photo creds: Myra Stern Ria Titus, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn The beloved snow days of the past filled with hot cocoa and movies have been replaced by the echoes of teachers’ voices on Chromebooks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, computers were

An image of what shows up when a student searches for something they're not supposed to, or a teacher/ administrator restricts what they are doing. Ria Titus, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn This podcast answers student questions about Go Guardian, explains what it is and why it was implemented. It can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18gn6w_2SXcfL7tl8mv0dfqWl8j8FszbP/view?usp=sharing

For most seniors, the process of college applications has been unfamiliar terrain, filled with unanswered questions and confusing concepts. A large source of uncertainty for Watauga High School’s class of 2026 has specifically been the GEAR UP fee waiver.

North Korea test launching an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on March 16, 2023. As independent journalists were not allowed to view this event, it is unknown if the image is verifiable. Photo Credits: Korean Central News Agency, Via Associated Press. Andrew Larsen, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn Since 1992, the United States has not conducted any tests of nuclear bombs. However, an announcement by President Trump has brought into question whether testing may resume after