The student news site of Bellaire High School

Three Penny Press
The student news site of Bellaire High School

Three Penny Press
The student news site of Bellaire High School

Three Penny Press
Story Series
Eight Chemistry Club members pose for a picture before taking the Local Exam. Only two students advanced to the National Exam.
Breaking bonds, breaking records
Zara Bukhari, Reporter • Jun 3, 2025

Seventeen years. For the first time since 2008, two Bellaire students, juniors Jason Chen and Akhil Baker, have earned the Honors ranking...

The target distribution was used to evaluate 10,500 teachers. “Proficient 1, that’s where everybody wants to aim for,” HISD superintendent Mike Miles said in an HISD NOW video.
HISD to link teacher pay to performance in 2026
Zara Bukhari, Reporter • May 21, 2025

Houston ISD will adopt a pay-for-performance model starting during the 2026-27 school year. The model will evaluate teacher performance based...

A man protests the Trump administration's immigration executive orders in front of City Hall. Hundreds of protestors gathered on Feb. 17 to rally against the new president.
Executive impact
Camila Chandler and Clarissa Li • Apr 4, 2025

AP Spanish Language and IB Spanish teacher Esther Galo calls herself a proud immigrant’s daughter. Her mother migrated from Honduras in order...

Parent Judy Cheng asks Principal Michael Niggli about false detections during the Q&A portion of the weapons detection system community meeting. The majority of the audience was made up of parents.
‘Another layer of protection’
Zara Bukhari, Reporter • Feb 7, 2025

Houston ISD’s new weapons detector policy will be implemented at Bellaire on Tuesday. It will be the third HISD school after Lamar High School...

Junior Leonid Kolonin prepares to "snowboard" down the hill at the Miller Outdoor Theatre with his skimboards. He did more snowboarding in Houston on Jan. 21 than he did over his week in Utah during winter break, and his time at the hill "really made his year so far."
Blanket over Bayou City
Claire Bradford, Editor-in-Chief • Jan 29, 2025

When rumors of snowfall began to spread around the school the week before Jan. 21, junior Leonid Kolonin told everyone the rumors would come...

About 20 opponents to the HISD bond gathered at the Community Voices for Public Education's Halloween-themed "Haunt the Polls" event to encourage voters to vote against the bond. Attendees marched in the parking lot of the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center chanting call-and-response protests.
Bond on the ballot
Claire Bradford and Davis Adams • Nov 1, 2024

ADDENDUM: HISD’s $4.4 billion dollar bond package was rejected on Nov. 5 in the 2024 Harris County election, with 60% voting “AGAINST”...

AP African American Studies teacher Jenaya Garrett-Foreman instructs her class with a lesson on ancient African civilizations. These societies includes those from Mali, Songhai, and Ghana.
Teaching ‘true history’
Maddux Horn and Clarissa Li • Sep 24, 2024

Senior Taylor McCuller wants to learn more about Black history than “people in shackles.” English 3 teacher Jenaya Garrett-Foreman wants...

NHS co-advisor Jennifer Kuhleman recognizes NHS scholarship semi-finalists seniors Katelyn Ta, Aaditya Krishna and Akshay Kapur (left to right). All three of the seniors demonstrated the four pillars of NHS during their time at Bellaire.
National Honor Society welcomes new inductees
Grace Turney and Claire Bradford • May 1, 2024

Ninety new members were inducted into the Bellaire National Honor Society on April 15. During the ceremony, which started at 6 p.m., the inductees...

The next solar eclipse visible in the US will occur in 2033 in Alaska. "At least I’ll be alive in 40 years to see the next [eclipse],” junior Eric Stevenson said.
Students, faculty view solar eclipse in cloudy weather
Clarissa Li and Emma Xiao • Apr 12, 2024

A total solar eclipse occurred on Monday. Under a cloudy sky, over a hundred students, teachers and administrators gathered across the school...

The majority of Bellaire faculty and the Shared Decision-Making Committee voted for an eight-period schedule for the 2024-25 school year. In addition to eight periods a day, the new schedule also includes the dismissal time moving to 4 p.m., the discontinuation of zero periods and more elective options for students.
Eight a day
Claire Bradford, Head Business Manager & Features Editor • Mar 18, 2024

Principal Michael Niggli announced the new schedule for the 2024-25 school year in an email sent to students and parents on Feb. 18. The schedule,...

