The Nugget is happy to welcome a new writer to our staff—Helena High junior Sage Story! She brings her friendliness and openness to our team of diverse writers, and she hopes to write stories ranging from editorials to football coverage to an advice column.

When interacting with Sage and her ever-present smile, you might assume her life has been easy. But she has had to give up some of her favorite activities—including dancing—because of her knee. A lack of cartilage moved her kneecap upward, which caused a torn meniscus and resulted in surgery. “I have cartilage from a dead person!” she said in her embrace-life-whatever-it-brings manner.

As a former competitive hip-hop dancer for 12 years, Sage is sad that she can no longer dance. But she has found other activities that are fulfilling. “I took up drawing and focused on my relationship of two years,” she said.

Although she is no longer on the Bengalette dance team, joining the HHS journalism/newspaper class is another way to participate at Helena High, she said. “I still feel like I’m contributing to the school, and I like that.”

Sage’s social skills come naturally to her because she has 14 half- and step-siblings. “I’m right in the middle” of all the children, as far as birth order, she said. Over the years, she has helped her younger siblings by preparing meals, finding rides, etc. “You definitely learn to be around people all the time. You’re never alone.”

That might be one reason Sage is a big fan of the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy: “Their life seems so crazy,” she commented. “It’s just such a mess, it makes my life feel normal. It’s kind of therapeutic.”

Some interesting facts about Sage are that she loves white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, the state of Maine, ramen with sriracha, and would like to go to Berlin. Her preferred type of rock is igneous, and her favorite childhood Disney Channel movie is Camp Rock—“I appreciate the choreography in that one scene.”

She hopes one day to become a criminal defense attorney.

Welcome to The Nugget, Sage!