The Gauntlet

28/08/2026

Ding! Ding! Ding! The 2026-27 school year officially kicked off today at the Hoagland Arena with the All School Opening Chapel. Students from all grades gathered as representatives from all four divisions “rang the bell” to open the year, following speeches from administrators and mpressive band and cheerleading performances.

Enjoy some videos and photos from today’s event. Photo credit: Mr. Coogle.

Link in bio for more news from today.

28/08/2026

Saint Stephen’s football heads into first away game tonight

The Falcons face Sarasota Christian school at 7p.m.

Story by Associate Editor Karlah Benzan.

Tonight at 7:00pm at Sarasota Christian School’s field, the Saint Stephen’s football team will compete in their first away contest.

The football team started the year strong with a 2-0 run. Sarasota Christian enters with a 1-1 record.

Last Friday, the Falcons won their second game of the season against the Hudson football team 34-8. The game before they made an astonishing pre-season 50-0 win.

Sophomore Quarterback Steven Leblanc expressed his belief that tonight will be a huge accomplishment if they can win.

“Tonight is gonna be a very intense game, a high scoring game.” Leblanc said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”

Leblanc says he has high hopes for this year’s football team, and described them with one word: “Super.”

“Super, we have everyone everywhere, everyone does their job,” Leblanc said. “We’re the perfect team, and we are really close with each other too.” Photo Credit: SSES Football Instagram

28/08/2026

Do you wanna be a Bull? If so, USF will be here Monday Aug. 31 for the first of many college rep visits.

In the next two weeks alone we have Alabama, Eckerd, UF, and more.

Check out the image above (courtesy of College Counseling) for a schedule of upcoming visits from all around the country.

Additionally, Maia Learning has the most up-to-date list, as rep visits get added daily.

In order to attend a college rep visit, you must receive permission from your teacher to avoid missing important classwork

9th and 10th grade students may only attend during lunch or their study hall, with teachers permission.

11th and 12th grade students may attend any college visit, with teacher permission.

Students will be required to bring a pass, and may use passes from College Counseling or a pass provided by their teacher.

If you are unable to attend a rep visit, please let College Counseling know so they can gather information on your behalf.

Hope to see you exploring some colleges! Link in bio for more news from today.

24/08/2026

Falcons return to campus!!! Story by ed-in-chief Sophia House and SM Manager Hannah Winters. Photo Gallery included!

Welcome back Falcons! Here at The Gauntlet, we’re looking forward to covering the news and people that make Saint Stephen’s special. We hope you had a great summer and enjoyed the first full two days of classes. As students settle back into the routine of early mornings, classes, and busy schedu...

08/05/2026

That’s a wrap!

The 2025-2026 school year is coming to an end with final exams next week. The Gauntlet wants to thank you, our audience, for supporting our Journalism over this school year. We can’t wait to do it better next year.

Link in bio for more news from today.

08/05/2026

In "Constructing Moments: A Yearbook Review,” incoming ed-in-chief Sophia House took a deep dive into the new Yearbook in her new Review.

House writes, “The theme of Constructing Moments seems to be showing how an entire school year is built from hundreds of small, meaningful experiences. So instead of only focusing on the big events, this year’s book highlights the everyday memories, the behind the scenes, the candid moments, that made the 25-26’ school year unforgettable.”

House interviews Yearbook staff and students to get their take, and assesses this years content, photos, design, and theme.

Link in bio for the full scoop and more news from today.

This year’s book has garnered a lot of acclaim. So we sat down, yearbook in hand, to give it the review it deserves. Let’s go! Putting together a yearbook is a huge feat— from developing the theme, to planning the design, to executing the photos, to writing the captions— it takes a village t...

07/05/2026

I have to pick a college? Where do I start!?

Yesterday, marked the 5th year college counseling hosted the 8th Grace College Expo in the MS Commons.

8th grade students heard from four seniors head to college next year, in addition to all of their teachers, who shared about their alma maters in a college fair setting.

20 different colleges were represented and students walked from table to table, where they found college displays and the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about each school.

College Counseling also raffled college t-shirts and provided Facts Sheet from each school, for further reading.

Link in bio for more news from today.

07/05/2026

The Falcons delivered an outstanding performance at the FHSAA 1A State Track & Field Meet, highlighted by senior Keymani Dillingham, who capped off her legendary career as a four-time state champion and new Class 1A state record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, winning both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Dillingham will continue her track career at Jacksonville State University.
Other top performances included Gabby Smith placing third in the 400-meter hurdles, Jaida Milburn finishing fifth in the high jump, and Naeha Akella taking seventh in the 3200-meter run. The girls 4x400 relay team earned sixth place while breaking the school record, and overall, the Falcons placed fifth as a team in Class 1A.
Link in bio for more news from today.

06/05/2026

First-year Spanish teacher Mrs. Yasiris Torres has been there this year, from big games under the lights to behind-the-scenes at plays to magic moments at Prom, to capture moments that matter. And her photos are incredible.

In “The Art of Life and Photography,” Karlah Benzán features the new teacher, who has implanted herself in the community in such a short time. This is a must-read piece about a must-have teacher.

Head to the site for the full Feature.

At games, plays, or meets, you might see Ms Yasiris Torres down in the action, snapping photographs of memorable moments for students. These aren’t your usual photos. These are some of the best shots you’ve ever seen, as the student body and staff has come to know from her Instagram posts. Ms. T...

05/05/2026

Today, a Gauntlet was held for the varsity track team and the varsity boy’s weightlifting team.
Check out some photos and videos of today’s ceremony here.

This Wednesday, the varsity track team will attend the FHSAA 1A State Championships, where they will compete in 7 events after a strong performance at regionals. Track and field athletes include Naeha Akella, Keymani Dillingham, Jaida Milburn, Gabriella Smith, and Olivia Fessler.

The event will take place at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

This Friday, the varsity boy’s weightlifting team will attend states in Lakeland. Lifters include
Corbin Franklin who is going for traditional and olympic, and Noah Dam and Tyler Conn who are
going for olympic.

We wish the best of luck to our athletes as they go to compete at the state level! Link in bio for
more news from today.