Myers Park Hoofprint

The Myers Park High School Newspaper

Tessa Fulcher

College Preparation

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With the 2025 college admissions season approaching, many students in the Class of 2026 are beginning to prepare their own college applications. Between accumulating volunteer hours, brainstorming essay topics, participating in extracurricular activities, working part-time jobs, studying for exams, and reaching out to college counselors, these students have a lot on their minds. In a series of interviews, Myers Park juniors gave insight into their plans for life post-high school, and what they’re doing now to help them realize those goals.

Students expressed interest in attending schools both in and out of state. Several want to remain in North Carolina for college, aspiring to attend Davidson College, NC State, or UNC Chapel Hill. Others who intend to study out of state are eager to apply to a long list of secondary education programs at the University of California – Los Angeles, Virginia Tech, the University of Florida, and more. Some also dream of Ivy League schools such as Columbia or Harvard University. 

In anticipation of submitting their applications, students like Zain Al Safadi (11) and Rachel Stitt (11) are beginning to seek advice from professionals and fellow upperclassmen regarding writing their admissions essays. They expect to start writing their official essays over the summer. “Once AP exams are over in May, I’m going to start on my essays. That way, I can apply to a lot of colleges with less stress,” said Al Safadi. Similarly, Stitt exclaimed, “Over the summer, I’m going to write all of my essays and formulate all of my applications so I’m ready to submit!” In addition to formulating essays, many juniors are currently studying for the SAT and ‘locking in’ on their classes in order to boost their GPA. Nora Kapur (11), says that she has regular SAT prep on Saturdays and hopes to take two CPCC classes over the summer. 

Such preparations appear to be accompanied by a wave of emotions. Many students confessed to feeling overwhelmed by the thought of applying to college. When asked about how often he thinks about college, Charlie Price (11) reported thinking about college “at least once a day.” Several other students ranked the frequency of college-related thoughts and concerns between seven and nine on a scale of one to ten. Eva Doolittle (11) stated that preparing to create the perfect college application can be “very time consuming and takes a big toll on mental health.” Fiona Smith (11) adds, “I would definitely say that the idea of preparing for college admissions is stressful…it takes a lot to look good on an application nowadays. All of the recommendation letters, the essays, trying to make sure everything’s perfect… It’s just a lot, especially when you’re applying to prestigious schools.” 

With each passing year, universities are receiving record numbers of applications, forcing them to decrease their acceptance rate, thereby making it harder for students to be accepted into the schools they wish to attend. According to Business Student, a business education website, the average admissions rates at the top 50 US universities have dropped a shocking 37% from 2006 to 2018. Since the pandemic, these numbers have only seemed to worsen. This adds increased pressure for applicants to stand out in order to get into the schools of their choice, motivating students to strive for awards, club leadership roles, and scholarships. All of these factors cause stress for students juggling a multitude of activities while also managing their regular school work. 

However, students remain enthusiastic about their pursuit of a higher education even despite their hectic schedules. “I’m excited to apply to college so that I can gain new experiences and meet new people,” said Al Safadi, who, much like some of her peers, looks forward to gaining independence after high school. “I’m also looking forward to challenging myself

Checking in: Animal Control’s Latest Updates

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In a recent conversation, a spokesperson for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control (ACC) reported having “more open kennels right now than we have had in a long time.” As of February 3, 2025, there were a total of 197 dogs at the ACC’s Toomey Avenue location, and 208 dogs in foster care with community volunteers – and thirteen open kennels. Melissa Knicely, the Communications and Community Outreach Manager for the ACC, provided insight into how the recently completed renovations to the ACC’s shelter has helped facilitate that outcome.

Although many Charlotteans assumed the renovations at the ACC would result in additional kennels, the true focus of this round of renovations, completed in May 2024, was to find solutions for a multitude of smaller problems within the existing space. Before the renovations, all amenities in the facility were over 30 years old, and after the rush of incoming animals following the pandemic, many physical issues that had previously gone overlooked quickly rose to the top of their “laundry list” of concerns. This left them desperately in need for more treatment rooms, isolation rooms, new ventilation systems, new cages, and more. Prior to the renovations, Knicely remembers small dogs squeezing through gaps at the bottom of their kennel doors to escape. Additionally, the spread of disease was difficult to prevent due to the layout of the cat cages and kennel sections, which separate lost dogs, sick dogs, and dogs up for adoption. Knicely says that the “stray cat room used to be a room with about 80 cages, so if one got sick with something very contagious, they were all exposed.” Fortunately, most needs were met through the recent renovations. The ACC was able to remedy their previously inefficient layout, reconstruct their lobby, and put in new kennel doors, locks, floors, and ventilation systems, finally bringing the shelter up to modern standards.

While there are currently more dogs in foster care than in the shelter, this lucky turn of events is not guaranteed to last. Due to the unpredictability of the needs of animals in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community, one can never be sure how long the spots in the ACC’s kennels will stay open. The shelter’s capacity frequently fluctuates, meaning there’s no telling when it might be overflowing with animals again. Still, the ACC faces pressure from locals to ‘do better.’ Knicely elaborates on this, saying, “If one of our officers goes out tonight and somebody calls in like, ‘Hey, this person lives behind me and we’re concerned because they have a lot of animals and we don’t know if they’re in good conditions,’ and the officer goes out and determines that there’s cruelty going on, and we seize 20 animals…All of a sudden having space to having no space happens just like that. So, it’s very fluid. That’s why it’s hard for us. People are like, ‘you need to do more marketing, or you need to do this, or that’…but it can change on a dime in an instant for us.”

The ACC plans to meet this unpredictability by continuing to expand its facilities in a new location. “We are not making any changes to this facility, however a new adoption center is in the works. So we would have two shelters.” Knicely explained that the current shelter would remain a medical facility that holds lost animals, and the new shelter, which would be located near the intersection of Tyvola and South Tryon Street, would become a new adoption center. “If everything is approved and it moves forward, we would be able to open late in 2027,” she said.

As the ACC prepares for their new building, they are seeking support from the surrounding community. “We always are in need of volunteers, donations, fostering, adoption and overall help advocating for the shelter,” Knicely said. “Everyone working together is what makes Charlotte a better city for animals.” Students of the age of 16 and above can apply to volunteer at the Toomey Avenue location. For more information on how to help, students can visit the ACC’s website at www.charlottenc.gov, and can contact the ACC Call Center via phone at (704) 336-7600.