Futures On Hold

TABLE OF

08

Beyond the Tap

Louisville Water Company services the community one cup at a time.

13

Crowd the Scene

Let’s mosh, sway and spin at Louisville’s concerts.

18

The Show Must Go On

Theater groups across Louisville are keeping the arts alive.

23 Hobby to Hustle

Turning everyday passions into profits.

CONTENTS

28 Fight or Flight

New immigration policies may be national news — but they have major local impacts.

36 Within Reach

The Norton West Louisville Hospital is bringing healthcare closer to home.

40 Missing Work

Students aren’t the only ones being marked absent anymore.

46 Move As One

Local teens make new connections through ancient traditions.

MEET THE

On the Record 2024-2025

Lucy Vanderhoff web managing editor

Samiyah Taylor multimedia

Maggie Stone writer & multimedia

Maanya Sunkara promotional coordinator

Nora Ruscoe copy editor

David Routt designer

Amelia Roida multimedia

Dea Rexhepi social media coordinator

Michelle Parada writer

Addison Lowry multimedia editor

Grace Kirby designer

Joanna Lee assignment editor

Yina Hwang designer

Zoe Huguley assignment editor

Sammie Haden editor-in-chief

Aurora Gilbertson writer

Suzetta Fuller photographer

Sarah Aleissa photographer

Iris Apple photo editor

Luke Boggs assignment editor

Mali Bucher marketing director

Claire Dixon design editor

Ella Mohr writer

Bailey Molinari multimedia

Loren Williamson photographer

THE STAFF

Riess Starks marketing assistant

ON THE RECORD is a magazine by and for the youth of Louisville. In 2015, our publication transitioned from duPont Manual High School’s tabloid-size school newspaper, the Crimson Record, to a magazine that focuses on long form, in-depth storytelling created for Louisville-wide youth audience and local distribution. Using our training as writers, photographers, designers and videographers, our mission is to create quality local journalism for youth that includes the crucial, but often overlooked, youth perspective. Each issue’s content is determined and produced by youth.

OUR CREDENTIALS

On the Record is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia High School Press Association and the Kentucky High School Journalism Association. Previous accolades include NSPA Pacemakers and CSPA Gold Crowns. Individual stories have earned multiple NSPA Story, Design and Photo of the Year awards, along with CSPA Gold Circles and the Brasler Prize.

WHERE TO FIND OTR

On the Record is distributed to youth-friendly businesses in the Louisville area, as well as to teachers who request class sets.

If you wish to share this magazine with your students or in your business, please contact us.

Would you like to sponsor or advertise with us? More information can be found on pages 54-55

Digital copies of all magazines can be found at issuu.com/ ontherecordmagazine. Additional stories can be found online at ontherecordmag.com. Check us out on Instagram @ontherecordmag and TikTok @ontherecordmagazine.

CONTACT US!

On the Record would love to hear from you! Our magazine is published by the students of the Journalism and Communications Magnet at duPont Manual High School, 120 W. Lee St., Louisville, KY 40208. Leave us feedback at ontherecordmag.com or email at ontherecord@manualjc.com.

You may also contact the faculty adviser, Matthew Rhinehart at matthewrhinehart@manualjc.com

Matthew Rhinehart adviser

Noa Yussman creative director

Jeremy Young designer

Isabella Shory writer

Maya O’Dell managing editor

Derek Bush Jr photographer

Emma Johnson assignment editor

Frances Fendig fundraising coordinator

Sadie Eichenberger photographer

Uyen Nguyen designer

letter from the EDITOR

Dear Reader,

I’ve never been any good at writing introductions, but I’m even worse at endings. Finding a way to finish a story I’m writing or walk away from something I love always leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I’m afraid of forgetting little things that mean the world to me, I’m afraid of what comes next and most of all: I’m afraid of change. I’m afraid to end this letter and know that it means I’m saying goodbye to On the Record.

In this issue’s cover story, Sophomore Writer Isabella Shory explores fear of the future from a different perspective. Shory’s newest story, “Fight or Flight” describes local immigrant students’ anxieties surrounding threats of deportations amid a new Presidential administration, and how these youth are leaning on each other in a time where the future is uncertain.

Our newest magazine, Futures On Hold, brings you seven other stories focused on connection, familiarity, hope and perseverance. I feel that this issue mirrors my experience on staff: exciting, colorful and a little eccentric.

Here at On the Record, we hope to not only tell stories our audience can learn from, but stories you can relate to, stories you can connect with. So, if you’re like me or some of the young people we feature in this issue who are fighting through a time marked by doubts, I ask you to take a beat and soak in these stories we tell you in this issue. Find something that speaks to you and cherish this fleeting moment, where you can slow down and cross paths with a lion dancer, step into the shoes of a teacher or walk into a concert venue with a group of your best friends. The future is uncertain, but what you are reading right now is printed, permanent and for you.

Happy reading,

Louisville’s favorite since 1994

Louisville’s favorite since 1994

Louisville’s favorite since 1994

Louisville’s favorite since 1994

Louisville’s

The Louisville Water Company provides clean, reliable drinking water while educating youth to pave the way for a healthier future.

writing by JOANNA LEE design by SUZETTA FULLER

he currents of the Ohio River, steady and slowmoving, reflected soft hues of sunlight. The gentle ripples of water mirrored a grand silhouette — not a person, rather a tower, looming over the riverbank.

At the structure’s base, a perfect ring of ornate white columns created a circle. Moldings adorned the surface and ten zinc statues stood upon pedestals, overlooking visitors and a sleek black sign with gold lettering reading “Louisville Water Company Landmark.”

The tower was conspicuous: grandeur in its design and history. Every part of the

building and its neighboring river traced back to one unifying initiative: to deliver clean, highquality water for the community.

What’s in the Water?

Despite the increase in water treatment systems across the nation, drinking water continues to be of poor quality in many states.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), drinking water can make up to 20% or more of a person’s total exposure to lead, which can be destructive to an individual’s health in certain amounts. With this exposure, adults may suffer from high blood

pressure, problems with memory and concentration, reproductive issues and muscle and joint pain.

Lead exposure may also cause a range of other severe health impacts, including learning disabilities, hearing problems, stunted growth and even damage to the brain and nervous systems.

Alarmingly, children are more vulnerable to lead exposure because their bodies are still developing, allowing for more efficient lead absorption. Due to this heightened vulnerability, educating youth about water treatment, safety and lead awareness is critical.

Lead contamination has the potential to expose millions to dangerous levels of toxic metals and particulates, and the water that we use for drinking, personal hygiene and cleaning dishes allows for just that.

The lead crisis disproportionately affects lowerincome families, specifically people of color. Due to racial residential segregation, Black and Hispanic individuals have historically been subject to living in older, lower quality areas. Limited resources for remediation cause higher rates of lead poisoning in these neighborhoods.

Despite these implications, the crisis only began gaining national attention in 2014 following the water contamination in Flint, Michigan. After a switch in their municipal water source, improper water treatment caused severe lead

poisoning in almost 100% of the city’s residents.

Flint is just one example — millions of people nationwide continue to face similar risks.

In January, the EPA estimated that about nine million water service lines still contain a harmful amount of lead.

However, in December of 2024, the EPA issued a new lead regulation rule that provided stricter provisions water systems must closely adhere to. The rules mandated that water systems are required to replace all lead service lines and maintain lead concentrations below a harmful threshold.

While the U.S. continues to make changes to combat the lead exposure crisis, the Louisville Water Company (LWC) consistently works to transform and improve the state of the nation’s water quality for future generations — one cup at a time.

Serving the City LWC has implemented water quality treatment and research that stands out. In response to the national lead crisis, the company reduced the number of lead service lines substantially.

In 2020, LWC also finished removing and replacing all public lead service lines that they’d installed from 1860 to 1936 — about 74,000 in total.

“We are one of a few water utilities in the United States that have been extremely progressive in eliminating lead service lines,” Kelley Dearing-Smith, the vice president of communications at LWC, said.

This replacement is drastic in comparison to the rest of the U.S. According to the EPA, lead service lines are estimated to make up over 9% of national service line infrastructure.

Currently, LWC is focused on aiding a small number of

NUMBER OF LEAD SERVICE LINES IN THE UNITED STATES

customers, less than a few thousand, who have lead service lines on their private property. The corporation is working on a one-on-one basis to make sure pipes are effectively removed.

“We’re actually paying to replace it for them. It goes back to that idea of water quality,” Dearing-Smith said. “We take that very, very seriously.”

The company effectively deals with other crises as well — especially unpredictable ones.

From April 2-6, waves of severe storms brought heavy rain throughout Southern Indiana and Central Kentucky, causing widespread flooding. This flooding reached near recordbreaking levels, as the Ohio River crested at just under 37 feet.

In response, LWC employees worked 24-hour shifts at the water pumping stations, being transported in boats to provide clean water for Louisville’s constituents. With the changing water levels, the company adjusted water treatment to remove harmful particles and bacteria seeping in.

LWC’s response to the April flooding displays their dedication to public safety.

“We’re in the business of public service,” Lauren Horton, the digital media specialist at LWC, said. “We provide some of the best drinking water in the country and we service over one million people every day.”

LWC has been serving the community for over a century.

Founded in 1854, LWC is the oldest water utility in the U.S. The company was created based on the need for clean, reliable drinking water in Louisville and officially began operations in 1860, using a WaterWorks pumpsystem with reservoirs.

The original pumping station, located on Zorn Avenue and River Road, was a marvel of 19th century engineering, powered by steam engines that drew water from the Ohio River. This station, now known as the Louisville Water Tower, is one of the oldest standing water towers in the world.

However, the Louisville Water Tower differed from others throughout the country. Not only was it the first structure

Explaining Water Works - Kelley Dearing-Smith, the vice president of strategic communications and marketing for the Louisville Water Company (LWC), discusses the importance of the Louisville Water Museum at LWC on March 28. The museum highlights how their innovations in science and engineering contribute to safe and healthy drinking water. Photo by Suzetta Fuller

We’re in the business of public service. We provide some of the best drinking water in the country and we service over one million people every day.

- Lauren Horton, digital media specialist at the Louisville Water Company

of its kind, the ornamental architectural style instilled trust within customers while representing a level of beauty.

The tower is currently open to the public through guided tours, emphasizing the importance of clean drinking water in Louisville.

Throughout the 20th century, LWC has expanded its impressive infrastructure, adding treatment plants and modernized filtration technologies.

“We make it possible for the city to work,” Dearing-Smith said. “Think about everything that makes Louisville: homes, businesses, restaurants, hospitals, schools, all the fun places you go. None of those things operate without water.”

According to a 2023 analysis from J.D. Power, Kentucky ranks the highest in quality and reliability of tap water in the U.S.

Along with producing high quality water, LWC focuses on taste through operational testing. Over 200 water quality and taste tests are given every day at the company’s EPAcertified laboratory.

“We do a taste test every single day before the water leaves,” Dearing-Smith said. “If something doesn’t taste quite right, we adjust our treatment to make sure it tastes like Pure Tap.”

In addition to LWC’s taste tests, Louisville’s water accumulates limestone in the Ohio River that naturally filters much of the city’s water and leads to a high-quality taste.

Due to LWC’s high standards, the company has trademarked their tap water as “Louisville Pure Tap.”

