Student Letters to the Editor-April 23, 2026 Issue

For the next few weeks, we will publish student letters to the editor from the social studies class of Harrison High School and Middle School teacher Clint Kern. While this is a class assignment, we are pleased to publish the letters as insight into what is on our young people’s minds.

Dear Editor,

I'm writing this letter as a citizen of Clare County. I'm a teenager living in Harrison, Michigan. I wanted to share how rising gas prices are affecting people my age because it's something we deal with everyday even if we are not the ones paying for the gas. 

For a lot of us gas prices decide what we can and can't do. Hanging out with friends isn't as simple as it used to be. Driving to the lake, going into town or just getting ice cream now turns into a conversation about who can afford the gas. Some of my friends have jobs but most of their paycheck is going back into their gas tank to just get to work instead of being saved for college or other important things. 

It also affects our families. My peers and some family members talk about gas prices all the time now and I can tell it's stressful. We have to think twice before going anywhere that isn't necessary. Things like road trips or even visiting relatives feel harder to justify. It's not about gas either, when gas prices go up everything else seems to get more expensive too. 

For teens who are just starting to drive, it's especially frustrating. Getting your license is supposed to mean freedom but with gas prices so high it doesn't feel that way. Some people I know are even putting off driving because they know they won't be able to afford it.

I know there isn't a simple fix, but I think it's important for people to realize that rising gas prices don't just affect adults, they affect students, families, and our everyday lives. Even small changes in price can make a big difference for us.

Caralie Beemer 

Harrison High School Student

Dear Editor,

I am a student at Harrison High School, and I would like to bring to your attention the price of houses in our county.

In our city the housing prices average from $120,000-$160,000, which for low-income families is horrid. This problem is not limited to our city/county, as the whole country is suffering from the huge increase in housing prices. Our county does not have a high average yearly income compared to other counties, so this problem is far worse.

As residents of not just Clare County and not just Michigan but as residents of the United States of America, we need to fix this housing price crisis. Soaring residential markets often trigger frantic buyer bidding, forcing affordability limits towards urban residential shortages. Pandemic remote work inflated suburban demand, stretching equity budgets while long term inventory remains structurally deficient.

Jack Wilds

Harrison High School Student

Dear Editor,

I am a student at HMS in Harrison, Michigan. I am writing about how little people pay attention to the pollution in our lakes and rivers. Every summer, people go to the lakes to swim and have fun at the beach. But I don’t think anyone realizes how much pollution they leave in said lakes and rivers after they leave. I am writing to suggest how we can help stop polluted water and rivers.

One way to prevent pollution is picking up and throwing away litter in a garbage can. When at the beach and swimming, people tend to bring snacks and drinks so they can stay out longer. But at the beaches and wherever people are swimming and having fun, there aren’t always garbage cans in the area. As a result of the lack of garbage cans, people just throw garbage anywhere that isn’t near them, so they don’t have to care for it themselves.

Another way to stop water pollution is preventing cooking oil and food waste from running down the drain.

Everything we cook that doesn’t always go into food more commonly goes into the drain, the stuff goes down pipes, and the pipes lead to lakes and rivers, polluting them more often than we think. People need to find other ways to get rid of excess materials not used in food. It’s not that people can’t find ways to get rid of the excess, it’s that we never try to find other ways.

So, as you can see, it is very important to pay attention to the pollution in our water sources.

Kaycie See

Harrison Middle School

Dear Editor,

My statement is on the Harrison Civic Center and why it should be open every day and open for a longer amount of time.  

The Harrison civic center should be open every day for kids to do something after school when they have nothing to do and when they can't get to the civic center on Saturday before 9 o'clock. I think they should open longer so when kids can play at the civic center, they have more time to play when people don't have time to play.

Lucas Wright

Harrison Schools Student

Dear Editor,

Hello, I'm Marley Graves, I attend Harrison high school, and I want to inform more people about weapon safety.

I think it is very important for more people to know how to be safe around a weapon. Approximately 500 people die annually in the U.S. from unintentional firearm injuries, with tens of thousands more injured. Thousands of these incidents, particularly involving children, are linked to lack of safety training and improper storage. Also, I think it should be much harder to get a weapon so many people get guns and kids find them and end up getting hurt or harming someone else. 

Marley Graves

Harrison High School Student

Dear Editor,

I am a student at Harrison Middle School, and I want to draw your attention to the problem of AI and how it takes up water. 

A lot of people use AI every day to make funny content, to just look something up, and do their work for them. AI uses 110 million gallons of water per year just to cool down the machines. I know that 51% of people use AI daily in their daily routine. 

Recently, it’s been announced that the people who made AI, Big Tech, suggest trying to use Michigan's lakes due to it being fresh water. But the compact prohibits diversions on the Great Lakes water outside the basin and requires withdrawals within the basin to be managed in a manner consistent with conservation and the long-term integrity of the water source. 

I urge people to stop using AI or nearly all of our freshwater resources will be gone. In fact, the Great Lakes provide fresh water for nearly 40 million people in the US and Canada so what’s going to happen when it’s all gone? Will animals be more endangered? If others stop using AI we could be able to have more fresh water so people can be healthy and not get sick from dirty water.

Natalie Tiltman

Harrison Middle School Student

Dear Editor,

As a 10th grader in Harrison, I am sure how much our school loves its sports. The atmosphere at football and basketball games is always electric, but it’s time to start looking beyond them. In particular, Harrison Community Schools needs to introduce wrestling and golf in its athletic curriculum. 

Not every student is cut out for the football field or basketball court. If you are not into the ‘big’ sports, there is not much scope for representing the school at present. Wrestling is a great build discipline and mental toughness, and it is a sport where size doesn’t really matter since you compete in weight classes. It gives all an equal opportunity to be athletes. 

Golf is another wise step. It is a 'lifetime sport' that instills patience and concentration among players. Also, it is much less likely to cause injuries that might result in students being absent from school altogether. 

Adding these sports would give more of us a reason to stay engaged and proud to be a Hornet. There is talent in our hallways, just not the chance to showcase it”. I hope the school board and the community will consider investing in more variety for the students. 

Will Catron

Harrison High School Student