A

Santi Leon Torres// santilt23@gmail.com

and her family.

“My brother and I went to our playground in the neighborhood, and he’s a kid. Dukes said. “He doesn’t know better when it comes to certain things yet, and these kids saw that he’s deaf, and they started screaming in his ear. My brother was laughing because they were laughing.”

For Dukes’, the experience at the park led her to contemplate the disconnect between people of hearing and people of limited hearing. She wishes people would treat her family like any other group in public.

“Don’t stare,” Dukes said. “Yeah, they speak with their hands. It’s rude to stare. Don’t be pitiful because most, if not all, deaf people are very proud of being deaf. That’s all they’ve ever known.”

Dukes is an artist, not only to honor her father, who studied graphic design and painted all throughout her childhood, but to express her feelings about her family’s situation. She paints, sculpts, and draws. One of her paintings in particular sends a specific message.

“I have very two separate sides of my life. I have this side where I’m involved with music, hearing people, and talking, and jokes,” Dukes said. “Then I have this other side of me, which is this deaf culture side, facial expressions are really important. I actively speak in a different language, and I’m involved in the deaf community.”

Kristen Levy, an art teacher at Noblesville, notices that the effort and the detail that Dukes’ puts into her art, a talent that goes beyond surface level.

“I think telling a story with your art is a special skill,” Levy said. “It already takes patience and finesse to create beautiful work, but to add a story and ensure your viewer understands what you are trying to say is another skill in itself.”

Those two sides of Dukes’ life are depicted in her untitled KODA art piece. Even with a generally positive outlook, Dukes can’t help but let her mind wander to the things her family won’t be able to experience.

“[Mom] doesn’t know how I laugh. I think about that sometimes. I think about it because every parent knows their child’s voice by heart, but [my parents] have no idea what I sound like,” Dukes said. “No idea.”

This passion for art pushed Dukes into a leadership position with the NHS Art Club. Levy appreciates the executive role Dukes has taken.

“Emily is an excellent role model to her peers,” Levy said. “She is always showing different techniques and ideas, ending with an incredible work of art that is completely her own.”

Similarly, Art Club officer Gabby Jellison has observed the energy Dukes provides to the organization.

“She brings a positive attitude towards the club,” Jellison said.

Tori Eshbaugh, a friend of Dukes’ since elementary school, also admires Dukes’ talent.

“She has always loved art ever since I met her, and it honestly amazes me what she can do,” Eshbaugh said. “It’s been pretty inspiring to watch her grow as an artist and person over the years and to see how her passion for [art] never fades.”

As a person of hearing, Eshbaugh noticed a barrier between her and Dukes’ family.

“When I first met them, I struggled to learn a good way to communicate, since I don’t really know ASL,” Eshbaugh said. “But over the years we have found our

ways to communicate.”

Although Dukes’ family conversations may go beyond the traditional form of communication, the way the members connect doesn’t stop from Dukes’ family personality shining through.

“I always loved being around Emily and her family.” Eshbaugh said. “They are really cool people, and I always have a great time when I’m at their house.”

Dukes’ situation can appear lonely to outsiders, but her family’s love inspires her. Dukes’ grandmother passed away when Dukes was five years old and more recently, the mother who raised her passed away. A past conversation between them led to a connection involving Dukes’ family history.

“We were just talking about her family, which led us to going through her biological mom’s old stuff. My mom found an old record that belonged to her biological mom in the ‘70’s. We decided to play it on the record player, and mom was sitting on the bed, and we [were] playing the song, and I interpreted the whole song for her,” Dukes said. “I’m actively listening to the song her [biological] mom listened to, and I’m interpreting it to my mom. My mom [was experiencing] what her mom would listen to and [she] starts tearing up. I start tearing up because my mom is tearing up. It was kind of a sentimental moment for us.”

Exploring her passion for art has allowed Dukes to tell a story of her own and also to inspire others to explore their own creative passions. In her real life and in her art, Dukes believes the voice she has found is uniquely hers.

“I never felt the need to control my volume.” Dukes said. “I could just be free with my voice as I wanted to be.”