This name has given the company a platform to talk about the innovation and value that goes into each glass of water, especially through youth education and conversation.

A Thirst for Knowledge

Students at duPont Manual High School filled rows of desks on either side of the classroom as they answered questions on their assignment. Louisville Water Educator Susan Sampson walked throughout the room, asking students questions about water and nutrition.

Group discussions and work materialized as students raised their hands and called out to answer questions in one of the classroom lessons that LWC provides to inform youth about the importance of water.

The organization educates the community on water treatment through three main initiatives: facility tours, classroom visits and community events.

The Louisville Water Tour and WaterWorks Museum are key to educating individuals of all generations. The two attractions are open to the public, where guests can learn about the history of water purification, filtration techniques and LWC’s present role in public health through educational tours.

“You could take a tour and you learn about our history, why

Louisville Water was founded, what life was like before a water company.” Heather Hill, the education and outreach specialist at LWC, said.

LWC also educates students through classroom visits. The company’s outreach team is able to teach at any school in their service area — which includes Bullitt, Oldham and Jefferson County — free of charge. The team has developed lesson plans that tailor to grade-specific curriculum in every county.

“For example, we have lessons on weathering and erosion that connect to core content in fourth grade,” Hill said. “We’re tying a lot of what the teachers are teaching in the classroom, and we’re bringing in these real world examples with that.”

In the 2023-24 school year alone, the company visited 95 different schools.

In addition to education in the classroom, LWC supports youth through partnerships.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company partnered with the Rajon Rondo Foundation in their locker room projects for youth struck by poverty, crime and poor education. LWC’s work with the organization allowed for local children to earn gifts such as toys, clothes and shoes through positive behavior in their schools and communities.

Partnerships also occur through youth employment within the company. Recently graduated students are able

LEARN MORE ABOUT LWC HERE! to work as visitor engagement specialists, sharing the story of LWC through tours across the Louisville Water Tower and WaterWorks Museum.

LWC also educates adults through community engagement. The organization visits company health fairs and community festivals while collaborating with other agencies for people to come and learn. In 2024 alone, LWC reached over 73,000 people within the community.

The company continues to serve quality water for individuals and families throughout Louisville. The lack of lead service

lines, outreach at city events and opportunities for youth makes the company notable from others, all in the focus of public health and safety.

LWC has made it a priority to protect the community from the detrimental effects of lead exposure. With its emphasis on the importance of clean and safe drinking water, the corporation continues to inspire youth to uphold water quality standards in order to pave the way for a healthier future.

Educating Beyond Water - LWC Educator Susan Sampson shows Gage Guttmann, an 11th grader at duPont Manual High School, the nutrition label on a soft drink on April 22 as a part of LWC’s outreach to youth. Photo by Suzetta Fuller

Video by Maggie Stone

Reaching New Heights - Crowd members lift an attendee of the Stabfest concert on March 14 as the audience dances and moshes to the bands’ performances. Photo by Loren Williamson

Staying connected through music is the easiest it’s ever been through virtual streaming, but Louisville’s concert scene is here to stay.

writing by ZOE HUGULEY design by JEREMY YOUNG

Istood outside of the club, shifting my weight from foot to foot, a coil of anticipation winding tight inside of me. Finally, after an eternity of inching up through the line, the bouncer let my friends and me inside the dimly lit hall. He scanned our tickets for the show and grabbed my arm, swiftly marking a thick “X” across my left hand and nodding for us to head inside. We had arrived at Stabfest.

As we wandered throughout the venue, a friend from school approached me, asking when I started going to shows. I was caught off guard — didn’t everyone go to concerts? Even though this one was smaller and more alternative, a concert is a concert, right?

But as the lights dimmed and the performance began, I understood the question. I understood why everyone I

“We’re here to raise money for those who don’t have a voice to advocate for themselves.”

- Rosalee Flack, 17, junior at Sacred Heart Academy

talked to referenced the show’s goers as a “scene,” rather than a crowd or fans.

When the guitar riffs reached their crescendo, people of all different ages and genders began to dance and ram into each other with reckless abandon, or more simply, “mosh.”

I’d never seen anything like it before. People were hitting the ground and slamming into the stage and surrounding furniture. It looked like a scene of chaos and aggression, but as soon as someone got knocked down, they were laughing, and someone was there to pick them back up.

When I walked into the Pape & Nutt show a week later, however, I felt hesitant. I was there to watch a country and rock concert and stick to the wall as I listened, but I hadn’t made it a few steps into the venue before being greeted by friendly faces.

Two beautiful, wide-smiled girls dressed chicly in jeans and sweaters welcomed me into the space. These girls were Sandy Butler, 17, and Rosalee Flack, 17 — both juniors at Sacred Heart Academy. They asked me for $20 as the cover charge.

Honestly, I was surprised at the price; I hadn’t expected to pay for a startup band.

“We’re here to raise money for those who don’t have a voice to advocate for themselves,” Flack said. “We hope to raise over $15,000 tonight.”

I began to put the pieces together — this was more than just a concert for a good time.

Butler and Flack are students of philanthropy for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), a

nationwide nonprofit working to fund research, advocate and provide education for people with blood cancer. In the Louisville chapter, Butler and Flack are part of a team working to become Student Visionaries of the Year, a leadership development program for high school students under LLS.

Henry Pape, 17, and Addison Nutt, 16, both juniors at Saint Xavier High School and the namesake for the Pape & Nutt concert, are also involved in the program. In fact, they came up with the original idea for the LLS event.

“One of the biggest things about LLS is giving kids the opportunity to reach out and have experiences coming up with their own ideas,” Flack said. “So they brought that idea to us and we were like, ‘let’s do it.’”

The concert was one of many fundraising opportunities LLS’ students host for the organization, stemming from a wish to both raise money and play the music they love. The point of the music is to bring people together for something bigger than themselves.

We are in the middle of a global shift toward streaming services and virtual concerts. With this, the role of small, live shows becomes more crucial than ever. While major events and online platforms dominate the mainstream music scene, local venues and artists of Louisville must remain irreplaceable.

Major music festivals are always a hot commodity in our city. In September, when Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life roll around, it takes

over all aspects of my life. Whether I choose to buy a ticket or not, my conversations with friends are littered with what they’re wearing, who they’re going with and what artist they’re most excited to see.

This is an aspect of Louisville I hold close to my heart, counting myself lucky to be able to live in a city where big-name artists choose to bring their shows year after year.

However, there is an underrecognized heartbeat within Louisville, one you might not even realize is there. Whether it be alternative grunge artists or soon-to-be country music stars, the smaller shows

and select audiences make Louisville’s music scene unique.

Artists like Jack Harlow, a rapper, Tyler Childers, a country singer and Cage The Elephant, a rock band, all come from the Bluegrass State.

However, they didn’t start their careers flying out to cities in California and New York to perform; all the artists that represent Kentucky began in humbler places around the state. They connected with their hometown first, just like the local artists playing music around our city right now.

For both performers and fans, smaller shows breed connection. Despite the stark

differences in the ambience, energy and sound of the two concerts I attended, there was a common thread when talking to the crowd throughout the shows: they all have found a community for themselves.

Stabfest was based on acceptance.

“I love our Louisville scene, I love our hardcore scene,” said Eli Yates, 14, an eighth grader at the J. Graham Brown School and a regular attendee at events like Stabfest’s concerts. “I feel so welcomed and at home as a trans kid in the scene, it’s awesome.”

Yates sat perched between two friends on a low step outside the concert doors. The thrashing

More Than the Music - Sandy Butler, 17, and Rosalee Flack, 17, juniors at Sacred Heart Academy, speak about the fundraiser the Pape & Nutt Concert supports on March 22. Butler and Flack are members of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and wish to raise $15,000 for the night. Photo by Loren Williamson

music inside seemed to be just a background hum to their group’s giggly conversation — and the obvious bond between the friends was no coincidence.

“I met my closest friends at the scene,” Yates said, gesturing to Jewel Green, 14, an eighth grader at Western Middle School.

“We met at a show.”

The two first encountered each other last November at the Pissed On concert at Magnolia Bar, or Mag Bar. Since then, it has become a weekly occurrence to find and meet up at different shows.

“If it wasn’t for being in the scene, I probably wouldn’t be as

close with a lot of my friends,” Green said.

I found myself momentarily surprised. After seeing the chaos within the mosh pit, the wall-shaking music and bold alternative clothing, I didn’t expect their friendship to mirror some of my own.

But, as I stood there, I realized the scene wasn’t about rebellion for the sake of it or to push the typical southern Kentucky norm. It wasn’t formed to defy anyone at all — it was made to bring diverse groups of people together with a shared love for music.

“The hardcore scene is looked at as so violent, but I’ve never felt more at home,” Yates said.

For Pape and Nutt, their friends and family are the ones who encouraged them to create their own concert community.

“Live music should be a bigger part of everyone’s lives,” Pape said. “That’s why we’re here.”

I had the opportunity to talk to the bandmates before their show. As we spoke, I noticed their friends and family passing by to wave at them, looking just as excited as they were.

Soon I found out why: this would be the first time either

Welcome to the Underground - Parker Magee, 15, the lead singer of Underground Warning, welcomes the crowd into the Stabfest concert on March 14. Cheers soar as he asks the crowd if they are ready for the band’s performance. Photo by Loren Williamson

“The hardcore scene is looked at as so violent, but I’ve never felt more at home.”

- Eli Yates, 14, eighth grader at the J. Graham Brown School

of them had played in front of a paying audience.

When it came to deciding what genre of music to perform, the answer was pretty straightforward.

“I’ve listened to country and rock my whole life, so it was a nobrainer,” Nutt said.

Outside of playing music, Pape and Nutt are also proud members of the LLS team with Butler and Flack.

“We just want to have fun and show everyone a good time and raise money for cancer research,” Nutt said.

And they did exactly that. The duo’s energy was exactly what the show needed, both smiling ear to ear as they sang and played.

They had the occasional mishap, of course — Nutt forgot a few words of a Tyler Childers song and a string on Pape’s guitar snapped in one of the beginning songs of the set. But the crowd was too busy swaying to the music to notice, and Pape and Nutt kept their focus on performing for their peers.

Their happy demeanor spilled out to the crowd throughout the show. It seemed like the whole venue was singing and dancing along to the familiar songs they played.

Even though the crowd was made up of a lot of their personal friends, family and acquaintances, I didn’t once feel out of place. There was an unspoken sense of belonging that ran through the concert enjoyers and performers.

Jaden Wagner, 18, a senior at duPont Manual High School and a house music DJ and artist by

the name “GudGroove,” felt this spark of belonging the first time he performed at a casual party.

He had a set track: he was excited for his future, his high school baseball years had been going well and he knew he wanted to play in college.

However, while visiting his friend’s brother’s fraternity at Western Kentucky University, his future goals changed as soon as he stood in front of a crowd.

“They needed someone on aux at the frat party, so I took it and the rest is history,” Wagner said.

After this experience, he started to perform at house parties, then college events.

But for Wagner, no dream is too big. This May, he’ll be flying to Columbus to perform at a silent disco festival.

“When I’m looking forward to one of my shows, I look forward to seeing my friends there and having a good time,” Wagner said.

For Wagner and many other artists, it’s not just about the performance — it’s about the people. Every show is an opportunity for connection.

