We continue to hear about all of these businesses closing down. Well, today another company has announced it is calling it quits, and this time it is Payless Shoe Stores. Payless said last week that they have officially closed down for good. The company will shut down over 2,500 stores in North America alone.

Have you ever wondered about what a DIY is? In this article you will learn what DIY stands for, when and where it began, famous people who do DIY’s and more.

Video by Jania Webb

Video by Kelvin Richardson

Thirty minutes outside of Washington DC is a farm. For three days, Armstrong’s 5th graders got to experience what it takes to live on a farm. We went deep into Maryland all the way to Hard Bargain Farm. Farm life is tiring, hard, dangerous, and occasionally exciting.

First, let’s start by defining gentrification. Gentrification happens when a run-down part of a city is renovated so that it can be improved. Once that happens, the low-income people who live within the renovated areas are forced to leave because they can’t afford to live there anymore.

Do you know Nia Franklin? She was born in Winston Salem, NC and she is an African American. She represented New York in the latest Miss America competition, and was crowned as Miss America in 2019. Why did she join the Miss America Competition?

Video by Donald Monroe

There are many people running for president in 2020. They have a lot of beliefs, and most are different than the president we have now. People have more options to choose from, so we wanted to talk about a few.

Have you seen a lot of couples with problems? Well every relationship goes through things like fights or arguments.

The story of Cyntoia Brown is a very popular and interesting one. When Cytonia was just 16 years old, she murdered and robbed a man named Johnny Michael Allen, because she was forced to have sex with him by a pimp who had taken advantage of her because she was homeless.

At Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy we have three academies that high school students can attend throughout their four years of school. Of course when you are a ninth grader you are in the Freshmen Academy and once you are a tenth grader until your senior year you can either be a part of the Academy of Engineering or the Academy of Urban Ecology.

For Black History Month, we tasted African food: Jambalaya, watermelon, okra, black- eyed peas, rice pudding and couscous. These are some foods that originated in Africa that are commonly eaten in America.

At Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy we’re getting ready for PARCC. There are different sessions for us to make sure that all of our Titan scholars get a 4 or 5 on PARCC. The different sessions are: PARCC Push on Fridays because we have half days, TNT Saturday Camp and tutoring sessions after school so students can get a clarification on the things that they have problems with.

On February 28, 2019, Tech Prep and many other Friendship schools went to Collegiate Academy to participate in the Black History Bowl. There were three people to each team, and I, R’Nasia Murphy, was lucky enough to be a part of the Tech Prep team!

In the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, the Friendship Tech Prep High School campus began to move from Chromebooks to Apple products because Apple gives us a chance to be more innovative and creative with the technology. Teachers were able to get an iPad or MacBook.

On February 26, 2019 the Friendship Tech Prep Academy Varsity Boys basketball team won the PCSAA championship basketball game. Not only that, the team was undefeated all season long. The game was against Cesar Chavez. Tech Prep staff members, students, and parents were all there to support our basketball players.

Gender injustice/inequality means that men and women are not treated equally. Women and girls are impacted by gender injustice because some men think women are weak. Women have always been discriminated against at home and in the workplace

Friendship Tech Prep Varsity Blue Belles and Beaus cheerleaders made it into the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association). Our Belles and Beaus are making history at Tech Prep by being the very first cheer team to compete in the Ufit High School championships. These wonderful student athletes got the chance to stay in Charlotte North Carolina and get the HBCU experience.