Senior Krista Horbett can spin a seriously good yarn

Maggie Hoppel//maggiehoppel@me.com

Savanna Hill// savanna.hill09@icloud.com

Krista Horbett’s writing means mornings spent tinkering with first drafts at Noble Coffee and Tea. It means free verse poems in spiral shapes and Google Docs drafts of short stories old and new. It means a fantasy world where magic is real, happy endings are possible, and most importantly, she sets the rules. And, this spring, it means recognition in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

The Scholastic Awards recognizes the best student writers and artists in the nation, with prizes for categories such as short stories and poetry. At the state level, writers can receive Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key awards. Gold Key winners then advance to national judging competing with winners from across the country. Horbett’s results for this year’s regional awards arrived in January.

“This year I got an Honorable Mention on one of my pieces, an Honorable Mention on a portfolio, which was a collection of 6 works that I’d done, and then a Gold on a flash fiction piece that I did,” the senior writing student said.

That Gold Key puts her in the running for a national award for the first time in her writing career. Horbett believes that her story’s pull-no-punches take on mental health led to her national recognition for her work.

“Scholastic is looking specifically for teenage voices and what teenagers are struggling with, and a big part of that is mental health or anxiety,” Horbett said.

While proud of her awards at the state level, Horbett is anticipating the national awards announcement this March. Her flash fiction piece “Counting Down” is a strong contender for national recognition.

“It would be a huge honor and also more of a confirmation that I’m actually good at writing,” Horbett said. “I don’t always think highly of myself.”

Every story begins with one person and one mind. The knowledge and inspiration Horbett gained from interests like films, prompts, and books is the starting point for her own writing.

“Books and movies can help expand your vocabulary and definitely influence how you see the world and how you form original pieces,” Horbett said, “Most of the time it starts out with a movie or a writing prompt I’ll see. Once it gains traction or I stick with it long enough, then I will add some extra things to make it more substantial.”

This method has led Horbett to delve into fanfiction in addition to her original pieces. She’s especially drawn to Star Wars and Marvel stories. Horbett says fanfiction was an essential piece of her creative development back in middle school.

“Having the setting established and the character dynamics and personalities all set out made it easier to focus on how I wanted the story to play out and work on developing my writing style,” Horbett said.

These fanfiction pieces weren’t always written alone. Horbett sometimes collaborated with current Fishers High School senior Teeny King, exchanging ideas and helping each other improve.

“Krista and I really started writing together around seventh or eighth grade on a little story in the Star Wars universe. We’re both massive geeks, and what better way to be creative than through something you both enjoy?” King said.

King says she admires how far Horbett has come since then. She’s seen how Horbett has matured in both her writing skill and as a person.

“I am just so in awe of her courage and confidence to publish her works or submit them to Scholastic. I often just write for myself as a little, personal outlet, but Krista truly breathes life into her works,” King said.

Bill Kenley is Horbett’s teacher for creative writing and first introduced her to the contest. He also helped edit her work in preparation for the submission deadline.

“Krista has always had a great imagination. I remember an early story of hers about a kid with an invisible friend that was very vivid and detailed,” Kenley said. “She’s a psychologically deep writer of fiction.”

Horbett’s creativity has led her to many publication opportunities. In her writing, she finds her voice, sharing her perspective on obstacles others might face as well.

“I started writing in fifth grade because I had a lot of anxiety, and the best way to get it out was to channel it to something productive, and writing was that productive thing. It got the crazy ideas out of my head and gave me something to do,” Horbett said.

Self-confidence can come and goes, but Horbett believes in celebrating her unique qualities, both as an individual and a writer. In this way, she gives herself grace and finds joy in her work.

“It’s normal to doubt your skills,” Horbett said. “But remember that your story and your voice are unique.”

A Word From The Author

Check out excerpts from Horbett’s award winning short stories and poems. More of her work will be showcased in the NHS literary magazine, “Friday the 13th and Other Superstitions,” when it’s released this spring.

“This time, instead of shoving down the hopeless romantic clawing for a chance at life, it’s my anxiety taking its turn sitting in the darkest corner ofmyheart.BecausethistimeI shouldletmyselffeel.”

—“Just Friends”

“When I step outside, a breeze flits through my hair, the sun kissing my face as I glance up and smile. I absorb this feeling. Freedom. Little by little, I reach it: the point of no return.”

Theysharetheirstories and she shares hers / And before long, they rise and walk away / A smile on their face / And a fire over their head”

—“Fire Over Their Head”

Above: Horbett celebrates her awards with a prom dress and matching lightsaber. She has always been an avid Star Wars fan.

Photoprovidedby Krista Horbett