In a time where everything is so easily digital, it’s easy to forget the value of experiences in person, especially in music, where apps like Airbuds or Spotify’s Jam Session feature make it easy to listen together virtually. I use them with friends constantly to bond and share the music we love.

However, through these concerts, I’ve found that the raw energy of a show can’t be replaced over a phone call

or streaming app. There’s something intimately special about standing under one roof between artist and listener from all different walks of life and being able to listen together. This form of community shouldn’t be lost on our city. Louisville is a uniquely urban area situated in the north of the state, but more southern of our country, inevitably making it a melting pot of diversity in all arts — especially music. Big-name artists have come out of our city in every genre and visit Louisville to perform every summer and fall for our festivals.

Watching these worlds of music overlap in front of me in real time reminded me that every fan is looking for the same thing: a connection. Whether that be affirmation in themself, charity outreach or friendship, music is a bridge between us all. So go out and enjoy it, maybe I’ll see you at a show soon!

TUNE IN FOR THE ENCORE!

Video by Samiyah Taylor

Despite funding challenges and pandemic setbacks, Louisville’s theater community continues to adapt and inspire the next generation of performers.

writing by LUKE BOGGS design by GRACE KIRBY

Chills. As I stood up and applauded the cast of Sacred Heart Academy’s rendition of “Into the Woods,” goosebumps coated my body. The design and production made me feel like I, too, was in a mythical fairytale land, surrounded by lush greenery and the chirps of imaginary birds.

The makeup and costumes were so delicately executed, revealed by the tedious work of the light and sound crew.

Then there were the magnificent actors. Their passion was displayed so perfectly, so effectively, I often found myself clinging to the edge of my seat, awaiting their next line. Even when the performers weren’t speaking, they kept their focus on the person in the spotlight, incorporating facial expressions that showed genuine interest in the illuminated subject.

Each goosebump that prickled my skin represented something different about the musical; so much work, joy and passion went into just an hour and a half of entertainment.

Walking out of the auditorium, I couldn’t help but think about how easily such beauty could be taken for granted, or worse, lost entirely. As magical as that performance was, it stood in stark contrast to the harsh reality that many arts programs across the country face. While students and educators pour their hearts into these productions, strenuous circumstances hinder their work.

During financial slumps and global crises, Louisville’s art scene has been heavily impacted, but the arts have always persevered in times of conflict.

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Louisville, like

many cities, faced significant budget shortfalls which targeted many departments — including the arts. With a $29 million disparity in the city budget, former Mayor Jerry Abramson cut contributions to 26 arts groups, leaving them with half of the originally intended funds.

Many organizations went into survival mode. The Louisville Orchestra pulled through, indicative by their reorganization of the establishment, including a new artistic and executive director. But, adapting to a postrecession society that was timid to purchase new entertainment and non-necessary items would take time.

Then came the pandemic. COVID-19 forced local theater organizations to cancel live shows and adjust to virtual performances, taking a large toll on the community.

For Actors Theatre of Louisville, this led to a steep drop in revenue — over $2 million. However, they didn’t let this hold them back.

“Over the course of this past year, Actors Theatre has built an entire library of digital work available to stream, as well as offering live, online experiences designed to create connection and community,” a 2021 Actors Theatre impact report read. “In a time of pandemic-induced isolation and upheaval for so many, it’s been important to us to continue finding ways to build critical consciousness and community, while also bringing some joy.”

Despite these efforts, many organizations like Actors Theatre have found it difficult to maintain or regain their pre-pandemic income and engagement, constantly fighting to stay open

and continue providing a space for kids who wish to participate in theater.

On June 1, 2024, StageOne Family Theatre and Commonwealth Theatre Center (CTC) underwent a merger to combat similar struggles. The two groups rebranded to StageOne Family Theatre and renamed CTC as Walden Conservatory. This move showcased StageOne’s commitment to providing lessons, shows and skills to the arts-inclined youth of Louisville.

Andrew Harris, StageOne’s producing artistic director, claimed that a drop in student engagement leading up to the merger was primarily due to a lack of funding for arts education, as well as the 2023 JCPS transportation cuts.

The struggles of arts organizations from the 2008 recession to the more recent impacts of COVID-19 underscore that, without consistent funding, many arts programs are left vulnerable.

Blame can’t be squarely put on the local government’s lack of funding when the solution lies right in front of us — literally in our wallets.

It’s time for all of us to invest in the arts. Attend a local theater performance. Buy tickets for art galleries. Watch youth performers flourish on stage. When art begins to fade, it is the responsibility of the public to revitalize it.

Behind the Curtain

The level of dedication required for student theater is often underestimated. The participants, however, are keenly aware of the immense effort that goes behind each show.

“

There’s so many gifts that this thing of ours can give that go far beyond pursuing this professionally.

- Crystian Wiltshire, community engagement manager at StageOne Family Theatre

“It definitely needs more recognition than it receives,” Elyse Wilcox, 17, a junior at Ballard High School, said.

Wilcox has been a member Louisville’s theater community since elementary school and most recently performed in the ensemble of Ballard’s “Shrek the Musical.”

“A lot of people that work in art and theater industries do so much and pour so much into what they do,” Wilcox said.

Alongside the need for greater recognition, she pointed to limited financial support as another major challenge.

“I think lack of funding is probably the biggest issue,” Wilcox said. “We do try to do a lot of fundraisers, but honestly, a lot of times they don’t raise very much money, especially specifically theater fundraisers. I feel like people don’t donate as much to theater as they would for other causes.”

Caylen Judd, 18, was Cinderella in Sacred Heart Academy’s “Into the Woods” and also believes that the community has more to give to the arts.

“I think we need to treat arts education as essential, not extra. I have always felt this way, whether it’s in the school systems or just the community as a whole,” Judd stated in a text. “I think everyone can appreciate the arts no matter what.”

Judd explained that she has seen more funding and recognition go to science,

technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects in JCPS and in Louisville.

“I think STEM is prioritized more because typically STEM careers are more high paying and ‘practical’ to make a living,” Judd said. “I disagree with that theory because I think that being involved in art programs is the best way to become a leader.”

This cultural comparison from STEM to the arts reflects a broader idea that has been gaining traction over the years. In many cases, STEM provides monetary success — an almost certain guarantee that anyone who learns STEM skills will be more financially successful than other fields of study.

Kathie Davis is working to change this narrative.

From STEM to STEAM

Davis, the executive director of Sacred Heart’s Academy of the Arts, believes the solution lies in adding another letter to the acronym: what once was STEM will now be STEAM.

“There’s a place for STEM,” Davis said. “But the A in STEAM is that arts component that gives you that authenticity, that gives you that ability to sell, that gives you that ability to get up in front of people and that warmth I just feel like may be missing if you’re only looking at STEM.”

Davis has been involved in the theater environment for quite some time. She helped start a

theater focused section of the Oldham County Schools Arts Center in 2008 before finding a job at Sacred Heart Academy three years ago.

Davis thinks the best way to merge the strengths of these fields and ensure continued support is to simply adjust the framework of the discussion.

“The problem is you have lots of technical skills. People can come in and they can write code all day long and they can do it, but if they can’t hold a room, they can’t make the sale,” Davis said. “If I can’t make that presentation, I don’t have investors and then we don’t have a business, and I think theater does that.”

Blending both art and STEM combines the qualities needed to navigate the pressures of real-world situations. The indispensable skill of handling conversations and displaying one’s best self is something that theater inherently requires.

When students engage in theater, they are constantly honing their ability to think on their feet, collaborate with others and communicate effectively — all vital traits for traversing complex environments in any career.

“There’s so many day-to-day skills that you get in theater,” Crystian Wiltshire, the community engagement manager at StageOne, said. “There’s so many wonderful gifts that this thing of

ours can give that go far beyond pursuing this professionally.”

Almost a year since the merger, StageOne and CTC are still working to keep this community alive. While they originally underwent the shift to address financial issues caused by decreased ticket sales postpandemic, StageOne still had trouble reaching their most critical audience: the youth.

“Now that the merger is complete, how can we continue to tell our story?” Wiltshire asked.

This question led them to a more creative solution — one that strays from the norm in the performing arts: instead of struggling to bring schools to the performance, StageOne could find a way to bring the performance to them.

“We’re able to say, ‘Hey, StageOne can actually come out to you,’” Wiltshire said. “We saw some really wonderful results from that.”

In the fall of 2024, a handful of StageOne performers traveled out in vans to schools across the county, cutting down the cost and stress of busing students to and from an experience. This shift in approach allows them to continue providing for students who might otherwise have to miss out, ensuring that the arts remain accessible.

“That is a wonderful pipeline to be able to say that some Walden kid eventually continued on in pursuit of theater,” Wiltshire said. “That’s a beautiful thing. What’s also wonderful and just as beautiful is someone that is enrolled here, or maybe just saw a StageOne show, and decided to become a lover of theater as an audience member.”

By meeting schools where they are, StageOne aims to maintain its connection with young audiences and continue fostering creativity in the classroom.

“Being here in the conservatory and seeing these kids, this is such a safe haven for them,” Wiltshire said. “All of the work that we do on the administrative side, they all need us to be doing that work to keep this machine going.”

... As I’ve come to finish this article, I have realized that journalism is

also art. It provides insight into the human experience, a way for not only the audience, but the author, too, to understand the world around them.

Think of the music you listen to on a car ride home, the clothes on your body or the decorations that encapsulate your room. That is art. Every time art creates an emotion, whatever the medium, the artist has done their job.

Practice Makes Perfect - Olivia Smith, a junior at Ballard High School playing the role of Gingy and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballard’s “Shrek the Musical,” proudly sings the opening notes to the number “Freak Flag” at rehearsal on March 18. Photo by Sadie Eichenberger

When a political cartoon makes you mad, when a movie makes you cry, when the first few notes of a nostalgic song stirs up melancholy, when a theater performance gives you chills — so many emotions are tied to and caused by art.

There’s something so beautiful about the power of art, as it’s driven by the need to communicate — to take the raw materials of life and craft them into something that resonates with people.

Supporting local theater doesn’t always require a ticket purchase. It can also mean spreading the word, volunteering your time or encouraging the people around you to engage in these vital cultural experiences we take for granted.

Remember that feeling when the performance transported you, when the final note of the show sent a ripple of chills down your spine or when the passion of the performers pulled you into their world. That moment — the goosebumps, the awe, the connection — is something that can be replicated by theater for everyone. It’s a magic that taps into the deepest parts of our emotions, challenges our perspectives and celebrates the complexities of the human experience.

Theater is an art form that doesn’t just entertain — it has the power to make us feel, to make us think and to unite us in a shared space of creativity.

We all have a role to play. Investing in the next generation solidifies theater as an adapting

medium that gives young performers not only their passion, but the tools to prepare themselves for that next step.

CHECK OUT MORE!

Setting the Scene - Cast members of Sacred Heart Academy’s “Into the Woods” rehearse diligently for the show before its opening. Onstage, they tremble from the wrath of the Wicked Witch during the song “Last Midnight” on Feb. 24. Photo by Sadie Eichenberger

Video by Bailey Molinari

Youth are finding more creative ways to express themselves — we highlight three local shops whose young owners have turned their hobbies into something more.

writing by MICHELLE PARADA design by AMELIA ROIDA

On a hot summer afternoon in the middle of July, I laid against the thin covers of my bed, aimlessly scrolling as a distraction from the sweltering heat. My phone suddenly chimed, a notification from a friend popping up at the top of the screen. Not thinking much of it, I clicked on her text.

