By Caroline Hetzel
Valley Voices student editor
We are young. We have opinions. We want to share our interests with our community. We are the Valley Voices staff of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Throughout the 2010-2011 school year, Valley Voices will publish three issues written by a staff composed of students from area high schools.
Topics that we cover are focused on a teen audience and range from the fun, such as music and fashion, to the serious, such as college and school issues. We welcome readers of all ages. The articles are of local and general interest. Perhaps these stories will give insight on how the modern teenager thinks.
The 2010-2011 Valley Voices staff writers represent about a dozen schools, both public and private. Our voices are diverse. Some of us are in the middle of our high-school careers, and others are college-bound in the spring.
For some students, Valley Voices serves as a senior project. Others participate because they plan on a career in journalism. Each student gains a sense of what it means to have a voice and practice freedom of the press.
This month we are covering creative teenagers, cultural diversity, stress relief and many more topics. One student is even going to bring you along for her first voting experience.
We encourage you to follow our section today and in weeks to come, as some articles will be included in future Life sections.
All of our articles also appear on timesfreepress.com. We highly value comments on the website so that each Valley Voices writer can understand what it means to have a responsive readership.
Caroline Hetzel is a student at Girls Preparatory School.