Though I may digress, I must mention what brought me here (other than the shoes on my feet). With the beginning of high school came the beginning of my career as a journalist. Freshman year I joined one of the most awarding-winning student newspaper staffs in the country — instantly discovering a passion for writing, info-graphics and even dreaded deadlines.

Each assigned story was a new opportunity. I craved contention, using writing to spotlight anything from the topic of evolution in public schools to the subject of rape. It has always been my goal to push journalism beyond the headlines and off the pages. Thus, I was ecstatic when it was announced that I would be representing North Carolina at the Al Neuharth “Free Spirit” and Journalism Conference in July 2013.

To qualify as a “free spirit” one had to be a risk-taker, a visionary, an innovative leader, an entrepreneur, or a courageous achiever who journeyed beyond expectations. Prior to attending the conference in Washington, D.C., I educated myself on Al Neuharth, the organization’s late founder. Neuharth was a war veteran, an editor, an American businessman, columnist and creator of USA Today — the most widely read newspaper in the country.

I recall staring at my maroon Vans despairingly. Now I had big shoes to fill. I had not only the honor of representing my state, but also the responsibility of living up to the Neuharth definition of a journalist. Tattered and grime-doused sneakers were not going to cut it any longer, so with a grimace and a mission to find something more “appropriate,” I entered the ninth circle of footwear — Shoe Palace.

In July, a pair of cobalt-blue dress flats and I flew 500 hundred miles away from our small town of Hendersonville. During the first layover, I detected something was awry. The stiff leather material slipped up and down with each step, never quite adhering to the shape of my foot. Due to limited suitcase space, packing only one pair of shoes appeared to be a seemingly intelligent decision, yet two hours and four blisters into my excursion, I began to think differently.

For a week I trudged through the nation’s capital, my heels resembling a bloody war scene. I began to long for those size eight Vans skate shoes with the fraying laces and oil-stained cloth. At the start of the forum, I had a preconceived notion that this honor required me to fill the shoes of someone else– — to follow in the footsteps of a predecessor. However, as the week progressed I began to truly comprehend that I am a “free spirit” because I cannot wear any shoes other than my own.

I will always have weird feet. They are wide and short and ultimately inconvenient. Rack Room Shoes is my venom, Shoe Carnival is not a festival in any respect, and Crocs will never be an option.

By Lauren Stepp

At the convention the students, including seniors Sierra Fender, Melissa White, Katie Miller, Shannon Miller, Suzanne English, Andrew Murray, Sarah Littauer and Lara Bannister and juniors Graham Galloway, Haley Staton, Austin Woodard and Maggie King, attended a variety of newspaper and yearbook classes and competed in several events.

On Nov. 16 more than 2,000 high school students from across the nation competed for a superior, excellent or honorable mention rating in the national write-off competition. Superior awards were presented to White for yearbook cover/endsheets, Galloway for yearbook sports copy/captions and Fender for graphic design/photo illustration.

Excellent awards were presented to King for yearbook clubs copy/captions,  Katie Miller for review writing and Shannon Miller for news writing.

Honorable mention awards were presented to English for feature writing, Murray for sports writing, Staton for yearbook student life copy/captions and Littauer for yearbook student life photography.

In addition to the individual awards, the Westwind yearbook received a Best in Show Award in the 225-274 page yearbook category and the Wingspan Online received a Best in Show in the small school website publication category.

King, Katie Miller, Murray and Woodard made up the journalism quiz bowl team that earned the third seed and made it to the quarterfinals. The quiz bowl championship trophy went to Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Penn.

“Quiz bowl was a good experience, and as a team with two members new to quiz bowl I think we did well,” King said. “In the future we will study more and hopefully we’ll win next year.”

While in Boston the students visited Harvard University, took a Freedom Tour and visited the Boston Marathon bombing site.

“Boston was a great experience,” King said. “Not only did I learn a lot about journalism, but I got to travel to a place I had never been before.”

By Katie Miller

Manning expressed a desire for the government to pay for the surgerical procedure that would change his gender, arguing it was medically necessary for his mental health.

According to research done at the University of California in Los Angeles, Manning is one of nearly 700,000 Americans who identify as being transgendered.

These individuals experience a disconnect between their psychological gender and their biological sex.

Millions of Americans look in the mirror daily and cringe at their crooked noses or tug uncomfortably at tight shirts that accent an unwanted 20 pounds. Some of them consider weight loss surgery, some consider nose jobs.

Others consider sex reassignment surgery, altering their anatomical makeup in order to embrace a sense of their self-identity.

Controversy around Manning’s announcement has spurred debate as to whether or not health insurance should cover the expenses that a gender reassignment operation would entail.

While this issue weighs heavily on an individual’s mental disposition, other physical insecurities have the same effect. Facial birthmarks or obesity may be just as much reason for someone to adopt a poor body image. The topic is clearly subjective.

For example, surgeons can straighten a crooked nose, but that individual can avoid such a drastic and costly remedy by developing a new perspective.

A male who feels trapped in the body of a female, can express his gender through inexpensive cosmetic alterations and changes to his state of mind. Hair and clothing can be modified and a more androgynous name can be used.

Someone shouldn’t decide to change their biological sex over night. Saving for the surgery will give the individual time to consider the pros and cons of the decision, avoiding a severe and almost irreversible modification.

Everyone struggles with body image, but health care should be dedicated to unavoidable expenses, rather than operations that can be viewed as unnecessary.