The message was a video of Mary Rangel, a 14-year-old nail technician. Though I was initially caught off guard by her professionalism at such a young age, it was her prices that piqued my interest the most.

Compared to other nail salons, which charge extra for additional charms and enhancements, Rangel emphasized her commitment to affordable services.

As I scrolled further on her

account, I found a variety of designs. Long, square-shaped nails decorated with small gems and white hibiscus flowers on an ombre pink base reminded me of the intricate creations I had saved to my Pinterest boards — all fashioned by a girl three years younger than me.

Before this encounter, I hadn’t given the idea of profiting off of a hobby much thought.

I was aware that many people started up businesses based on their passions and motivations, but to me, most of those people were adults with real jobs and work experience.

The real shock was how people my age and younger decided to turn their pastimes into something bigger.

Here in Louisville, many teens

have turned these passions into newfound purposes. From nail art to sneaker collecting to handmade crafts, they are following an entrepreneurial path that highlights financial independence, creativity and self expression.

Enhanced Nails

Rangel, now 15 years old, is a freshman at Fairdale High School, and her story began with a trip to the nail salon.

“When I’d go to the shops, I couldn’t really afford them,” Rangel said, “but I would always want to have them done.”

Like many young women, she wanted to pamper herself — but for some teenagers, these expenses are often covered by their parents.

“Growing up with my

immigrant family, I just remember money always being a struggle for all those things that I would want,” Rangel said.

“Everything was just always so expensive, so I was like, there has to be a way where I can make it easier and better.”

Tired of the constant ask and answer, she decided to start doing her own nails and, as time went on, found comfort and enjoyment in the activity.

In April 2024, Rangel entered a course in which she obtained a license to practice nail art. Shortly after, she began taking clients.

Rangel specializes in nail gel extension, also known as Gel-X nails, which is a different technique from other, more popular styles practiced at salons, such as acrylic, dip or regular gel nails.

Rangel found that this unique style made promoting herself on social media easy.

She gained a wide following and audience through her consistent posts on Instagram and was able to reach clients throughout and beyond Louisville.

“I just started putting myself out there, letting people know who I am truly, and just letting people understand,” Rangel said.

Instagram’s algorithm was in her favor, as she had a video go viral with over two million views — the same video that I came across last summer.

She hopes to continue this business for a long time, and dreams of one day owning her own brick-and-mortar location full of nail technicians.

“My plan is to just build a big salon for girls who were like me in that situation. They couldn’t really

afford the good quality stuff,” Rangel said “I just want that to be known, I want that to be my main market of my business.”

Our Right Side

Harleigh Beumer, 18, a senior at duPont Manual High School, has turned a leisurely hobby of handmade crafting into a flourishing business.

With the guidance and aid of her mom and business partner, Christi, and the support team that is her family, Beumer makes and sells a multitude of things from earrings, sublimation tumblers, American sign language puzzles and embroidery requests.

Beumer was born with an autoimmune neuromuscular disease affecting one’s muscles. Her personal experience inspired her to make the items that she now sells at flea markets and pop-up shops.

Nailed It - Mary Rangel, 15, a freshman at Fairdale High School and owner of Enhanced Nails, sits at her home nail studio on March 19. Rangel received her nail technician certification at just 14 years old. Photo by Emma Johnson

“I use it as a coping method,” Beumer said. “Everything I do is a coping strategy for me.”

The name of their business is Our Right Side, a concept stemming from the fact that creativity and imagination develop on the right side of the brain.

Beumer has always been a creative person. As someone who finds enjoyment in crafting things from scratch for herself and others, she hopes to incorporate her business into her future career.

“My long term goal is to be an occupational therapist,” Beumer said. “I’ll be able to use some of the products we make to help the kids that I work with.”

Harleigh and Christi Beumer exemplify the successes that may come with creating a business with someone you trust.

Finest Kicks

Twin brothers Tylan and Taylan Walker, 19, opened Finest Kicks, a clothing store specializing in shoe sales, less than a year after they graduated from Fern Creek High School in 2023.

Instead of attending a fouryear university like some of their classmates, the twins decided to take a different route: starting their own business.

“We sell shoes, clothes — designer — and everything’s all 100% authentic,” Tylan said.

The Walkers took inspiration from their parents, who have always worked on their own accord.

The twins’ interest in shoes and fashion was always a big motivator for why they chose this path; rather than working a stereotypical job, they chose to be their own bosses. They started off with a limited supply of shoes, but their

success has inspired them to expand into a similar, but new horizon: clothing.

“We first started with probably four rows of shoes on the wall,” Tylan said. “We definitely improved a lot.”

“Growing up with my immigrant family, I just remember money always being a struggle for all those things that I would want.”

- Mary Rangel, 15, nail technician

Handcrafted - Harleigh Beumer, 18, a senior at duPont Manual High School, sets up a booth for her and her mom’s small business, Our Right Side, at the Eastern High School Band’s Spring Boutique on April 19. Photo by Emma Johnson

But the Walker twins don’t plan to stop with an increase in their inventory; they also hope to expand into a better location.

“We’ll probably be doing this for a long time. We’re thinking about relocating and getting a better area,” Taylan said. “It’s improving. It’s definitely improving.”

The twins’ bond has remained strong throughout their time together, and their ability to rely on each other and grow their business has only brought them closer together.

... There is no guarantee of success or all of the money one could desire when founding a business. The teens have found struggles

with opening and operating their businesses, but they’ve put in the work and refused to let challenges discourage them. These young entrepreneurs all unanimously agree that the best thing aspiring business owners can do is not give up.

“Don’t stop when things are hard,” Beumer said. “Find any ways to try another path or research and figure out what could help you keep going.”

Through consistent perseverance, the success these youth have achieved is all the sweeter. Not only are they chasing their dreams, they are also setting a good example for those looking to follow in their footsteps. At the end of the day, they all get to spend their time

doing what they love: turning their greatest passions into greater profit.

LEARN ABOUT ANOTHER LOCAL BUSINESS HERE!

If the Shoe Fits - Twin brothers Taylan and Tylan Walker, 19, show off their inventory of shoes at their storefront on March 1. Photo by Emma Johnson

Video by Amelia Roida

Crossword Puzzle

So You Think You Know LOUISVILLE?

Louisville’s immigrant students speak out in the wake of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations.

writing by ISABELLA SHORY design by YINA HWANG

A City Standing Up - Hundreds of citizens protest for their rights outside Louisville Metro City Hall on April 5 as part of the nationwide Hands Off! 2025 protest movement. Photo by Sadie Eichenberger

It was the senior year she’d been waiting for. As Vianka Ricardo Ojeda, 18, was reaching the end of her time at Seneca High School, she was already planning for the future.

Ricardo Ojeda’s family immigrated from Cuba to the U.S. in search of a better future away from an oppressive regime. Now, she was finally getting her chance. She’d picked a college and a roommate. She couldn’t wait to learn how to change the tire on her first car. She was ready for the next chapter.

Then President Donald Trump won the 2024 election. Suddenly, the excitement turned to anxiety. Looking forward to the future turned to compulsively checking windows in case an immigration officer was waiting outside, and the friend she had chosen as her college roommate decided to repatriate, or self-deport, back to Mexico. Each day as Ricardo Ojeda went to school, she could only hope that her life at home would remain intact. Concentrating in her classes became much more difficult.

“You can’t really focus everything you have into studying because you don’t know if you have a future,” Ricardo Ojeda said.

Since Trump won the election in November, running on a platform promising mass deportations, immigrant families and students around the country have faced immense anxiety.

Jenni Garmon sees these impacts firsthand. As the mental health practitioner at Newcomer Academy, a JCPS school for beginning English speakers in grades 6-12, she has noticed a significant impact on the students.

“There’s a dramatic increase in worry and fear about safety,” Garmon said, “even for students who don’t necessarily have anything to worry about legally, because

they understand that it isn’t about legality, it’s about perception.”

Trump’s slew of executive orders since his inauguration has kept immigration law and news ever-evolving, fueling further confusion and uncertainty for immigrant communities.

Dissecting the Headlines

According to the Trump 2024 campaign’s official website, his number one platform was to “seal the border and stop the migrant invasion.” He also promised to “demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders.”

However, Trump’s plan for mass deportations is not as feasible as he promises.

While many of his campaign speeches focused on this “migrant crime epidemic,” the American Immigration Council reported in October 2024 that from 1980 to 2022, as the immigrant population grew, the national crime rate decreased. Additionally, in most U.S. cities, crime has declined since 2022, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Sarah Stricklin is a student in her third and final year at the University of Louisville’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. She’s currently participating in an immigration clinic.

Stricklin explained that the legal process is not able to support deportations on the scale that Trump has planned.

For a deportation to take place, immigrants must be found deportable due to a loss of permanent resident status or a violation of criminal or immigration law. In nearly all cases, undocumented immigrants also have the constitutional right to due process, allowing them to appeal deportation decisions in court.

“There’s just no feasible way to speed that up without depriving people of due process,

which is exactly what he’s doing,” Stricklin said.

She believes that Trump’s plans are also impractical due to a lack of resources.

“There’s no beds for him to put them in,” Stricklin said. “There’s already been humanitarian issues and overcrowding in lots of the detention centers.”

In February, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released 160 migrant detainees as some detention facilities reached 109% capacity.

Despite overcrowding, Trump has taken several actions to make more immigrants vulnerable to deportation.

On the first day of his presidency, he signed 10 executive orders seeking to change immigration policies, including the suspension of the Refugee Admissions Program, which would discontinue refugee entry into the U.S. indefinitely. However, a federal judge in Seattle blocked this order on Feb. 25.

Kentucky Refugee Ministries, a nonprofit resettlement organization, reported in February that this decision caused over 100 travel cancellations for refugees in their organization alone.

On Jan. 28, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will pause American-sponsored humanitarian aid programs. This means that individuals seeking temporary entry into the U.S. from war-torn countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan will be denied during the suspension.

Trump has also worked to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation given to countries where the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that conditions in the country would prevent its nationals from returning home safely. Currently applying

to countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela, TPS protects migrants from deportation and makes them eligible for employment authorization.

However, this stands to change. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Feb. 5 that TPS will expire for Haitians on Aug. 3 and for Venezuelans on April 5 for those under the 2023 designation, meaning that any Venezuelan nationals registered for TPS under the 2023 designation will no longer qualify and will be eligible for deportation. The 2021 TPS designation for Venezuela will remain in effect until Sept. 10.

Yet, crises continue in both countries. Armed gang violence and widespread poverty have inundated Haiti, and Venezuela continues to experience a humanitarian emergency and government-led prosecution of any dissenters.

Additionally, on the first day of his presidency, Trump issued an executive order that would remove automatic citizenship from children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents. This was a step toward ending birthright citizenship, which

is outlined in the 14th Amendment. It guarantees that anyone born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

In response to Trump’s action, attorneys general from 22 states sued in federal court, arguing that the order violated the amendment.

