Claire Quigley ’14  is an opinions editor on  Inklings Newspaper. She has many hobbies that include dance, lacrosse, and is an active member of many clubs. Claire’s main focus for the past three years has been giving back to both her own community, and others as well. She has been apart of her church’s youth club for almost  three years with many of her friends. This past summer, she had the amazing opportunity to help the less fortunate in the Dominican Republic. Claire and her youth group helped build houses, and teach many children who do not have the opportunity for an education speak English. “Those 10 days changed my life, I felt great each and every day because I knew I was making a difference.” said Quigley ’14. Aside from traveling to the Dominican, Claire and her youth group have also helped locally around Connecticut. She has helped build gardens, feed the homeless, and raise money for causes she believes in. She has put in many hours towards her youth group, and truly believes they are helping the world one project at a time. Besides Claire being a part of her youth group outside of school, she also enjoys writing both outside and inside school. This year Claire will be finishing her third year on Inklings and is excited to write many articles for both the paper and the web. Claire’s favorite article she wrote was “Where do I upload my Pictures?”

Eliza Yass ’14 is not your average cheerleader. On the field, she gets spectators pumped up at football games. But off the field, her engaging opinion pieces give them the scoop on controversial issues.

Yass discovered her passion for writing opinion pieces last year in the Advanced Journalism class. Ever since then, she has been speaking her mind, loud and proud, on everything from Apple software to fake ID’s.

“I’m a really opinionated person,” Yass admitted with a laugh, adding that she doesn’t get much heat for her articles other than the occasional online comments.

The articles she is most proud of are the ones that cover hot-button issues, such as Plan B contraceptives for teens and last year’s incident with the racy posters at the Pink football game.

And while most Staples students fret about typical high school drama, Yass worries about more substantial social issues, such as serving the needy and defending the disadvantaged.

“Opinions cause social change,” said Yass, and it is clear she really cares about making a difference, not only by writing about hot topics but also by advocating for change.

In her spare time, Yass volunteers with STAR, a Norwalk-based organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities. She hopes to continue spreading justice in the future by promoting social change through law or journalism.