by Haylee Hedrick

One of Jeff High’s biggest problem has nothing to do with grades or attendance — it’s about hunger.

Almost 60-percent of students in the Greater Clark County School district qualify for free or reduced lunch, with 55-percent of the JHS student body alone qualifying. In comparison, roughly 35-percent of students at Charlestown High School and nine-percent of students at Floyd Central qualify for the program.

To combat the growing food issues within the community, JHS applied for a grant for a food pantry during the 2014-15 school year. The school received $1,000 from the Community Foundation, and GenerationOn gave $250 to start up the collection of food.

Thanks to those donations, the JHS food pantry allows students to take a cinch bag home containing food for them and their families.

“Every student needs something to be successful, and this is what these students need,” assistant principal Marianne Fisher said.

However now, the food pantry isn’t stocked well enough, and is too low in funds to provide meals for all the students that it should benefit at JHS. This is a huge issue, according to Fisher, considering one-fourth of the school uses the pantry weekly, with students getting their main meal of their day from school.

That results in the weekends being a recurring struggle for families. Several families don’t even get to eat as a family, each individual eats whenever the opportunity presents itself.

‘We don’t really have any food in the house at all except a can of corn,” said an anonymous JHS student that uses the pantry. “Now we can have a real meal together as a family.”

Who this helps

There are a significant amount of students among the JHS student body that cannot rely on stocked cabinets or kitchens at home on a day-to-day basis, mostly due to homelife difficulties, financially or otherwise.

Inside the walls of JHS, there are all levels of poverty, ranging from homeless students, to students who have a home, but the family cannot afford enough food on the weekends for essential meals.

With the pantry, however, students can go home for a weekend and not have the worries of where their next meal might come from.

“I can’t thank (the pantry) enough for helping me out,” the anonymous student said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do while my dad was gone.”  

How to help stock the food pantry

The 45-percent of students at JHS that are not on free or reduced lunch can help the other half by bringing in items and food for their peers and classmates.

Non-perishable items that are lightweight and easy to put into cinch bags are needed. Pop-tarts, peanut butter sandwich crackers, mac n cheese and ramen noodles are items students usually enjoy receiving the most.

Canned goods and frozen items are not unacceptable, but are not preferred, due to storage limitations. The cans are too heavy to put in the cinch bags that are sent home with students, and the school has no way to keep the frozen items cold.

Currently, Key Club is the main JHS group that stocks the food pantry; however Fisher welcomes other groups to donate items they deem appropriate.

“Donating to the food pantry gets (students) needed service hours, plus you get to help support your fellow students, friends and peers,” Key Club president Caroline Elliott said. “You could be helping one of your best friends and you don’t even know it.”

If you are interested in donating, bring items to Dr. Fisher’s office (A137). She will also answer any questions regarding food pantry items, including inclusion in the program, at mfisher@gccschools.com.

Items you can bring in to help:

• Mac and cheese
• Sealed jelly packages
• Pasta (in box/plastic)
• Ramen noodles
• Poptarts
• Powdered milk
• Cereals (box, bag, or cup)
• Boxes of rice
• Boxes of cookies
• PB jars
• PB sandwich crackers
• Soups in plastic containers.
  

“Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.” — Martin Luther King.

After the new year has passed and the month of January is in full swing, attention often turns to Martin Luther King Day: a day that honors a man who valued justice and equality.

During his life, King showed humanity and leadership with all he had, and spoke about it to all who were willing to listen. To honor his holiday, Clark County students paid homage to Martin Luther King by submitting essay, poster or video projects to be in “The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Contest.”

In the JHS contest, there was a three way tie for first place: freshmen Alayna Lacy,  freshman Lyndsey Vessels , and some students from Ms. Corcoran’s Impact class. Lacy and Vessels both entered in posters and Ms.Corcoran’s students made a video. In the county-wide contest, Vessels poster placed third.

“(I) read through his speech at least seven times, then I just started taking things from the speech and put it all on a poster board,” Vessels said.

The senior team of Jacqueline James and Emanda Gibson took home second place in the JHS contest.

Scholarships were also handed out to students. To earn the scholarship, students had to fill out an application, write an essay, have a certain amount of community service hours and have a good academic record.

The Martin Luther King Scholarship winners from JHS were seniors Lizzy Bishop and Lucy Sandavol.

There is a yearly breakfast put on by the King Holiday Committee to show admiration for Dr.King. This year the King Scholarship Breakfast host was Renaissance Academy.

“I’m very honored to be here,” Sandoval said. “There are so many people here to honor Martin Luther King.”

The chair of the King Holiday Committee, Janice Leavell, was very impressed with all the students’ work .

“People say that kids are our future, but these amazing kids are our now,” Leavell said. “He wanted all people to be equal. We honor him because we are the people.”