“That would hurt many, many people. Not even just immigrants, but many U.S. citizens would be hurt by that,” Stricklin said. “I can’t even begin to describe how that would impact Louisville.”

Within days of his presidency, the Trump administration officially rescinded decade-old guidance that prevented ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from carrying out immigration arrests in sensitive locations like churches, schools and hospitals.

“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement following the decision.

The National Education Association (NEA) criticized the new administration’s guidance.

“If implemented as promised, Trump’s policies will lead to fear and upheaval, mass panic in immigrant communities, and will predictably harm school environments including by causing increased absences, decreased student achievement, and parental disengagement,” the NEA said in a statement.

Additionally, five states have proposed legislation that would challenge public education for undocumented students, a possible violation of Plyler v. Doe.

This landmark 1982 Supreme Court case ruled that denying undocumented children of immigrants the right to attend public schools constitutes discrimination and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

In January, Oklahoma began requiring schools to ask for proof of a student’s immigration or citizenship status. While this does not prevent undocumented

- Vianka Ricardo Ojeda, 18, senior at Seneca High School

“You can’t really focus everything you have into studying because you don’t know if you have a future.”

students from attending school, it requires school districts to track and report any without proof of legal status.

According to NPR, schools around the country have reported attendance drops and mental health crises among students who fear that their classrooms are no longer safe.

“Trump is coming after immigrants, and he says he’s coming after undocumented immigrants and criminal immigrants because he’s banking on the fact that people aren’t going to pay attention or they aren’t going to care if it’s immigrants, and especially if it’s criminals,” Stricklin said. “But there’s already evidence that he’s sweeping up innocent people.”

The Trump administration confirmed in April that it mistakenly deported a Maryland man to a prison in El Salvador due to an “administrative error.” The administration still accuses the man of gang membership, but he was never charged with a crime.

Immigration authorities are also currently facing criticism for their arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and legal permanent resident. The federal government claims that Khalil’s “presence in the country enabled antisemitism,” following his participation in proPalestinian campus protests.

“I’m with constant fear”

Although there is no evidence that ICE has arrested any students in K-12 schools, it doesn’t stop the fear and anxiety for immigrant and refugee students.

These anxieties have had an immense impact on Louisville’s schools, which have experienced a rapid growth of multilingual students in recent years. JCPS reported over 20,000 multilingual learners in 2024, a dramatic increase from 9,451 in 2018,

meaning that around one in five JCPS students is a non-native English speaker.

In 2017, the JCPS board passed a resolution designating the district as a “safe haven” for immigrant students. The resolution notes that, regardless of immigration status, every child has the right to attend public school. It requires ICE officers to have written authorization and the superintendent to give adequate notice to students and staff before officers enter the schools. Additionally, it prohibits JCPS employees from asking about a student’s documentation status or sharing it with ICE officers without a court order.

In January, JCPS sent the district’s principals instructions for “non-emergency visits from government officials,” a reminder of current district guidance. It advised staff to call district police and ask for an officer to be present in the case of a visit.

Despite these protections, immigrant students in Louisville still fear for their safety.

Milenia Waltrip, the executive director of the nonprofit Latinos Unidos en el Camino a la Éxcelencia, or Latinos United on the Path to Excellence (LUCÉ), has noticed a significant impact on Louisville’s Hispanic community.

“We have seen an increase in fear, anxiety — especially among students and young children,” Waltrip said.

Garmon has also witnessed this uptick in mental health issues with her students at Newcomer.

“I’ve had to have multiple conversations with students and parents of students regarding their concern about safety,” Garmon said. “I’ve had to talk to students about their fear about what might happen as they walk to bus stops.”

Garmon predicts that any anxiety or stress resulting from

this situation could significantly impact students’ ability to learn.

“It’s impossible to try to learn English if your brain is focused on survival,” Garmon said.

Though she recognizes their strength and resilience, she doesn’t believe in pretending that circumstances are normal for immigrant students.

“It is definitely going to affect a lot of factors of their lives, not the least of which is learning English and math and science and social studies,” Garmon said.

Heysha Diaz Melendez is an English teacher and sponsor of Seneca’s Hispanic Students United (HSU). HSU is a program at several JCPS schools that focuses on sharing Hispanic culture with all students through food, dances and events, like their district-wide end-of-year gala. She echoed Garmon’s concern about changes in students’ mental health since Trump’s inauguration.

Diaz Melendez’s students, many of them seniors, have expressed their worries about their well-being once they leave the relative safety of high school and embark on their futures. She’s even had students openly weep in front of her.

“I’ve read what they’ve written about their experiences getting to this country, and it’s heartbreaking,” Diaz Melendez said. “All that the kids had to get through just to be sitting here, and then you add on top of that the challenges of being a student.”

She implores JCPS to be more aware of the effect that the Trump administration is having on immigrant students.

“This is what’s dominating their train of thought, their concern, their mental health,” Diaz Melendez said. “We need to take that into consideration.”

Ricardo Ojeda, Grecia Mavares Osorio, 18, and Daniela

Cuba’s one-party communist state, which suppresses opposition and restricts civil rights. As a young girl, Ricardo Ojeda had to watch as her mother was violently dragged through the streets of Cuba because she protested against the government. Returning is unimaginable for either of them.

Now, all three students have to go to school and hope that when they return home, their worst fear won’t come true.

“I’m with constant fear that I go home one day, my mom’s not there,” Garcia said.

But along with the stress from the new administration’s immigration policies, teenage immigrants still have to attempt to be regular high school students. Facing the daily realities of homework and exams becomes even more difficult when students’ top priority is the safety of themselves and their families.

“It doesn’t allow you to concentrate and focus in class because you’re thinking about that all the time,” Garcia said. “You’re like, ‘what if they come to the school today?’”

This leaves students feeling as if nowhere is safe anymore.

Garcia, 18, are three immigrant students and members of Seneca’s HSU leadership team.

Mavares Osorio, the community engagement manager of Seneca’s HSU, escaped from Venezuela around 3 1/2 ago. Though it was her home, its oppressive government and widespread poverty threatened the lives of both her and her family.

“Me and my dad, we can get killed if we go back,” Mavares Osorio said.

This reality has placed incredible stress on her family. They came to the U.S. for a better future — a future which may now be erased.

“My mom has two jobs and she has cried in front of me, telling me that she doesn’t feel sure going to work or sending me or my brother to school,” Mavares Osorio said.

Garcia, the president of Seneca’s HSU, and Ricardo Ojeda, the press secretary, both fled

“It’s so terrifying that you want to just go to school and do your work and so you can go back home and be safe again,” Mavares Osorio said. “But the thing is that, right now, you’re not even safe in your home.”

Throughout Trump’s presidential campaign, he often used rhetoric that many immigrants found offensive. He alleged that Haitians were eating cats and dogs, and frequently stated that illegal immigrants were stealing American jobs.

“I’m not here to steal jobs or make people uncomfortable because of my pride of being Hispanic. I’m not here for that. I actually have a dream. I want to

To Hope - Grecia Mavares Osorio, a senior and the community engagement manager of Hispanic Students United at Seneca High School, shares her fears and anxieties regarding the safety of her family on Feb. 12. Photo by Sadie Eichenberger

Finding Humanity

go to college and I want to have a job,” Mavares Osorio said. “I don’t have any of these chances on my country. That’s why I’m here.”

ICE’s official X account publishes names and photos of arrested illegal immigrants around the country, along with the crime they are charged with. The posts describe the individuals as “criminal aliens,” rather than people.

According to an internal memorandum obtained by Axios in January, ICE officially directed its employees to use the term “alien,” rather than “immigrant.” This reversed Former President Joe Biden 2021 decision to use the word “noncitizen.” Many immigrant rights organizations and members of Louisville’s Hispanic community consider this choice dehumanizing.

“I’m a cheerleader. I’m here at school. I want to go to college. I want to be a veterinary technician. I have a business with my mom,” Mavares Osorio said. “But am I actually an alien?”

Despite narratives that may be promoted through the media and politicians, the vast majority of immigrants and refugees aren’t coming to the U.S. to bring crime or take jobs: they’re fleeing the homes they cherish and people they love in search of a better life.

“It’s not a sin to want a future for you or your kids or your family, because most of immigrants that came here to the U.S. were escaping something in their birth country,” Ricardo Ojeda said. “Who would want to run away from a country that actually cares?”

Immigrant students have still been able to find sanctuary amid the chaos and uncertainty.

“The only thing that actually keeps me standing is hope and my spirit,” Ricardo Ojeda said. “Because we’re fighters.”

The HSUs at Seneca and schools around the district are sources of hope for JCPS’ large immigrant population that may now be fearful of the future. The district officially approved HSUs in the 2024-25 school year. Schools, such as Doss, Southern and Iroquois, began the program or transformed existing clubs into HSUs.

Ricardo Ojeda, Mavares Osorio and Garcia have all found community and belonging in Seneca’s HSU despite the anxiety that may be swirling around them. Before she

Hit Record - The Hands Off! 2025 protest participants gather on April 5 on the steps of Louisville’s Metro City Hall. An activist records as the crowd gains enthusiasm. Photo by Sadie Eichenberger

joined the group and became the community engagement manager, Mavares Osorio felt like she was hiding herself and her Venezuelan culture.

“I joined the HSU and they taught me how to express myself,” Mavares Osorio said. “I can be myself, I can dance to the songs of my country. I can be myself the same as I was there, as four years ago. I feel home now.”

HSU also provides a respite from the harsh political environment that many Hispanic students now live in, where major Republican politicians describe members of their community as “criminals” and “aliens.”

“You see the laws and executive orders and people being deported and being brought in chains as if they were criminals, and you don’t see the humanity. And then you question, is there humanity left?” Ricardo Ojeda said. “Because I’m in the HSU, I see that humanity each day.”

For any students with concerns, Stricklin advises them to know their rights and memorize the A-Numbers, or Alien Registration Numbers, of themselves and their family members. She also wants them to know when to remain silent and that they do not need to open the door for ICE agents without a judicial warrant.

LUCÉ is one local organization helping immigrant students during this time. Led by Waltrip, it offers youth mentorship programs and adult career preparedness training.

Through a grant from the JCPS Department of Diversity, Equity, and Poverty, LUCÉ operates leadership groups in schools around Louisville. They work to support immigrant students who fall under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which provides educational rights and services to youth experiencing homelessness.

LUCÉ has given schoolbased presentations since Trump’s inauguration that educate students on their legal rights and the reality of being an immigrant today. The sessions are always available in Spanish, ensuring that no essential information is lost in translation.

“We believe that language should not be a barrier when it comes to developing knowledge, and in this case, we want the students and the families that we serve to truly understand what we’re telling them and what the law says,” Waltrip said.

However, JCPS informed LUCÉ on Feb. 24 that the district would not be able to renew its loan. Waltrip claimed that this was due to federal budget cuts and explained that it would significantly impact their operations, preventing them from providing direct services to Hispanic students or facilitating support in schools.

For any immigrant students who feel unsafe during this time, Waltrip urges them, above all, to be knowledgeable.

“Regardless of the situation, not in regards to immigration, but any situation, prepare, know your rights, know when to act and know when to just remain silent,” Waltrip said.

She also urges them to continue to have hope and to know that LUCÉ and others in the community are standing beside them.