A student stretches out his arm to reach for the GPA cloud but cannot reach the unattainable 5.0 score. For the class of 27’ and beyond, a perfect 5.0 GPA is now impossible.
New district changes affect freshman GPA
Joy Xia, Reporter • Dec 18, 2023

The TEA Takeover of HISD on June 1 opened doors for sweeping policies that have impacted freshmen GPAs. Although the exact reasoning for the...

A senior holds a list of their high school regrets.
[Q&A] ‘Value your passion over a 5.0 GPA’
Audrey Han and Sophia Li • May 19, 2023

With graduation on the horizon, seniors look back on their time spent in high school. Seniors Nadra-Claire Assad and Scarlet Thomas share their...

AP Chinese students face massive glitch in exam
AP Chinese students face massive glitch in exam
Emma Xiao, Copy Editor • May 7, 2023

Students set to take the AP Chinese exam last Tuesday at 8 a.m. faced a massive glitch in the test system. As students began logging into...

McDonough addresses current and former students, parents, friends and teachers at his retirement celebration on Feb. 2. McDonough spoke about his career highlights and passion for education.
McDonough’s side of the story: a look into the former principal’s removal from Bellaire
Nabila Wilson and Sonya Kulkarni • Apr 3, 2023

We sat down with Michael McDonough the day after he retired in his first official interview since his reassignment in May of 2022. He shared...

The majority of students asked are upset that former President Trump is running for president. The feeling of neutrality also prevails.
Students react: Trump’s bid for president
Haset Mekuria, Reporter • Nov 22, 2022

Forty-fifth President Donald Trump declared his third presidential campaign on Nov. 15 after a history of being impeached twice and placed under...

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Trending Stories
1
Benson Boone's new single "Beautiful Things" captures the desperate fear of losing what we love. Its soulful relatability and catchy chorus are what made “Beautiful Things” reach #8 on the Billboard Top 100 in the month since its release on Jan. 18.

Holding on to those ‘Beautiful Things’ • 458 Views

2
Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh) embrace each other on the iconic carousel ride shown in the movie.

Spoiler alert: ‘We Live In Time’ is just plain sad • 432 Views

3
When Women Were Dragons was released on May 3, 2022. Kirkus reviews named it one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2022.

Book review: 'When Women Were Dragons' • 230 Views

4
In the original book, the story of Coraline was set in England. In European folklore, it was believed that buttons were capable of warding off evil spirits or witches. While it was regarded as a form of protection, buttons in the film are ironically not serving that same purpose.

Why Coraline is worth your time • 208 Views

5
"Venom: The Last Dance" released on October 25, 2024, and grossed $400 million at the box office as of November 14, with a budget of $120 million. Although it's a successful film with a valuable franchise name attached to it, I still found it to be rather disappointing.

A missed opportunity: Why ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ had potential to succeed • 153 Views

6
An art piece by Jo Baer hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts. The piece includes three blank canvases with a trim of color around the edges.

Quite the spectacle: Why I think contemporary art is a joke • 140 Views

7
Released in December 2016, J. Cole's '4 Your Eyez Only' narrates the life of a friend, using the alias James to protect his identity. While not reaching the commercial success of his previous album '2014 Forest Hill Drive,' the compelling narrative in '4 Your Eyez Only' makes it J. Cole's most impactful work.

A review of ‘for your eyez only’ by J. Cole • 135 Views

8
Senior and president of the boosters, Sage Canahuati uses a megaphone during a football game against Wisdom High School on Oct. 10, 2025. The theme was "pink out" for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Students elect next year’s boosters, birdkeepers • 114 Views

9
Mahito is in disbelief after finding his mom. A tight embrace is shared between mother and son.

'The Boy and the Heron’ Review: Life, death, time and birds • 109 Views

10
McDonough addresses current and former students, parents, friends and teachers at his retirement celebration on Feb. 2. McDonough spoke about his career highlights and passion for education.

McDonough's side of the story: a look into the former principal's removal from Bellaire • 85 Views

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