The Vox Box

Sat., Sept. 20, 2008

Obscure World News of the Week

Mariam High School and Kampala and Kibubura Secondary Girl School was scorched on Thursday night in Ibanda, Uganda in what is assumed to be a case of arson. The thirty-two year old suspect, Geoffrey Mutyaba (pictured above), has been taken into custody by local police after being found with matchboxes and paper shortly after the fire was set at around 9:00pm. Luckily, there were no casualties, though five students fell unconscious as another five suffered minor injuries while rescuing colleagues and salvaging school property. Still, considering the irreversible damage to the supplies of the children and the school itself, it will prove a difficult void to fill in a community which likely has scarce funds for education as it is.

“I have lost everything,” sobbed 14-year-old Esther Naava an S2 student at the school.

Posted Sept. 20, 2008, 1:03 p.m.

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.