“We are here to support the immigrant community,” Waltrip said. “This is desperate and a scary time for us.”

While current circumstances may seem hopeless and daunting, Garmon calls upon teens to stand up for immigrant rights through civic action.

“This is not a time to be quiet,” Garmon said. “We cannot let people suffer. And it’s not just

my sweet immigrant students, but there’s lots of people who are going to be suffering because of what is happening right now.”

Some Louisville residents have joined protests to voice their concerns about the Trump administration.

On April 5, the organizations Indivisible Kentucky and 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement (50501) Kentucky organized the Louisville Hands Off! Rally and March in coordination with a nationwide day of protests.

In spite of rain and flooding, hundreds marched through downtown Louisville protesting Trump’s policies, including immigration restrictions and deportations.

The event attracted several youth attendees, including Caroline Gallagher, 16, who believes in the power of teens taking a stand.

“We are the future,” Gallagher said. “Don’t have it be to where there won’t be one.”

Despite the executive orders, rhetoric and life-changing headlines, immigrant students have still managed to find what may seem impossible: hope.

“There’s no way to see that this is right,” Mavares Osorio said. “This is not human. One thing that is human is us.”

Want to know more? Check out this podcast!

Podcast by Bailey Molinari

WITHIN REACH

The West End has lacked adequate access to healthcare for over a hundred years, but the new Norton West Louisville Hospital is helping bridge the gap.

writing by ELLA MOHR design by DAVID ROUTT

When I first heard that a new hospital was opening in the West End, I had a very clear image in mind. I expected it to look like how I pictured a typical hospital would: blank walls, sterile rooms and gray chairs lining the hallways. Instead, what I saw when I first walked in on Feb. 21 was anything but that.

Bright, colorful paintings lined the walls, each telling a story of its own. Typical furniture had been replaced by benches spotted with a variety of geometric shapes and patterns. One of the most distinctive aspects of this establishment was the constant exposure to sunlight: every room featured tall windows — one of many attempts at helping patients feel less confined.

As I took in the building’s vibrant, unexpected design, it was clear that the hospital was created for more than functionality; there was concern for the community’s needs as well.

On Nov. 11, 2024, the Norton West Louisville Hospital opened its doors to patients, making it the first built west of Ninth Street in more than 150 years.

So why now?

In order to understand this inequity, I decided to look into the original lack of medical care in the West End.

Gabe Jones, a professor at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, explained this disparity.

“Often, hospitals are looking at different areas and saying, ‘well, that’s a low-income area and low-income areas are unsafe,’ or ‘low-income areas are this or that’ or whatever narratives they create,” Jones said. “And they use that for reasons not to locate there.”

Corenza Townsend, the hospital’s chief administrative

officer, had a vision for a new hospital that contradicted this notion years ago at a “unity jam.” At these events, employees could come together to discuss ideas that would benefit certain groups of people. As a plan for the hospital evolved, Townsend and the Norton team realized that community involvement and pride were necessary for the hospital to be successful.

Townsend worked to accomplish this through community surveys. Responses ranged from altered safety measures to an increased emphasis on comfort, which resulted in its plans to make the hospital more open and build community trust in the process.

“I think people just expected, because it’s in West Louisville, that it wouldn’t have the same ‘Norton Healthcare’ feel or it wouldn’t be as customer servicecentric as it is. When you walk in here, it doesn’t necessarily feel like a hospital,” Townsend said. “That was something that was important to us. You needed to feel comfortable coming in here.”

However, a big concern among community members wasn’t related to comfort, but rather their ability to visit a hospital in the first place.

In the surveys conducted by Norton, 33% of the respondents who lived in West Louisville reported that they are unable to access the healthcare services they need. When asked about what barriers they face, there were a variety of answers. For example, 19.5% of respondents answered that they are often unable to find a provider accepting their insurance, and 16.5% simply lacked knowledge of where to go.

Inadequate access to medical care is a primary reason why West End citizens have significantly shorter lifespans.

According to the 2023 Louisville Health Equity Report, people residing in the West End live an average of 10 to 15 years less than other Jefferson County residents. Transportation struggles worsen this issue due to a lack of access to medical care.

“When you have a city like Louisville that is not a very walkable city that does not have a particularly notable public transit transportation system, geographic access becomes really important,” Jones said.

With busing and other independent transportation services only available to those who can pay the fares, Norton’s central

Beaming - One of many beams showcased throughout the hospital adorns the signatures of Kentucky and Southern Indiana children on Feb. 21. The hospital paid homage to the community and its contributions to its construction.

Photo by Emma Johnson

location allows for increased access to necessary resources.

“Technically, there’s a hospital that’s about four miles away from here, but for people in West Louisville, there’s somewhat of a gap in care,” Townsend said. “Considering transportation and access to care, when somebody is truly, truly sick, it could be the difference between life and death.”

However, health disparities aren’t solely based on the frequency or size of medical facilities. They also occur when it comes to both the historic and current quality of care.

“Particularly for Black communities, there’s a lot of distrust of medical systems because, quite frankly, medical systems have not been very kind to Black communities.” Lyndon Pryor, president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, said. “Doctors, hospitals, the whole nine have a long and deep and painful history of traumatizing Black people.”

This process, known as medical malpractice, is defined

as negligence by a provider that causes substandard treatment or injury. On a national scale, malpractice based on race dates back centuries.

“What you will hear many people say is that, ‘oh, well, Black folks don’t go to the doctor enough. That’s why they’re not getting diagnosed,’” Jones said. “But what is often excluded from that conversation are things that are foundational to medicine in this country.”

During the mid-1800s, James Marion Sims, a white doctor, became widely known as the father of gynecology. In pioneering new surgeries, he conducted research on enslaved Black women. However, all of these “experiments” were conducted without anesthesia under the false premise that Black people do not feel pain.

Another example of malpractice is the Tuskegee syphilis study. In this case, the government offered free healthcare, insurance and meals to more than 600 Black men

with syphilis in Alabama. In reality, sufficient treatment was withheld so that the government could “monitor the progression of the disease.” The study continued even after a cure was discovered in the 1940s and only ended in 1972 after a panel investigated and found it “ethically unjustified.”

“These are just two examples of a long history of damage that has occurred,” Jones said. “What we do now, in many cases, is we blame that distrust on the very people who were damaged by those practices.”

Criticizing the victims may cause opinions to form on who is or isn’t worthy of care. In addition, because West End citizens have been falsely promised resources before, many were worried that the creation of the hospital was not a genuine action.

“There are going to be people who see a hospital coming into a community that has been neglected for so long, and they’re going to say, ‘can I trust this? Is this real?’” Pryor said. “Particularly in a city like Louisville, where, quite frankly, organizations have made promises about doing things for Black people for a very long time, and those promises have not always been kept.”

Given these communities have long been underserved, this distrust is warranted. Learn more about the Norton West Louisville

Hospital here!

Video by Addison Lowry

Helping Hands - On Feb. 21, Corenza Townsend recounts her experience creating and running the new Norton West Louisville Hospital. The President and CEO of Norton Healthcare named Townsend the hospital’s chief administrative officer in November of 2022. Photo by Emma Johnson

“I hope that people who read this understand that whether they live in the West End or not, or whether they live in Louisville or not, when injustice and inequity is allowed to harm anyone in our community, it also harms us.”

- Gabe Jones, professor at the University of Louisville

“History tells us that marginalized people, immigrants and people of color have not necessarily been treated equally when it comes to healthcare and having healthcare rights,” Townsend said. “This is a place where you can come and you don’t have to worry about that.”

Norton looked to the community in order to accomplish this. Through their surveys, they ensured that people were able to voice their hopes for the hospital.

While the main request was safety features at 65.2%, answers also included more unique qualities. Because 43.5% of respondents requested natural lighting indoors, Norton replaced typical sterile white walls with windows in every patient room. They also constructed several patios in order to provide more access to the outdoors.

Even though these features stood out to me as unusual at first, they made perfect sense once Townsend explained the reasoning behind them. Norton’s efforts to build community trust and interdependence aim to distance themselves from historical patterns of community neglect.

“They have been really intentional about building a space that is going to be specific to the community that is most likely to use it,” Pryor said.

The hospital has more benefits than just medical aid: as more professionals are drawn

into the area, the economy benefits as well.

“The West End, unfortunately, has been divested in and kind of ignored financially and economically in this city for a very long time,” Pryor said. “But when you have a hospital there, so you’ve got 300 professionals who are there every single day working in and out, what that means is that there’s going to be other types of development that comes, there are going to be more restaurants, there are going to be more stores.”

The hospital also helps demonstrate other benefits of investing in the West End.

“What that hospital symbolically represents is a substantial need, because I think the synergistic effect of them being there will hopefully bring more resources to the West End,” Jones said. “If someone or an institution the size of Norton has demonstrated that, ‘hey, we are willing to do this,’ then I’m hopeful that other institutions who have maybe or maybe not been complicit in the deprivation of the West End will start to do what’s right as well.”

Going forward, Townsend hopes to maintain and even grow the hospital’s current success by decreasing disparity rates between the West End and other areas in Jefferson County.

“It’s new and shiny now, and I think people expect for it to kind of dim down once the lights and cameras are gone, but

a lot of the lights and cameras are gone already, and we’re still doing good,” Townsend said. “We can have this conversation a year from now, and I want the same experience, the same feel when you come in here.”

As more establishments like the hospital are founded in the West End, greater investment in the overall area becomes more plausible. However, it takes a community effort to decrease the inequities there.

“I hope that people who read this understand that whether they live in the West End or not, or whether they live in Louisville or not, when injustice and inequity is allowed to harm anyone in our community, it also harms us,” Jones said. “We have to get to a place where we understand that our humanity and our liberation is interconnected.”

As educators face mounting pressures both in and out of school, students learn what it’s like to be on the other side of the classroom.

writing by MAGGIE STONE  design by

UYEN NGUYEN

Students across Kentucky have noticed something missing from their classrooms in the past few years. It’s not just textbooks or laptops. It’s not desks or pencils. It’s the people that kids go to school to see, learn from and talk to — teachers. This absence has been nothing short of gaping, leaving classrooms crowded and students on their own.

Districts have struggled to adjust to this disparity. In a 2023 Kentucky Office of Education Accountability survey, 22% of Kentucky principals reported having to increase class sizes, 16% had to eliminate a class and 9% had to combine programs. Students are receiving less individual attention and are left to struggle without the additional aid a teacher provides.

Meanwhile, teacher pay rates fall far behind national averages. Educators across Kentucky are facing a difficult decision: continue teaching, despite the struggles that come along with it, or leave.

Right now, the second choice seems to be growing in popularity. At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, the Kentucky Department of Education reported 1,702 vacant educator positions throughout the state. One out of eight of those vacancies were never filled.

A severe lack of substitute teachers exacerbates this issue. Almost two-thirds of Kentucky superintendents reported that substitute hiring was a “crisis area” in 2023. The following year, the Kentucky legislature passed a bill allowing substitute teachers to

teach with as little as a high school diploma or equivalent certification. Adding to the struggles are recent actions from state and federal lawmakers, which targeted public school funding and student freedoms. Following his election in 2024, President Donald Trump slashed the workforce of the Department of Education (DOE), and on March 20, signed an executive order to permanently eliminate it. This move could devastate tens of millions of students, including those who receive Title I benefits, attend a special education program or rely on federal student loans.