The contest and scholarship winners are invited to attend the breakfast, as well as school administrators all over Clark County.

“This is a wonderful community event to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.,” JHS principal Julie Straight said. “I’ve been able to attend for four years. The students are a big part of the event and live out the dream.”

Greater Clark County Schools Deputy Superintendent Travis Haire commented on the event saying that Martin Luther King’s dream is still living throughout the talented students artwork

“This special event is meant to celebrate Martin luther King jr Holiday and to honor students with showing great artwork and with awarding scholarships,” Haire said.  

MLK committee member Dawn Krabbe stated that the Martin Luther King Contest showcases the unique out-of-the-box creativity of the students.  

“It’s a wonderful event for the community to recognize a lot of students artistically and academically. Not all students are the same and it shows their different mediums in Clark County,” Krabbe said.

All involved spent the day basking in the inspiration  that was Dr. Martin Luther King and he will continue to be recognized for years to come as the expressive inspirational man that he was. Let’s all keep living out the dream of Dr. King.

“ If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. “ — Martin Luther King

Four years play a big role in our society.
It takes four years for high a school student to go from the “newbie” freshman to the ruling senior. The Olympics, made to test an athlete’s true expertise, happens once every four years. The United States presidential election, voting for the face of our country, occurs every four years.
Around Jeffersonville, a big moment happened four years ago: Julie Straight was named the principal at Jeff High School.
Before Straight was tabbed with leading the school, the Jeffersonville native spent over 20 years in the English classroom, coached gymnastics, girls track and field, cross country and cheerleading teams, and sponsored clubs, such as Renaissance and the Class of 1994.
“I’ve always been very involved and I’ve always loved kids and students,” Straight said. “This is where I wanted my professional career to be.”

The beginnings…
“When I first stepped in as interim principal, it was very challenging because we ended up down a few administrators (and I) had to bring in some extra help,” Straight said. “The structures were what worked for someone else, (but) weren’t what would fit my style the best.”
In 2012, there were changes that Straight had to devise, such as organizing structure throughout the building.
“When I was named principal at the end of (the 2012) school year, that was a whirlwind of a summer,” Straight said. “Hiring people, re-establishing some leadership, and the way we would just do business here.”
Once she got the ball rolling as principal, she set her sights on several educational improvements, including honing in on higher test scores.
“If you look at data, all of our main metrics moved up,” Straight said of the improvements since her take over. “ECAs continue to go up, our graduation rate (is) up, our P.R.I.D.E. program has flourished. I think that being a part of the Jeff High family is something that a lot of people have pride in.”

What others are saying
Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Dr. Andrew Melin, who is Straight’s direct boss, has been impressed with the new principal.
“I believe all of Mrs. Straight’s efforts have resulted in the improvement of many important metrics like graduation rate, post-secondary acceptance, dual credit attainment, etc,” Melin said. “As a result, I believe the image of JHS in our community and region is the best it has ever been.”
Melin also praised Straight’s progress of bettering JHS’ culture.
“Perhaps the most significant change I have seen in JHS since Mrs. Straight was named principal is the establishment of a positive school culture with the students, parents, staff, and community,” Melin said. “She has also been integral in expanding our College and Career Readiness initiative, which includes enhancing our counseling program and our efforts to join the Ford Next Generation Learning Network.”
Assistant principal Tim LaGrange agrees with Melin, saying that Straight became principal at a grueling time, and that he was impressed on how she took on the challenge.
“I think first of all she took over the building in a difficult situation, meaning she was the third principal in a matter of a few days,” LaGrange said. “She calmed the waters (and) she steadied the ship.
“I think one of her most positive attributes is that she bleeds Jeff Red Devils,” LaGrange continued. “She loves Jeff High and all of our kids. That is apparent in all of her decisions. I think that from a personal standpoint, she’s a great boss. She’s the kind of boss that you want to work hard for and that you don’t want to disappoint. On a daily basis, she is a very positive leader who cares about the kids.”.
Despite the kind words, Straight commends the teamwork that her, and her apt-called JHS family, have had throughout the last four years.
“We really work together: students, teachers, and faculty,” Straight said. “I’m very proud of that, and how far we’ve come. It’s hard to believe it’s not really that long.”

The future of JHS
Although principals are considered the ‘top dog’ of the school building, Straight explains that to get the full picture, one must include all of the moving parts. She says the staff and faculty go into making JHS such a great school just as much as she does.
One way to see the improvement would be looking at all of the clubs that have popped up, which are student-run, but also teacher-sponsored.
“We have blown up club-wise: we have our debate team, chess club, key club,” Straight said. “Now we have Optimist club, and so many other things that are growing that we’re taking pride in.”
She explains that all of these various clubs give the school a more community and family feel. She would like to think that this feeling within the school has increased since she has been principal.
In four years time, Straight has said to have brought a young atmosphere to the school, increased the positive culture of the building, positively impacted test scores/graduation rates, and implemented P.R.I.D.E throughout JHS.
So what are Straight’s plan over the next four years? According to the principal, it’s seeing continued improvement. Straight said that she doesn’t plan on going anywhere and is content with being a Jeff Red Devil.
“I’m very happy doing what I do,” Straight said. “I like being in a school where I’m supposed to be, and that’s where I want to be.”