“It’s really hard to predict exactly how everything is going to play out,” Paul Kepler, an Exceptional Child Education

“Education isn’t necessarily about preparing kids for a job, you’re preparing them to be a citizen. You’re preparing them to be a human.”

- Andrew Kincade, French and humanities teacher at Waggener High School

(ECE) resource teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, said. “It does make me a little nervous not knowing for certain what the future is going to be when it comes to special education funding.”

In 2024, the DOE administered $15 billion in grant money to programs supporting children with special needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Congress enacted this law to ensure that “children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education.” Trump has stated that funding for special needs programs will instead be managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, an agency headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump also issued executive orders in which he condemned initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and “gender ideology extremism.” These orders have been met with pushback from teachers nationwide.

“The argument that your politics is going to sway the student, I don’t think that’s true,” Andrew Kincade, a French and humanities teacher at Waggener High School, said. “Be yourself. Be who you are. And if this is an important thing to you, you don’t necessarily have to teach it as part of the class, but you can discuss.”

On a state level, both sides of the aisle proposed several new laws related to education policy and funding during Kentucky’s 2025 legislative session. These

included bills targeting religious freedom, gender expression and DEI initiatives, as well as some that would distribute more money to teacher salaries and free school meals.

Adding pressure to this back and forth is a recently announced lawsuit led by members of the Kentucky Student Voice Team against the state of Kentucky, the Kentucky Board of Education and other government officials. It aims to hold the defendants accountable for not meeting their self-defined criteria for a “quality” education, as set forth by the 1989 Rose v. Council for Better Education decision.

In this political moment, schools, students and teachers are in a central position. Checking social media or turning on the news without seeing another headline about an education-based controversy may feel impossible. It can become difficult to remember that the people working and learning in these systems aren’t just names or stories; they’re an essential part of society.

“Education isn’t necessarily about preparing kids for a job,” Kincade said. “You’re preparing them to be a citizen. You’re preparing them to be a human.”

“It

Takes Up Your Whole Life”

The last time Vanessa Hutchison walked out the doors of duPont Manual High School was on March 29, 2024. After a 16-yearcareer in teaching, she decided to leave the profession to take a website design job at Humana.

“When you’re a teacher, it takes up your whole life,” Hutchison said. “Even when I wasn’t there at school, and sometimes we were there at school pretty late, I was at home on nights and weekends planning lessons.”

It was only Hutchison’s second year at Manual when she left. She spent the majority of her career at Central High School, and Western High School previously. Although she enjoyed the job, she eventually became overwhelmed by the workload, especially after switching to Manual.

“The amount of work students were able to do in the given time was double what it had been for students I previously taught,” Hutchison said.

Even with an extended planning period, she still experienced difficulties.

“That’s 90 minutes a day to plan for five other hours of teaching. And not just plan, but also do all the grading,” Hutchison said. “There’s no way that anyone can get it done in that amount of time.”

Hutchison’s outlook on the future of teaching is bittersweet. She’s not hopeless — she’s passionate about how school districts can be improved, namely by switching to a fourday school week, shortening the payment period for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and enforcing stricter gun regulations. However, she remains deeply concerned about consistent shortcomings.

“I think that the whole system is breaking,” Hutchison said.

“When things break and they’re just irretrievably broken, the only good thing about that is that we get the chance to rebuild them.”

Hutchison isn’t the only teacher frustrated with time, pay, safety and school policies. According to a 2024 Pew Research survey, 77% of public school teachers say their job is frequently stressful and 84% say there’s not enough time during their regular work hours to complete required tasks. Although these struggles vary by district and school type, they are especially pronounced among schools whose students are mainly of low socioeconomic status.

Typh Hainer-Merwarth, an educator with Louisville Visual Art and Wildflowers Academy, has experienced these issues firsthand. In her 10-year teaching career, she has faced numerous difficulties, spanning across

multiple schools and districts. She began in JCPS at Stuart Academy, the lowest-ranking middle school in Kentucky, where she struggled to meet the needs of her students.

“A majority of schools in JCPS don’t have a medical professional on staff in the building, and so that kind of stuff will fall on the teacher,” Hainer-Merwarth said. “They have counselors, but often the counseling staff is severely overworked as well.”

Despite some negative experiences with JCPS, HainerMerwarth is quick to point out the district’s standout qualities. Among these are its relatively high basic pay and benefits, as well as an exceptionally strong teacher’s union, the Jefferson County Teachers Association.

“It really takes care of and supports the teachers, which is really, really important because teaching is a really hard job,” Hainer-Merwarth said.

Former teacher Kyle Ross also has a multifaceted view of JCPS. He taught English at Pleasure Ridge Park High School (PRP) for nine years and led the school’s theater program, newspaper and swim team. After Ross’ wife’s job took his family to another state for a year, he had to decide whether or not to take his teaching position back on their return. He cites cultural battles within education as the deciding factor of his resignation.

“The book that I taught every year was ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and it went from being the number one book written in the English language for the United States to being banned,” Ross said.

He was also frustrated by upper-level JCPS administrators, who he said often made decisions about individual schools without consulting any teachers or other employees. Near the end of his teaching career, the district

implented a new theater magnet program at PRP, which he felt wouldn’t necessarily be beneficial for the school’s community.

“The principal asked me and the other theater director to go to a meeting with the superintendent so that we could get some of the information,” Ross said. “When we tried to talk to the current superintendent, he literally told us that it was not our job to be there, and that he would talk to the principal at the time, and that would be it.”

One thing Hutchison, HainerMerwarth and Ross all have in common is a continued love for public education, despite their troubled histories with it.

“At my core, I still describe myself as a teacher,” Hutchison said. “The overwhelming majority of teachers that are in the classroom right now are busting their butts to do what’s best for kids.”

“There’s Not Much Else Holding Them There”

As more students find themselves without quality teachers, their perceptions have shifted: annoyance and resentment have been replaced by gratitude as more young people realize the burden placed on teachers across the country. No one understands this feeling more intimately than the students who not only see their teachers in class, but in their homes as well.

Abby Ladwig, 17, a junior at Owensboro High School, said her mom has been a teacher for “as long as she can remember.”

Sarah Ladwig currently teaches Kindergarten at Newton Parish Elementary, but was previously employed at Seven Hills Preschool and Hager Preschool. Both schools are supported by Head Start, a federally funded program providing learning and development services for children of low socioeconomic status.

A Personal Perspective - Andrew Kincade, a French and humanities teacher at Waggener High School, shares his experiences in both public and private school systems on March 12. Photo by Derek Bush Jr.

Though the program has served millions since its establishment decades ago, the Trump administration recently announced that its funding may be permanently eliminated under new budget plans. Ladwig left the program several years ago, during a period of other, less extreme budget cuts.

Even as a Kindergarten teacher, Abby Ladwig says her mom still spends countless hours outside of class planning and preparing her curriculum.

“Students themselves get worked up when they have to study more than three hours a night. But have you seen what teachers do?” Ladwig said. “You’d think a teacher would go home and do whatever for their family, but when I’m doing my homework, she’s doing hers.”

From her perspective, most people don’t understand the

emotional turmoil that teachers face every day. When speaking to friends about school, she finds herself becoming frustrated with how quickly they jump to conclusions about teachers being lazy or mean.

“They have their own lives,” Ladwig said. “I think right now we don’t see them as humans, the government doesn’t see them as humans, and it’s really affecting us as students.”

Willamina Mook, 14, a freshman at Ballard High School, voices similar thoughts. Her mom used to teach in JCPS at Maupin Elementary School and the J. Graham Brown School, but moved to Francis Parker in Goshen in 2023 for a less stressful schedule.

While Mook wants to work with kids and babysits frequently, getting a behind the scenes look at a teacher’s life has turned her away from the career.

“Due to the amount of effort compared to the amount of money that they’re paid, I don’t think it’s something that I would be interested in,” Mook said.

Even students without teacher parents agree with the idea that the career doesn’t look very inviting, especially given popular ideas around pay. Alyssa Faber, 16, a sophomore at duPont Manual High School, says she’s faced pushback from friends and family surrounding her interest in the field.

“They’re like, ‘that would be fun for you, but you would have no money,’” Faber said. “I really want to say making a difference is the priority, it’s the most important thing to me. But because of my family and experiences, just what I’ve seen in life, financial stability — and financial independence, especially — is very important to me.”

For the Kids - Typh Hainer-Merwarth, an instructor for Louisville Visual Art and Wildflowers Academy, gives Samuel Budelsky, 7th grade, and Chase Gratz, 6th grade, a new canvas to paint on during the after-school fine arts program on March 10. Photo by Derek Bush Jr.

This lack of morale among young people surrounding teaching is becoming more evident, with fewer and fewer competing for job positions, even as new openings multiply throughout the state.

In 2023, over two-thirds of Kentucky’s middle and high school principals reported not having enough or an abundance of satisfactory teacher applicants. This number varied by subject, with up to 81.7% and 73.6% of principals reporting no available or satisfactory applicants for physics and chemistry, respectively.

However, passionate teachers are still working tirelessly to provide students with a quality education.

“If they didn’t actually want to teach kids, then they definitely wouldn’t be there,” Mook said.

“Especially for public school teachers, there’s not much else holding them there.”

“They’re

Not Motivated by the Paycheck”

At Ballard High School, one group of students still looks to teaching as a career to aspire to. Founded in 2017 by Cassidy Cummings, the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Pathway at the school allows students to take four dual credit courses. Originally just one class on the fundamentals of teaching, the program now offers an array of skill-building lessons.

Many of its students didn’t have a specific passion for teaching when they joined, but eventually found a home within it. Sydnei Rhodes, 17, a senior at Ballard, said she was initially “iffy” about the program.

“When you see how kids act around you, you start to kind of feel bad for teachers in a sense,” Rhodes said. “It kind of gave me a different perspective about teaching.”

Currently, every class in the pathway is taught by Cummings.

Several of its students refer to her as a major reason for why they chose to stay in the program, especially due to her unique classroom structure.

“It’s easier to change and modify the work that we do in here,” Marleigh Tripp, 17, a junior, said. “It’s just really nice having a teacher that we can talk with.”

These students aren’t ignorant to the more difficult aspects of teaching — as teens, they’re particularly aware of how teachers are often treated by their peers. Concerns around apathy and behavior are especially worrying for them.

“ It’s not so funny, the things that we used to find funny, knowing what teachers already have to deal with,” Tripp said.

Even as they work toward ultimately pursuing the career, students must simultaneously contend with the growing pressures within it, and aren’t ignorant to doubts from their

Future of Teaching - Cate Davis, 18, Sydnei Rhodes, 17, and Abby Faris, 17, seniors at Ballard High School, discuss their experiences in the school’s teaching program on March 24. Photo by Derek Bush Jr.

peers. Abby Faris, 17, a senior, said that the first question her counselor asked her after observing her JCPS Backpack Defense was if she was wary about entering the profession given current controversies around it. As the child of a teacher, Faris has seen both the highs and lows of the job.

“You’re working with a bunch of different kids from a bunch of different backgrounds and all you want to do is help them, ” Faris said. “But you can’t always do that.”

Cummings recognizes that many of her students have a true passion for teaching, and wants to make it clear how rewarding the job can be. However, she doesn’t shy away from the realities of it.

“I try to be really candid with my kids about the rigors and responsibilities and challenges of the job because they need to have a realistic perspective of what they’re in for,” Cummings said. “They’re intrinsically motivated to help others, and they’re not motivated by the paycheck.”

Prior to working at Ballard, Cummings taught as an ECE teacher at Atherton High School and The Academy at Shawnee. Her experience with special education has motivated her to implement it as a core part of Ballard’s teaching pathway, which many similar programs don’t incorporate.

“I think it just makes you a well-rounded teacher,” Cummings said. “And it helps you really understand one of the main purposes of being a teacher in general: meeting individual needs.”

Funding for special education is one of the primary resources at risk under new orders to abolish the DOE. This threat isn’t lost on the teaching pathway’s students, several of whom participate

in the Introduction to Special Education course and intend to work with special education students in the future.

“It’s being limited, how much change we’ll be able to make,” Faris said. “But I feel like it also makes what we want to do even more important.”

Concerns around the stability of the career, however, are shared by everyone, even those who don’t partake in that specific class.

“That’s one of the scary parts about it. It’s like, you want to go into this, but are you going to be fully in it forever?” Rhodes said.

“Core Root of Society”

As students, we all know how important educators are — we can all recall those who impacted us, changed our minds or extended a helping hand. Teachers guide us through our toughest challenges and support us in our most dismal moments, however, they receive little beyond gratitude in return.

Our government and society have systematically neglected the public education system for decades, hoping to avoid any consequences. As educators and students have been repeatedly ignored, public education has begun to crumble around us — and the cracks are starting to emerge outside of classroom walls. It’s no longer outdated textbooks or a lack of supplies; it’s a shortage of the most important resource we have.

The numbers are clear. Teachers are leaving, and fast. Students have been left to their own devices as administrators scramble to find replacements, turning the position of an educator into just another slot to be filled.

“She has three classes where she doesn’t even have a teacher,” said Alyssa Pollard, 17, a junior at Ballard, referring to her sister who attends PRP. “It’s up to that

“You want to go into this, but are you going to be fully in it forever?”

- Sydnei Rhodes, 17, senior at Ballard High School

sub to scour the internet and find some resources, and she’s ending up doing work that’s not even related to the class she’s in.”

Teachers aren’t just a commodity to be swapped out when needed. They’re essential community members, mentors and even lifelines. But as pay, schedules and new legislation show, they’re not being treated like it. When exhaustion and burnout become too much to manage, districts cut back on expenses by combining classes and switching to alternative teaching methods, cutting off students from the quality education they deserve.

As Abby Ladwig put it, “Education is the core root of society, and if you’re not focusing your time and your effort into education, what are you doing?”

CHECK OUT MORE! Podcast by Maggie Stone

Lion dance may be a 2,000-year-old custom, but River Lotus Lion Dance is balancing tradition with new ideas.

writing by AURORA GILBERTSON design by JEREMY YOUNG

The soft sound of bare feet on a colorful mat complemented the rumbling of the drums and the heartbeats of the dancers. They stepped in time and held a large metal hoop above their heads, tilting it back and forth in sharp movements. Looking at this rehearsal, one would never expect a group of eight teenagers in jeans and sweatpants to transform into a spectacular display of bright colors and coordinated steps.

The performance, known as lion dance, is a traditional dance that originated in China over 2,000 years ago before spreading throughout East Asia. Now, it unites students of many cultural backgrounds in Louisville — with some adjustments. Based in a Vietnamese temple in Louisville, River Lotus Lion Dance is a group of passionate youth dedicated to performing lion dance together.

Though they abide by the historical practices of the culture, the group strays away from traditional beliefs and emphasizes self-expression, strong interpersonal ties and breaking gender norms.

While original lion dances featured only men performing for Lunar New Year, River Lotus

maintains a group majority made up of women — and finds ways to incorporate the dance throughout the year.

On Feb. 25, River Lotus began practicing for their upcoming show. One specific teen in the rehearsal stood out above the echo of the drums, holding the next step up from a metal hoop: the scaffolding of the lion’s head.

This dancer was Kevin Nguyen, 14, a freshman at duPont Manual High School, who practiced a step-step pattern alongside the other dancers while moving the lion head above his own. Again and again, step-step forward, step-step back. When he was not practicing the same motion, he was off to the side improvising his movements.

“When you freestyle, you just move with the flow,” Kevin said.

In lion dance, the two dancers who perform in the lion costume must be in tune with the movements of the other, which helps create a strong sense of community.

“It helped me connect with people I dance with because I think we’re just a group of friends,” Kevin said. “They’ve helped me control my feelings, my thoughts and made me a better person.”

Feb. 25, 2025

This closeness was apparent when watching them before their practice. Around 30 minutes before the rehearsal started, a couple of the River Lotus members gathered together to kick a soccer ball around the room. As the group played, laughter bounced off the walls about as much as the ball did. This energy continued throughout the afternoon.

Johnny Nguyen, 18, a student at the University of Louisville, and Kevin, practiced near each other,

“They’ve helped me control my feelings, my thoughts and made me a better person.”

- Kevin Nguyen, 14, freshman at duPont Manual High School

Han Dynasty 206 BCE–220 CE

Lions are introduced to China through trade with Central Asia and Persia.

Tang Dynasty 618-907

Lion dance becomes a recognized performance art in the Tang Court, known as the “Great Peace Music.”

Song Dynasty 960-1279

Lion dance spreads among the general public.

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

Different styles emerge: Northern Lion, which involves acrobatics, and Southern Lion, which is focused on the spiritual aspect

The History of LION DANC E

Qing

Dynasty 1644-1911

Styles are refined and become associated with martial arts schools.

Late 1800s – Early 1900s

Chinese immigrants bring lion dance all over the world

1950s – Present

Lion dance evolves to include competitions and lion costumes become customized.

their movements different. But in an instant, when someone started playing a rhythm on the large drum off to the side of the mat, Kevin and Johnny fell in sync with the deep beat of the large drum.

Without even a shared glance, they began the same step-step motion while lifting the metal hoops above their heads. They tapped their feet on the floor, then lifted it to their knee and shifted their stance. Step, tap, lift, tap.

On the other side of the room, leading others in a different motion, was Katelan Nguyen, 20. Katelan has been leading River Lotus since the beginning of 2024, but she’s been performing lion dance and a member of the group since 2020.

“It’s kind of hard when you’re going from being everybody’s

friend to being their teacher and their leader,” Katelan said.

The group’s previous leader, Alan Tran, never had to worry about this transition — the team only ever knew him as their leader.

As Katelan has grown, she works to emanate the care that Tran put into the group.

“He cared deeply for every member on our team and would always highlight mental health, as it often gets neglected,” Katelan said.

Although she has adopted many aspects of Tran’s leadership style, she has been forging her own way as the head of the group. When the team makes mistakes, she prioritizes taking a constructive approach.

“I try my best to take accountability,” Katelan said. “I try not to make my members feel like it’s all their fault.”

While Katelan’s leadership style has evolved, lion dance had an impact on her even before she became the captain of the group: it brought her closer to her culture and religion, not to mention the group of friends that have grown from it.

“I just spent more and more of my time with these people and also learning more about the culture and how it embeds with my own culture and really having self-identity as an Asian American,” Katelan said.

However, finding her sense of self wasn’t easy when she was one of the only Asian Americans in her classes at school.

“Growing up, I was surrounded by a lot of people that looked like me, and then towards middle school it started getting lower and then definitely in high school, I was very much

the one person in my class that was Asian,” Katelan said.

She explained that growing up with people like her inspired her to become more involved with her culture later in life.

So, she started going to the Chua Tu An Temple to learn more about the customs specific to her religion. This proved to be difficult, as she couldn’t speak Vietnamese fluently.

“Whenever they were teaching me lessons in Buddhism, but they would speak in Vietnamese, it was kind of hard to get that connection,” Katelan said. “Lion dance was my English translation.”

Katelan used to perform with another woman. She always found this uplifting, since lion dance is a traditionally maledominated activity.

“It always felt very empowering because you don’t commonly see a lot of women as pairs performing lion dance doing the crazy tricks,” Katelan explained. “A long, long time ago, it was frowned upon, like ‘women can only do instruments and not be allowed in the lion.’”

In the 2018 dissertation

“Claiming Ritual: Female Lion Dancing in Boston’s Chinatown,” authors Casey Avaunt and Anthea Kraut write that women “have been excluded due to notions that menstruation contaminates the ritual purity of the practice and the belief that women do not possess the physical stamina and strength needed to perform these rigorous dances.”

The widely accepted idea was that, if women touched the lion while on their period, they

would contaminate the purity of the lion head and contradict the good luck it brought.

Although more women are participating, lion dance is still a male-dominated field. River Lotus is changing this norm.

March 21, 2025

As Katelan created more space for other members of the group to try a new role in lion dance, she spent less time focusing on playing the drums.

“Whenever I’m put on drum show duty or just drum in general, I get a little anxious and then it messes up my drumming,” Katelan said.

Despite this, at their Wilkerson Elementary School performance on March 21, Katelan was there, striking a large drum in perfect timing.

Rhythms of River Lotus - Lion dancers Johnny Nguyen, 18, Katelan Nguyen, 20, and Ashley Phan, 21, provide background music at Wilkerson Elementary School on March 21 through a gong, drums and cymbals. Photo by Sarah Aleissa

paying as much attention to your each and every movement as you might think they are.

“It’s like starting out in the gym. You think everybody’s watching you, but in reality nobody’s watching you.” Katelan said. “You can progress at your own pace.”

Each team member is at a different level, and they rely on each other and Katelan to succeed at every rehearsal and performance.

From Katelan’s evolving role as a leader and Kevin’s growth as an individual, River Lotus provides local youth with a forum to express themselves.

The group’s balance between traditional, cultural practices and a focus on stronger mental health and inclusion of women as major role-players mirrors the harmony and connection between River Lotus’ teammates.

By providing an outlet for a young group of performers to grow as leaders and changemakers, River Lotus has also bonded its members into a large group of friends who simply love what they do.

“I think, definitely, friendship is a big driving force why I keep doing it and why I’m still here,” Katelan said. “It’s nice sometimes putting on a uniform, it feels like a supersuit.”

CHECK

OUT MORE!

Video by Samiyah Taylor

Eric Dong, 20, a student at the University of Louisville, and Kevin donned the full lion costume and hopped from foot to foot in time with the symbols and the drum. The lion was white with pink accents and small tassels covering every inch. As the lion pranced up and down the aisles of the bleachers, the music changed rhythms and flowed

through the room. Many of the kids got up from their seats to touch the lion and pat it on the head. In response, the lion would blink and shake its ears.

...

Through the obstacles she has faced in lion dance, Katelan has gained a piece of wisdom that she shares with others: people aren’t

Balancing Tradition - Lion dancers Kevin Nguyen, 14, a freshman at duPont Manual High School, and Eric Dong, 20, a student at the University of Louisville, perform a powerful lift during their lion dance performance at Wilkerson Elementary School on March 21. Photo by Sarah Aleissa

PhotobySuzettaFuller

PhotobyLorenWilliamson

PhotobySadieEichenberger

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