Although the Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the main topic of conversation on Nov. 8, 2016, those results aren’t the only ones for students to keep to an eye on.

The results that will be affecting the students of Jeff High School the most will be the Greater Clark County school board elections. Four of the seven school board seats are up for election, with three of those four openings having re-election filed.

The Hyphen breaks down what you should know about each race, and those candidates running.

District 2- all of charlestown township      

Current board member: Tony Hall (filed for re-election)         

Challenger(s): Katie Hutchinson & Pasquel Ross

Tony Hall: “I feel like I can share my experience and knowledge. We have a very bright future in Clark County and I feel great things are ahead for Greater Clark…(We have to) make sure every decision you make is answering ‘is this best for kids?’…During the first board meeting, we recognize students, teachers, other staff and even some community members who have gone above the norm.”

About the candidate: Hall is a retired Greater Clark County school teacher. He was a math teacher for 33 years, an Athletic Director for 17 Years and a girls basketball coach for 13 years. Hall is the secretary of the board of trustees. He is in two committees within the school board: Charlestown redevelopment and the ISBA nomination committee.

Katie Hutchinson:  “I am running for the educators, families and students. It seems GCCS has lost focus of who, not what, we are about. As a school board member, I want to put our focus back on students and involve families in every step, not just the voting … I will bring a fresh look and a passion for always doing what needs to be done. I am not ok when things are ‘good’. Our kids deserve greatness because they have greatness inside of them. We are preparing our students for tomorrow. We can’t continue doing what we’ve always done — it’s not working.”

About the candidate: According to former JHS teacher Katie Hutchinson, she has worked for Greater Clark for eight years.

Pasquel Ross: could not be reached for comment and no verified information was found.

District 5- Jeffersonville Township Precincts 17, 18, and 20 through 25    

Current board member: Christina Gilkey (filed for re-election)            

Challenger(s): unopposed

Christina Gilkey: “I, personally, feel we (GCCS) are in a great place in what we are doing for teachers and students. I want to continue to be apart of that. There’s a learning curve to being a school board member. We [board members] have to do homework and study material just like students.”  

About the candidate: Gilkey is the Board of School Trustees Vice President. Within the school board, she attains to the strategic planning committee, insurance committee, and college and career readiness.

District 6- Jeffersonville township precinct 7,8, 9, 10, 11, 11a, 12, 13, 15 and 16     

Current board member: Jerry White (not seeking re-election)                        

Challenger(s): Milton Clayton (filed for open seat)

Milton Clayton: “I’ve always worked with kids and I’ve enjoyed working with children…I have an extensive public education background. I want to help ensure the safety and education of students. I’m a parent and a grandparent and I know how education affects family.”

About the candidate: Clayton worked with Greater Clark County Schools for 41 years. Of those 41 years, 25 of them were in the transportation field. He has held the position of Administrative Assistant and Director of Transportation for the GCCS system as well.

District 7- Jeffersonville Township Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 14        

Current board member: Teresa Bottorff-Perkins (filed for re-election)   

Challenger(s): Kelli Dattilo

Teresa Bottorff-Perkins: “I’ve been involved in education my entire life. I spent 40 years as a teacher, counselor, and administrator. I am passionate about students and schools. Being on the board takes a lot of preparation. Several people do not realize that members of the board have full time jobs.”

About the candidate: According to a Dec. 2, 2015 Courier-Journal article, Perkins pleaded guilty to a D-felony charge of shoplifting in Tennessee. She was sentenced to four years of probation and also had to pay $1,402.77 in restitution by Dec.15, 2014. Perkins is in the strategic planning committee and the education foundation within the school board.

Kelli Dattilo- “As an educator, I have many of the skills needed to understand the inner workings of a school district…I think it’s important that the needs of the students, teachers, and staff are understood by the Clark County community and taxpayers…Before becoming a teacher, I worked in the banking/business world for almost 20 years. My knowledge of business principles, management of people and resources, as well as problem-solving skills are talents I would bring to the GCCS school board.”

About the candidate: Dattilo works at Doss High School, a high school in Louisville, Ky. She has been a teacher there for nine years.

“I think that what’s important is one [ a member  of the school board ] who wants to work hard,  is open minded,  and a collaborative team player,” Deputy Superintendent Travis Haire said.